My eyes roam over Sarah, looking for any clue. I inhale and hold it, needing to squash all hope and possible elation.
Sarah glances at me and returns to rinsing something. “Oh, hey. Krissy will be late. She got called in to work.”
Millie steps around me with a giant bowl of fruit. “I’ll check with Wind to see how much longer for the ribs.”
Sarah scrubs a pan. “Can you get the—”
I move toward her, hitting the water off and pulling her to the side.
“Hey! What are you—”
I grab her waist and set her on the counter.
“Ok. Hello. What’s happening? We have a house full of people. We cannot—”
I stand between her legs, bracing both hands on the counter, getting eye level. “Is there something you need to tell me?” It comes out a little ragged and growly. I don’t mean for it to, but dammit, I need to know.
Her chin tips up a little, her eyes avoiding mine. “Umm.”
“Sarah, you know I hate secrets.”
Her eyes meet mine as she twirls a finger through the end of my hair, flipping out from under my hat. “But what if this is a good one?” she whispers.
“Sarah.”
Her head tilts to the side, her eyelids dropping. “What specifically are you asking me?”
My head falls forward, and I groan.
Her hands lift my face back up to hers. “Fine. I might have something to tell you, but your birthday is still a couple of days away, and I—”
My heart starts pounding again. “I need you to tell me now. Are we having a baby?”
Her shoulders sag. “That little stinker. I knew he heard me talking to Roxie.”
I straighten as hope explodes from my heart through my body. “When did this happen?”
“Well, you were definitely there. Could have been that one time in the shower, or maybe when you didn’t—”
“How sure are you?”
She pushes her lips to the side, thinking as adrenaline soars through my body. I need a fan and an answer.
“I’m late. It’s. . .a maybe.” Her eyes flick between mine. “But my boobs are sore and growing, I’ve puked a few times at work, and I can’t stand the smell of cheese.” She shivers as if she got a whiff of it.
“What do we need to do to be sure?”
She slides her arms around my neck, pulling me close. “How about patience?” She tries to distract me, nipping at my bottom lip.
“I have none of that,” I growl.
She laughs, her head falling to my shoulder. “I grabbed a test from the clinic on my way out yesterday, but I was waiting for your birthday. So it would be great if you could forget this little conversation for just a few days.”
“No, let’s go.” I scoop her off the counter, and she wraps her legs around me.
“Slade Bennett, you are a total party pooper.”
“I let you put balloons outside.”
