Page 163 of Halo

Just not yet.

My fingers tighten around the edge of the toilet as my stomach heaves again.

When there’s finally nothing left, I sit back on my heels and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. Tears blur my vision, whether from being sick or everything running through my head, I’m not entirely sure.

I push myself up and turn on the faucet. The woman staring back at me in the mirror looks awful. My skin is clammy, my eyes swollen, and there’s a dull ache sitting low in my stomach that hasn’t gone away in days.

My hands shake as I wash them.

Then my eyes drop.

My thermal-lined leggings sit low on my hips, unable to fit over the curve of my belly. Lifting up my oversized sweater, I turn to the side, curiously sucking in my abdomen. But when I relax, the swell remains. My eyes burn as my hand nervously cradles the bump.

A soft knock makes me jump.

“Ms. Harrison? Are you okay?”

I quickly pull my sweater down and wipe my cheeks before opening the door.

A nurse gives me a sympathetic smile. “Ready?”

I manage a nod.

“Dr. Erikson is ready to see you.”

I follow her down the hall toward the exam room.

Gosh, I wish Nick was here.

Chapter 41

Nick

Two weeks.

It’s been almost two fucking weeks since I’ve held her.

I don’t know where the line is anymore. She asked for space, and I owe her that. I already took something from her that wasn’t mine to take. The last thing I want to do is ignore another boundary because I can’t handle being without her.

But Christ, I miss her.

Every afternoon, Grady climbs into my truck and tells me about his day, and somehow Mrs. Harrison makes it into every story.

She liked his picture.

She let him pass out the crayons.

She helped peel his orange because his dad is a fucking moron and forgot.

I love hearing him talk about her. I also fucking hate hearing it.

Why?

Because he gets to spend all day with the woman I can’t even get to answer a text.

Yep, I’m jealous of a five-year-old.

God, I’m such a selfish, self-centered prick. What kind of dad thinks that way?