A box of ginger tea. It was supposed to settle the stomach, stop nausea. Maybe he should make her a cup now. Hell, he could do with something to calm his own gut.
She was in the half bath beneath the stairs, only a few feet away, and it took every ounce of willpower he had to stay in the kitchen. To not stand outside the door waiting. Or barge in.
God, he wanted to be in there with her.
He wanted to be there for every second. Hold her hand if she wanted. Hug her. Anything, whatever it was, he wanted to give it or do it. He wanted to be able to provide whatever comfort she needed.
He hadn’t been there for this part last time. Renee had come to him with the test stick already used. She’d kept her suspicions from him until she had been sure, and he didn’t begrudge her or blame her for that, but he was thrilled Mazey had involved him from the start. He couldn’t imagine her doing this without him.
“Hey.”
Snapped out of his thoughts, he spun around to find Mazey standing on the other side of the kitchen island, her hands twisting together in front of her. “Hey. You okay?” he asked as he skirted around to stand beside her.
“Yeah.” The smile she gave him showed her nerves.
“It’ll be fine. Whatever it says. We’ll be okay.” He ached to pull her against him. To tuck her close to his chest and hold her while they waited.
Fuck it!
Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he tugged her to him.
She came easily. Melting into him with a rush of air and a whispered, “Ry.”
He held her tight, bent his head, and nuzzled her hair, murmuring words of reassurance in her ear.
They both jolted but didn’t pull apart when her phone beeped in her pocket. Neither of them moved from their position, instead, they clung to each other a little tighter, and he had to wonder if she was thinking what he was.
More than anything, he wanted that stick to readpregnant. He wanted that permanent connection between them. But this wasn’t just about him.
He had no idea if Mazey even wanted kids. They’d never talked about it. Never discussed what they wanted for the future because that’s not what they were.
They weren’t a couple.
“We should go check it,” she whispered into his chest, her hands fisting in the back of his shirt.
“Before we do, can I ask you something?”
Nodding, she lifted her head, her gaze connecting with his. “Of course.”
“Is this something you’ve wanted. Not like this, but in the past, for the future. Do you want to be a mother?”
Smiling slightly, she brushed her fingers along his chin. “It seems as though I’ve spent my whole life wanting that, to have a family. I’m the only child of a single mother, and I lost her ten years ago. I’ve always envied those with large families. With any family.”
He cupped the back of her head and lowered his. Pressing his lips gently on hers, he said, “I want that for you.” What he didn’t say was he wanted to give that to her, wanted tobethat for her. He would give anything for her to think of him as her family. “It’s time. Let’s go see what it says.”
Sliding a hand down her arm, he curled his fingers around hers and squeezed before pulling her toward the bathroom. He could only imagine what she was feeling. His emotions were all over the place, equal parts excitement and trepidation warred inside him, cramping his gut and making him sweat.
Pausing outside the door, he faced Mazey and grabbed both her hands. “Before we go in, I want to tell you what I’m thinking, so you don’t think the result is behind my words.”
“Okay.”
“I think you should move in here. There’s plenty of room. This house is built for a family, and you know I plan to be beside you every step of the way if you want that. But I need to be honest. I want that no matter what the test says.” He tipped his head toward the door. “Whatever we read when we go in there, I want you to think about us, without the pressure of a possible baby. I know you said you didn’t want to get involved, but, Maz, weareinvolved. And this, the way we’re dealing with this situation, shows me we’re good together. Thatwework. If we want it, I think we’d be very good together.Iwant us to try. I want to be with you regardless of what happens in the next few minutes.”
“Oh.”
“I know that’s not what you wanted, and I’m sorry I told you I was okay with never being with you again and then okay with having sex whenever without strings. Because I lied. Both times. I’m not going to rush you or pressure you on any of this, but I need you to know where I stand, with you, with us, with a baby if that’s what we end up with.”
She drew in a shaky breath and licked her lips. “O-okay.”
