Lie.
You know it isn’t food-related.
It’s baby-related.
Kai’s expression doesn’t change, his eyes searching mine. “Are you sure?” he presses, his hand reaching out to brush a strand of hair from my forehead. “You’ve been feeling off for a few days now. Maybe you should take a test.”
Why the fuck is he so perceptive?
Of course, he would put it together.
He wants this so badly.
I shrug, looking down at the textbook in my lap. “It’s probably nothing,” I say, but even as the words leave my mouth, I can feel a spark of hope igniting in my chest.
Kai’s hand cups my cheek, tilting my face up to meet his gaze. “Isla,” he says softly, “if there’s a chance you’re pregnant, we should know. I want this as much as you do.”
I nod, tears welling up in my eyes. “I know,” I whisper. “I just... I want to be sure.”
He pulls me into his arms, holding me tightly against his chest. “Whatever happens, we’ll face it together,” he murmurs, his voice a soothing balm to my frayed nerves. “I promise.”
A wave of nausea hits and I rush to the bathroom, my head hanging over the toilet as I retch, my body wracked with convulsions. Kai, hearing the commotion, hurries to the door. “Isla? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I say between heaves, my voice weak and shaky. “I think you’re right... I think I need to take that test.”
There’s a pause, and then I hear him sigh, his voice soft and gentle. “I’ll get one from the bedroom.”
I nod, even though he can’t see me, and take a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart.
This is it.
The moment we knew was coming.
17
KAI
She’s pregnant.
I know she is. All the signs have been there and I have just been waiting for her to come to terms with it.Okay, so maybe I have been reading some pregnancy and baby books when she’s at school or when I’m on the long flights to away games, so what?Call me excited and really wanting this to happen. I know Isla knows a lot about kids, what with her career choice, but I think she gets so hung up on her medical conditions she always tries to see things from that angle.
Not this time, Princess.
This time it’s all about your body growing our precious little baby.
I grab a test from our en suite bathroom and head back toward the bathroom down the hall.Deep breaths, Kai.Even if it is negative, we have forever to keep trying. I knock on the door before pushing it open. “Hey, baby, here’s the test.” I say, handing her the test. Isla’s fingers brush against mine as they wrap around the test.
“Do you want to wait outside while I?—”
I chuckle. “Baby. A little pee isn’t gonna scare me off.”
I’ve tasted every inch of her, like a little bodily fluid is gonna make me run.
I lean against the doorframe, watching her carefully. She looks up at me, her eyes filled with so many emotions—anxiety, a little fear, excitement—I can see the slight tremor in her hands as she unwraps the test, and I want nothing more than to take it from her and do it myself, just to spare her this moment of uncertainty. But I know this is something she needs to do on her own.
She takes a deep breath, and I can see the resolve in her eyes as she finally gets up and goes to the toilet. The seconds tick by like hours, and I can feel my heart pounding in my chest. I want to scream at the world to hurry up, to give us an answer already.
Finally, she flushes and washes her hands. She picks the test back up from the counter, her eyes glued to it. I step closer, my heart in my throat, and look down at the little window.
