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She only had a moment to excuse herself before stumbling into the tiny bathroom out the back of the gallery, her stomach deciding it was done with the toast she’d had for breakfast and it needed to be empty right the hell now.
Afterward, she splashed some cold water on her face and stood in front of the little mirror above the basin, cold and shaky and distinctly fuzzy around the edges, and wondering why this bug she’d picked up wasn’t getting any better.
This is very familiar.
The thought drifted idly through her brain, because yes, it was familiar. She’d felt this tired and this sick before, back when—
No. No, it couldn’t be.
She shut down that thought hard, but a cold feeling was creeping through her, winding around her like a giant snake, constricting so tight she could barely breathe.
No.No.She hadn’t been with anyone…
Only Finn Kelly.
And suddenly her knees felt weak and she was sitting on the floor of the bathroom, the wall at her back, her breathing way too fast, her thoughts spinning around and around.
Yes, they’d had unprotected sex. But it had only been the once. Finn hadn’t had any condoms on him, but had found some in HQ’s little bathroom and they’d used those.
So, only one time. And anyway, she was on the pill. She’d been taking it to regulate her period and for other hormonal issues, and she was sure she’d taken it religiously.
But maybe you didn’t? Maybe you missed one?
Beth tried to think. It was a month ago and she’d been busy with the gallery opening and trying to get Finn to be her friend… It was possible that she’d missed one and hadn’t noticed.
Oh God.
A wild uprush of feeling swamped her, an emotion so complicated she couldn’t untangle all the threads. Mainly grief and fear, but mixed in was a tiny bit of joy, like a nugget of gold at the bottom of a bitterly cold lake.
For a long moment she just sat there against the wall, her eyes full of tears, because if this wasn’t a bug, if this was indeed what she thought it was, then her life here was about to change.
She’d done this once before, a couple of years ago, with Troy, and the baby they’d conceived had been very much wanted. But the pregnancy had been difficult and then…
Beth swallowed.
You idiot. How could you not be more careful?
She put her hands over her face, pressed her palms hard against her eyes. He’d overwhelmed her, that was the problem. She’d been so obsessed with him, had wanted him so much, she hadn’t been thinking straight, not at the time. And neither had he.
Then her breath caught.
This was going to affect him too.
“Hey,” a deep male voice called from the gallery. “Is anyone around?”
Yet more cold washed over her as she recognized it.
Oh hell. Talk about timing. It was Finn.
She shoved herself to her feet, her heart racing, and as soon as she came upright, black spots began to swim in her vision. Her hands and feet felt cold. Everything felt cold.
She tried to ignore the feeling as she came out of the bathroom and went into the gallery. Or at least she tried to go into the gallery. But the black spots in her vision multiplied and her feet were numb, and she had to lean against the doorway for support.
Oh, please, not in front of Finn. Please don’t let her faint in front of Finn.
He was leaning against the counter, looking unbelievably gorgeous in a pair of black utility pants, black Pure Adventure NZ T-shirt, and boots. It was clear from his clothing that he was either about to take a group out or had just come back in.
His eyes met hers, widened slightly, then narrowed into thin slits of obsidian.
