Page 18 of Together

Antibiotics + Birth Control = Uh Oh.

“How late?”

“A week?”

“You think or you know?”

“I know.”

“Second question. You think or you know whose this baby could be?” he asks, bending to pick up the test and handing it over.

“I know.”

“And?”

“Can’t be his. Has to be yours.”

His jaw drops open and his eyes scan the aisle. Mine stay glued to the test that I’m now clutching with a death grip in my hand.

I’d been on antibiotics for a few weeks and I take my pill regularly, though the night in question I didn’t take it because I wasn’t home. So either that one night of missing it was enough to get me pregnant, or the antibiotics messed with the effectiveness, or, third and hopeful option here, I’m being paranoid and I’m not pregnant at all. Very possible, I guess.

“I’m so sorry.”

His head jerks in my direction. “Why are you sorry?”

“I told you I was on the pill.”

He lowers his voice and angles his face toward me. “And I was the one coming inside you. Multiple times.”

Just the reminder of it sends a rush of heat to my core. That was such a fun night and next two days. I’ve actually missed him over the last month and wished that we’d made plans to get together rather than the three months I told him I needed. Turns out, I didn’t do much thinking about anything other than him during that time, anyway.

His phone buzzes in his hand and he pulls it out, looks at the screen, shakes his head then looks at the shelf where the feminine products are. Pulls down a box and tosses a large package of maxi pads into his cart.

My stomach, which was already irpy to begin with, turns over and then settles into a large knot. Why is he buying maxi pads? Who still uses those things, anyway? Did his ex-girlfriend who had turned down his proposal that night go back to him? Here I could be pregnant with his baby and he has a wedding to plan with a new fiancée. I’m such a screw-up. How could I be so careless? How can I bring a baby into this world when I’m nothing but a mess myself?

Nik must sense the turmoil rolling through me — I’ve never been very good at hiding my feelings — because he reaches over and takes one of my hands in his.

“Hey. What’s wrong? Whatever that says, we’ll figure it out.”

Tears build behind my eyes. “No, we won’t. You don’t have to worry. This is my thing.”

“Your… thing?”

I nod. “Yeah. This is my problem. No, not a problem. Babies aren’t that. Issue? I don’t know what the right word is. But you don’t have to worry. I won’t get in the way for you and…” I point to the package of maxi pads, “Mrs. Maxi Pads. Oh my gosh. I don’t know your last name!”

“Think we need to have a talk and clear some shit up but there’s actually somewhere I need to be.”

“I see that,” I grumble.

“Maybe you should come with.”

“No thanks. Sounds like a great time would be had by all but I’ll pass on that.”

He grins with that cute grin that got me into this… issue. Mess. Yeah, that’s it. It’s a mess. Babies are a blessing and all but this? What a mess.

“It will be fun. I promise. You’ll love Josie.”

“Oh no. I can’t interrupt your evening. I’ll just… how about we exchange numbers and I’ll call you in nine months, hmm?”

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