The question freezes me in place.
My mind races as I count backward. When was it? Before I met Axel, definitely. Before I started working those extra shifts at The Summit. Before...
“Oh my gosh.” Realization crashes over me. “I’m late. I’m really late.”
The room seems to tilt slightly. How did I not notice? Between meeting Axel, moving in with him, and everything else happening at lightning speed, I completely lost track of my cycle.
“We haven’t used protection,” I state the obvious, my voice trembling slightly. “Not once.”
“I know.”
There’s something in Axel’s voice that makes me turn to look at him.
Instead of shock or concern, his expression holds barely contained excitement. His eyes are bright, his mouth curved in the beginning of a smile.
“You’re not worried?” I search his face, trying to process his reaction.
“Worried about creating a life with the woman I love?” He shakes his head. “Not even a little bit.”
My heart pounds against my ribs. “But we’ve only known each other for a few weeks. We can’t possibly be ready for a baby.”
Instead of answering, Axel stands and walks to the bathroom. I hear him opening a drawer, rummaging around for something. When he returns, he’s holding a small pink box.
A pregnancy test.
“You just happen to have one of those lying around?” I stare at the box in his hand, my mind struggling to catch up.
Axel kneels in front of me, taking both my hands in his.
“I slipped out this morning and stopped by the pharmacy.”
The significance of this hits me like a thunderbolt. He went out and bought a test. He’s been thinking about this possibility, planning for it, maybe even hoping for it.
“You’ve been waiting for me to realize?” I ask.
“I didn’t want to say anything until you were ready to consider it. But Sami, the thought of you carrying my child...” His voice roughens with emotion. “There’s nothing I want more.”
Tears spring to my eyes. This man, who crashed into my life just days ago, has been thinking about our future in ways Ihadn’t even dared to consider. While I was still adjusting to the idea of living together, he was already imagining a family.
“You want this?” I ask him.
His thumb brushes over my knuckles. “More than anything.”
The nausea fades into the background as I look at him, this beautiful, intense man who’s turned my world upside down in the most incredible way.
A week ago, the idea of pregnancy would have terrified me. Now, looking into Axel’s eyes, seeing the love and certainty there, I feel something shift inside me. A door opening to a future I never imagined for myself.
“I’m scared,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. “Everything is happening so fast.”
“I know, Kitten.” He lifts my hands to his lips and presses a kiss to my fingers. “But some things are meant to be. If you’re carrying our child, it’s just one more sign that we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be.”
His certainty washes over me like a warm wave, soothing my fears.
This is crazy. All of it is crazy. Meeting him, moving in with him, potentially having his baby after knowing him for days rather than years. But nothing about our relationship has followed the normal rules.
“Okay.” I take a deep breath and reach for the box he’s holding. “Let’s find out.”
I close the bathroom door behind me with a soft click, shutting out Axel’s anxious pacing. The pregnancy test sits on the counter like a ticking bomb, waiting for me to find the courage to use it. My hands tremble as I pick up the small plastic stick that could change everything.
