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“So you’re not going to do an ECG or a CT?” I ask.
“That would be unnecessary. Like I said, your wife is fine and I’m sure the blood test will confirm…”
She stops as her tablet makes a beeping sound. She looks at its screen and her eyebrows arch.
“Are those her blood test results?” I ask her. “How are they?”
Judging from her expression, they’re not what she expected.
“Good,” Dr. Cartwright says with a smile. “Something just came up.”
“What?”
She glances at Aster past the glass. “I think this is something your wife should know, too.”
Before I can agree with her, she goes inside Aster’s room.
“Mrs. Burke, how are you feeling?” she asks.
“Fine,” Aster answers. “Like I said a few minutes ago.”
“The doctors just want to make sure there’s nothing wrong with you, Aster,” I tell her.
She doesn’t answer me or even look at me. She might have fainted, but she’s still mad at me. Great.
“Dr. Cartwright, you said you had something to share?” I ask the doctor.
“Yes.” She gives a big smile. “Mrs. Burke, Mr. Burke, you are having a child.”
My eyebrows go up. What?
Aster gasps. “Are you saying… I’m pregnant?”
“Yes,” Dr. Cartwright replies. “Congratulations.”
She gives me a nod and leaves the room.
Aster cups her hands over her nose and mouth. “I’m pregnant.”
I know she’s in shock. I am, too. I’ve known this was a possibility since we started having sex. I was even secretly hoping for it so that Aster wouldn’t leave me. I didn’t think it would happen so soon, though.
Aster’s pregnant. We’re going to have a baby. The news sends joy swelling in my chest. Aster, however, looks more anxious than thrilled.
“Hey.” I place my hand over hers. “You’re not going to faint, are you?”
She looks at me sternly and pulls her hand away.
I sigh. “Aster, I don’t understand why you’re angry. Whatever the reason for us getting married, it doesn’t matter anymore. That’s in the past. What matters is that I love you and you love me and we’re going to be a family.”
She looks away and shakes her head. “You lied to me.”
“I didn’t.”
“You kept something from me,” she points out. “Don’t deny it.”
So I don’t.
“You say we’re going to be a family, but do you know what family means, Mason?” Aster asks me. “It means you don’t hide things from each other. At least, I thought that’s what it meant.”
My eyebrows crease. So is it her father she’s really angry with and she’s taking it out on me?
“Your father was just worried about you,” I tell her. “He wasn’t trying to ruin your life.”
She shakes her head. “Don’t defend him. You should have told me about what he was trying to do instead of going along with it.”
I keep my mouth shut. Fine.
Aster looks at me. “You’re not hiding anything else from me, are you?”
I meet her gaze. “If you’re asking if you know everything about me, the answer is no.”
She nods.
“I don’t know everything about you, either,” I tell her. “That doesn’t mean I’m hiding anything from you. I’m just – ”
“So there’s nothing you want to tell me right now?” Aster asks. “Some deep dark secret that would make me think less of you? That would affect our child?”
One immediately comes to mind, but no. I’m not going to tell her that.
“I promise you our child will be safe,” I assure her. “And happy.”
“So you’ll do everything to make our child safe and happy? Like my father did? Decide everything for her or him?”
I roll my eyes. “Aster, that’s not what I said. Listen. We are having a baby. Can we just enjoy that right now? Can’t we just be happy?”
“Sorry.” She turns her head away. “But I’m not very good at pretending.”
And I am?
I lift my arms and let them fall at my sides. “Fine. If you think I’m the worst person in the world now, fine. If you need someone to hate, hate me. Just remember that I’m the father of the child you’re carrying.” I pause to draw a deep breath. “And that I love you both.”
Then I leave the room.
Chapter Twenty-Five ~ Can I Trust Him?
Aster
I place a hand on my belly as I sit by the window in a cafe. A cup of decaf and a bagel I’ve only taken one bite out of sit on the table in front of me.
I’m pregnant.
I haven’t told anyone yet. I haven’t told Peggy. I haven’t told Giselle. I haven’t told Frank. How can I when it hasn’t even sunk in yet? When I can’t bring myself to be ecstatic about it because Mason and I are fighting? When I tell other people I’m pregnant, I want to sound happy. I want them to believe that I’m ready to be a mother, that I’m going to be a great one. Right now, I can’t manage that.
