“Baby?”
Carter sits up instantly, “What’s wrong?”
I set the bag down on the coffee table, avoiding his gaze. “I, um… I got tests. Will you—” My throat tightens, but I push through. “Will you sit with me while I take one?”
Carter quickly stands up, crossing the room in two long strides. His hand cups my cheek as his thumb brushes over my undereye. “Course I will, darlin’.”
He swoops me up in his arms in one swift motion, carrying me upstairs as he pecks kisses across my cheek down the slender slope of my neck, whispering in my ear.
“No matter what it says, baby, it’s okay, we can always try again.”
He pushes our bedroom door with his boot, gently setting me down on the edge of our bed. He lowers himself next to me, throwing his arm around me and shouldering me close to his chest.
I grip the test in my sweaty hand, Carter’s touch takes me out of my gaze as he leans down and kisses the top of my head.
“You don’t have to do this right now,” he whispers, pressing a kiss to my temple. “Ain’t no rush.”
“I know,” I whisper, staring at the little stick. “I just… I needed to know, even if it’s nothing.”
He squeezes me closer. “Whatever it says, it doesn’t change a thing. You hear me? You’re mine, Catalina. Baby or no baby.”
Tears sting my eyes, but I nod, slipping out of his hold, sauntering on to our bathroom.
Three minutes pass, more like three centuries pass by. Nerves coil in my lower belly, making my skin tingle and my chest flutter.
Carter waits just outside the door, leaning against the wooden frame, silent but present.
I finally pick the pregnancy test, my stomach dropping when I see the result.
Negative.
Just one lonely line staring back at me.
I swallow hard, my chest tightening, and push the door open. Carter looks up, searching my face before his eyes fall to the test in my hand.
His arms are around me before I can even blink, pulling me against his chest. “I’ve got you,” he says into my hair, strong and steady while I sag against him. “It’s okay, baby. We’ll try again.”
I clutch his shirt, hot tears spilling down my cheeks. “I just… I thought maybe?—”
“I know, baby,” he whispers, kissing the crown of my head. “And one day, it’ll happen. But whether it’s now or later, it doesn’t matter. You’re already everything I’ve ever wanted.”
My heart cracks and mends in the same breath, because even with disappointment sitting heavy in my chest, I believe him.
Carter holds me until my breathing evens out, his big hand rubbing slow circles on my back, steady as the heartbeat under my ear. I think he’s going to tuck me back into bed, tell me torest, but instead he tips my chin up with his thumb, his blue eyes steady on mine.
“C’mon, darlin’,” he says softly.
I blink, sniffling. “Where?”
He grabs his wallet off the dresser and tucks his hat under his arm. “To get you that iced matcha you love.”
A laugh bubbles out of me. “Carter?—”
“You think I’m lettin’ you sit here beatin’ yourself up? Hell no.” He kisses my forehead, pulling me toward the door. “We’re goin’ into town. You’ll get your fancy green drink, I’ll get my coffee, and then we’ll sit in the truck and you can tell me all the reasons Toffee is secretly plotting to kill Maverick.”
I choke on a laugh, shaking my head as tears still dry on my cheeks. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Maybe,” he mutters, sliding his arm around my shoulders as we walk. “But I’m yours. Which means makin’ you feel better is my full-time job.”
