Page 45 of She's Mine

I was in love with David.

I hoped he felt the same, and wanted to continue our relationship once all the Bloodline members were caught. Perhaps that’s what he was doing, even now, discussing with Jeffrey the capture of our enemies.

That thought filled me with hope, and I imagined David returning to the cabin and telling me the Bloodline had all been apprehended and we could go home.

We could start our lives together.

But even as I daydreamed about it, I knew that even without the cartel in the picture, life wouldn’t be easy for David and I.

Would my parents even approve? I was certain Mom would just be happy that I was happy, but I knew the same couldn’t be said for Dad. Sure, he let me do whatever I wanted, but he was still overprotective of his one and only child. Even with someone like David -- who was rich, handsome and successful -- I knew Dad wouldn’t think he was good enough. I could practically hear him saying, ‘That man is too old for you,’ and other arguments about how it was wrong for David and me to be together, because we’d met when David was acting as my bodyguard.

I loved David, and I wouldn’t letanythingstop us being together. But I loved my parents, too, and their approval meant the world to me. I don’t knowwhatI'd do if my dad actually forbade me from seeing David or something. And what if he threatened to cut me off financially? Well, I’d do whatever it took for me and David to be together -- even if that meant giving up on my dreams of studying fashion design, and instead getting some random job just to pay the bills.

I’d give up a lifetime of designer shoes and celebrity parties to be with David.

I chuckled to myself as I imagined Brittany and Courtney’s reactions to learning I was hanging up my party shoes and settling down with an older man. I bet they’d be shocked. But I also thought they’d be happy for me, too. They’d understand when they saw how happy David made me, and how much I loved him.

I couldn’t believe we’d already spent six weeks practically alone together. That sort of intense living arrangement would put a strain onanyrelationship, let alone a brand new one, and yet the bond between David and I felt unbreakable.

Wait … six weeks. We’d been here six weeks, and I hadn’t gotten my period! Crap!! I hadn’t even thought about it until now, but I was usually so regular. For me to be two weeks late was concerning. But perhaps the stress of hiding away from the Bloodline had messed up my hormones.

Unless?

No, I shook the thought from my head. Since we’d been here, David and I had always used protection. But what about that first time, before we’d had to go into hiding? Honestly, I’d been pretty drunk when I’d led David up to my bedroom. Not drunk enough that I didn’t know what I was doing, but certainly drunk enough not to notice if we’d used protection. It had been in the heat of the moment, and I couldn’t say either way …

I stared at my naked reflection in the bathroom mirror. Did my breasts look bigger? Was my stomach slightly more rounded? Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if I had gained a few pounds since coming to the cabin. Lawrence’s cooking wasamazing, and I always indulged in dessert. My stomach being a little more rounded meant nothing. But my breastswerebigger than usual and felt tender. That could just be the hormones of my impending period, though.

That was one of the frustrating things about being a woman. Early pregnancy symptoms often mirrored premenstrual symptoms. There’d been more than one occasion where Brittany or Courtney had worried, they were pregnant because of tender breasts, fatigue and nausea. Andevery timethey’d take a pregnancy test. Even if they hadn’t been with a guy recently, they still took a test, for their own peace of mind.

I knew that’s what I needed to do now. The chances of me being pregnant were slim, but I wouldn’t be able to relax until I knew for certain.

But how? I couldn’t exactly ask Lawrence or Mavis to order a pregnancy test online for me, it would bewaytoo awkward. And besides, voicing my concern out loud made it all the more real. What if Iwaspregnant, and then Lawrence and Mavis would know and … God, no. I wanted to keep this to myself. The results were probably negative anyway, so it was better to keep this whole thing secret.

But keeping it secret meant I’d have to break the one rule David had insisted on -- staying within the property limit. Ihatedthe idea of going against his instructions, but while David was meeting with Jeffrey in LA, it was the perfect opportunity to take a pregnancy test without anyone else needing to know.

And I’d be perfectly safe, right?

I doubted the Bloodline even knew where I was hiding. The whole point of being here at David’s cabin was that it was remote. I could take one of the pistols in the safe and wear a disguise. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best chance I had.

I had to know for certain if I was pregnant or not.

With the plan in mind, I dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast, trying to act as normally as possible.

When I got to the dining room, Lawrence already had breakfast laid out for himself, Mavis and me.

“David left us a note saying Jeffrey had sent a private chopper to bring him back to LA,” Mavis said, as I sat down opposite her and poured myself a cup of coffee.

“Yeah, he left one for me too. He assured me my parents are safe, so I’m hoping this meeting is good news.”

Lawrence nodded in agreement. “While we love being here with you, we’d much rather you and David be free to come and go as you please.”

“Hopefully we won’t have to wait too much longer for that,” I mused, helping myself to some bacon and pancakes.

“So, what are your plans for today without David?” Mavis asked. “You and I could go for a swim, if you wanted to keep your mind busy.”

I smiled over at the housekeeper. I appreciated the gesture, and under different circumstances, would have gladly accepted. But I needed to sneak away, so instead, I said, “Actually, I was planning on going on a short hike. I figured some fresh air would take my mind off David’s absence.”

“Perfect. We could all go together,” Lawrence suggested.

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