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All four of them wielded the same result.
There were two pink lines, a positive sign and a “pregnant.” I had my answer.
Heart racing, I grabbed one of them and shoved it into my hoodie pocket. Was I ready to tell Ethan he was about to be a father? Not really, but there was no way in hell I could keep it to myself. I prided myself on being strong, able to handle anything, but this . . . I needed him. This was going to change both of our lives.
Exposing our relationship to the media was one thing but coming out as a coupleandbeing pregnant was another. When I got outside, the sun was bright in the sky, warming my cheeks as I walked through the yard. I slid my hands inside my hoodie pocket and clutched the pregnancy test.
As I walked down the dock toward Ethan, my heart almost sped out of my chest. In my hand, I held what could possibly be our future. And I was about to show it to him.
Ethan was on the boat we rented, cleaning off some of the night's debris from the thunderstorm. It was fifty degrees outside, and he was shirtless, his skin golden and tan from the summer.
On his back was the Michelson dragon tattoo.
My stomach clenched at the sight, and I froze. Nikolai Michelson wanted his vengeance on our families. He’d already tried to ruin Emma and Carter and Reagan and Braden. I did not doubt that Ethan was next on his list. Or hell, me for that matter.
What if he tried to do something to our child? Why didn’t I think of that before?
The world spun around me, and I had to hold onto the dock to keep my balance.
“Peyton,” Ethan shouted, jumping off the boat and rushing toward me. He grabbed my arms to steady me. “What the hell? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. You’re so pale.”
The dizziness started to subside, and I leaned into him. “Some days it’s easy to forget, but when I see the dragon on your back, it’s a stark reminder of everything that’s happened.”
Ethan grasped my face, his gaze lethal and hard. “You don’t have to worry about that, Peyton. I can handle Michelson and whatever shit he throws my way. I’m not going to let him hurt you or anyone else.”
Eyes burning, I stared into his eyes and let the tears fall. “It’s not just you and me anymore, Ethan.”
Confusion swept across his face. “What are you talking about?”
I looked down at my pocket and pulled out the pregnancy test, lifting it so he could see the positive result. His eyes fixated on it, and his mouth gaped in shock. All my emotions hit me at once, and it felt like I was about to lose control. More tears fell like rivers down my cheeks.
Ethan took the test and stared at it. I had no clue what was going through his mind.
“I thought I could keep it together,” I said, breaking the silence. “So much can go wrong. Being pregnant is one thing, but we’re not in a normal situation. Our time is coming, Ethan. We saw what Nikolai did to your sisters, Carter, and my brother. We’d be fools to think he wouldn’t come after us, especially once word gets out about . . .” I clutched my stomach. “Dealing with him is far worse than the paparazzi could ever be.”
Ethan slid the test into his pocket and grabbed my face. “Hey, hey, hey, calm down. It can’t be good for the baby getting all worked up.”
He pressed his lips to mine and wrapped his arms around my waist. My muscles eased, and I melted against him, holding him to me. Ethan chuckled lightly and stared at me with utter happiness on his face.
“Forget Nikolai, Peyton. I’m not going to let him spoil this moment for us. Tell me everything. When did you think you were pregnant? How far along do you think you are?”
My fears eased at his excitement. I wasn’t expecting that at all.
“Just yesterday,” I replied. “I mean, I was having issues with nausea for days now, but after I threw up last night, I checked my calendar. I’m two weeks late. That’s why I made a grocery order last night and put in some pregnancy tests.” I bit my lip, holding off for a few seconds before telling him the rest. “And I think we got pregnant from that night in Vegas.”
Ethan’s eyes widened. “Holy shit. Why didn’t you tell me? You didn’t have to go through all of this on your own.”
There was no answer that would make sense. “I don’t know,” I ended up saying. “I guess I was just worried how you would take it. We haven’t been together long and only just said we loved each other last night. There’s so much that’s going to change. I don’t know what all to . . .”
Ethan pressed his lips to mine, cutting off my words. “We’ll figure it out . . . together. All you need to know is that I love you, and Iwilltake care of you and the baby. I want this, Peyton.”
Tears clouded my vision. “I want it too. But I’m not ready to go back to California or tell anyone yet. I still want our time here.”
Ethan grinned. “We can do that. First, however, you should probably see a doctor. I don’t know how all that works, but I’m pretty sure you need to get checked out.”
He was right. I didn’t want to go another month without confirming everything with my doctor and ensuring the baby was okay.
“Leave it to me,” I said. There was a way to bring my doctor to us.
