AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CAROLINE
Casey’s chest is a brick wall of muscle, but somehow I still manage to mold into it. His hand on the back of my head… the way his thumb is gently rubbing just behind my ear… in spite of the serious turmoil I’m facing right now, this is heaven.
But it’s also a dream.
He’s only giving me a hug because I was about ready to cry. And hugs don’t last forever. I can already feel him shifting away, lightly patting my shoulder—the universal sign for “this hug is timing out.”
I need to pull away now, but I can’t seem to move.
Maybe because I know this is probably a one-off thing. We’re not going to end up together. He’s not going to be my boyfriend. He’s just being nice to me because I’ve got his kid brewing in my belly.
Oh shit.
I have a kid brewing in my belly!
A shudder runs through me like it does every time that harrowing thought hits me.
It’s freaking terrifying.
“Hey, let’s get out of here,” Casey murmurs against my forehead. His lips leave a delicate kiss before he pulls back and looks down at me. “Come on, I’ll buy you a coffee or something.”
My lips curl into a pout as I pull my sleeves down. The sweater I’m wearing is mammoth and swallows my hands easily. “I’ve already had my quota for the day.”
“Your quota?”
“Only allowed one.” I point at my belly, my frown deepening to the point that I can actually feel it. Every muscle in my face seems to be straining as my eyebrows plunge into a deep V.
The only reason I know that rule is because my coffee-addicted cousin nearly died during her pregnancy from caffeine withdrawal. Okay, so she didn’t nearly die, but she struggled. And I know I’m going to as well. Maybe not the coffee thing so much, but no alcohol? I feel like I need to down three bottles of straight vodka just to cope with this mess.
But I can’t do that.
I have to face this shit head-on. There’s no escaping the choices in front of me.
I’m lost so deep in this maelstrom that I miss what Casey’s saying until he nudges my arm. “What else?”
“Huh?”
“What else can’t you have?”
“Um…” I try to remember what else Angela wasn’t allowed to eat, but my brain’s going fuzzy and?—
“Have you seen a doctor yet?”
And now my brain is lighting up with panic, the neurons, or whatever, all firing at once while I try to answer that question.
It’s simple, really. No. That’s the answer.
But it’s not simple because the no is tied to my big choice.
“Is that a headshake or…?” Casey’s voice trails off, and I clear my throat.
My voice still comes out raspy when I finally answer him. “I haven’t yet, because… it seemed weird to go if I wasn’t keeping it.”
“But you might keep it, right?”
I give him a helpless shrug, fisting my sweater in the stomach region and feeling sick.
“I mean, you should go and make sure everything’s okay.”
