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I recalled Nikki was too small for how far along she was. She cared so much about herself, she wouldn't bother with telling anyone anything unless it benefited her. But to think she kept secrets that may have been about a baby's health seemed unimaginable.
"You look like you're about to vomit." Katya's bluntness was also grating at me. "You're pregnant."
My jaw clenched. "I'm just under some stress." That was what I told myself. It was what I needed to believe, given everything swirling around my mind. But the way Armon reacted suggested that I meant something to him.
Katya was a straightforward person who had provided me with reassurance of Armon's faithfulness. At least, if a married man could be faithful to the woman he chose to be with instead of his wife. I spent my day both nauseated and pacing in my room. The one time I went into the kitchen for something bland to eat, Katya had set an unused pregnancy test on the table. She never let a single truth go unspoken. I supposed that was a good thing, but also one that few could appreciate.
Eventually, I broke down and used it. Two lines. Armon's attempts for a child of his own had been a success. And he hadn't even had time to grieve the loss of the other one.
Chapter Forty-One
Armon
"Katya said your girl was sick," Cade said as he changed lanes on the freeway.
I didn't want to mention my assumption of pregnancy yet. "I know she wasn't feeling well." I felt annoyed that Katya chose to tell Cade what was going on, but not me. "Why would Katya tell you instead of me?"
Cade shrugged as he checked the rear-view mirror. "She didn't want to distract you."
I'd given Sweet enough time to herself, so I messaged her.How are you feeling?Then I asked Cade, "What else did Katya say?"
He glanced over with a brow raised before turning his attention to the road.
"Tell me, Cade. And tell Katya not to message you with her secrets."
He laughed. His humor annoyed me when it came to some of Katya's sly behavior. "She found a positive test in the trash your girl tied to hide. But, you know, I didn't tell you that."
The affection I felt for my Sweet One magnified tenfold. It felt strange to worry so much about someone. A woman I'd only recently understood to some degree. Care for anyone didn't come easily for me, but somehow, she managed to open up that side of me. It was a side I had to come to terms with, given how I'd treated her.
I'm fine. Her texted response, though quick, felt like it took too long for the reply to come.
I sighed. I couldn't stand secrets or beating around a bush. Yet Sweet had always kept things to herself. She was like a closed box. It wasn't only my fault; she'd been that way since the coffee shop.
I'll be there in less than an hour. Do you want anything?
Her response came quicker that time.No. Typing bubbles were fast appearing again.Thank you.
I wouldn't accept that she wanted nothing. I couldn't even gage the tone of her response. "I don't even remember what pregnant women like to eat." I felt my tension building. I messaged again.I'll bring something for you to eat.
"Katya likes juice," Cade replied.
"How the fuck do you know all this?" I knew they'd spent more time together since Katya's return, but it felt as though Katya asked for and confided more in Cade than me. "I'll bring juice." I refused to think about what Nikki had liked. That was a part of my life I wanted buried and forgotten.
"Katya likes me more than she likes you." Cade continued his glances in the rear-view. I glanced in my mirror, not noting anything suspicious.
"Katya's had a hard time," I admitted. She needed more than family, that I could understand.
Bubbles from a response appeared on my screen.
Cade didn't respond, but his jaw flexed, and hands twisted forward and back on the steering wheel. He'd had as hard of a time as me as we searched for her.
The bubbles stopped. I could only imagine the thought of food might have made Sweet sick. The drive went on silent; Cade switching lanes at times and watching behind. No response came from my phone.
We slowed for the last area to stop at a store. Irritated from the amount of time that passed, and not certain of her mood, I called, but the phone only rang. I wouldn’t let her refuse to be taken care of, so I called Katya. No answer. I chunked my phone into the drink-holder. “They’re both ignoring me!”
“Call Katya from my phone,” Cade offered, passing it over with Katya’s image already pulled up. I’d never in my life seen her as happy as that photo.
“When was this picture taken?” I asked.
