Page 54 of Wishing Stone

I held up a hand to quiet them and pointed to the box. Focusing all my attention on Alexander, I said, “Take the key out of the box and lift the satin. There’s another surprise inside.”

I studied his every move, memorizing every detail in his expression as he peeled back the silky layer to reveal the positive pregnancy test that sat at the bottom of the box.

His eyes widened as he registered what he was looking at. His gaze darted around to the faces of everyone present—except for me. Shifting his gaze back down to the box, a mixture of confusion and elation shown in his expression. His silence was deafening as the tension in the air grew so thick, I’d swear you could cut it with a knife. It was unnerving and I eventually couldn’t take it anymore.

“Alex, say something,” I finally said.

Turning, he pulled me into his arms and touched his forehead to mine. Our breaths mingled and my eyes closed as I took a moment to appreciate the silent intimacy passing between us.

Pressing a kiss to my forehead, Alexander murmured, “I almost can’t believe it, and I…” His words trailed off, faltering almost as his voice cracked with emotion. “I just want to kiss you.”

Tears filled my eyes and I smiled.

“So do it.”

“If I do, I’m afraid I’ll never stop. How long have you known?”

“I’m thirteen weeks,” I whispered.

Alexander’s head snapped back to look at me.

“Thirteen weeks? And you waited this long to tell me?”

“I just wanted to make sure everything would be okay because…well, you know.” I didn’t elaborate further since nobody except Alexander and Allyson knew about the struggles that I’d had with carrying a pregnancy to term.

“Thirteen weeks? What are you talking about, Krystina?” my mother asked, suddenly reminding me that Alexander and I weren’t alone. Alexander hadn’t taken the pregnancy test out of the box, so there was no way for anyone to know what our quiet conversation was about.

Turning to her and my stepfather, I grinned. “Merry Christmas! It looks like you’re going to be grandparents.”

“Oh my! You’re pregnant!” my mother exclaimed, not bothering to hide her shock. She wasn’t smiling, but rather had a look of alarm. It was almost comical. Her expression was definitely worth the price of admission.

“That’s wonderful news,” Frank added, knowing as well as I did that this would take a while to sink in with my mother. I was fairly certain her first thought was how she didn’t think she was old enough to be called grandma.

I looked to the rest of our friends. Allyson shifted her stylish knit hat as she flipped back her golden blond hair. She was sporting a wide grin, gripping Matteo’s arm with excitement. He was also smiling, but it didn’t quite meet his eyes. Following the direction of his gaze, I saw he was watching Alexander with apprehension. Looking at Bryan, Stephen, Hale, and Justine, I saw similar expressions on their faces as well. Before I could inquire about why they seemed anxious, my mother spoke again.

“You’re absolutely sure that you’re pregnant, Krystina?” she pushed.

“Yes, mom. I’m—”

“Krystina, what about the doctor?” Alexander interrupted. “You’ve been quarantined to the house. With your history, you should have been going all this time and—” He stopped short, and that’s when I saw the fear in his eyes. I understood it all too well. It was what had made him fall silent when he first saw the positive pregnancy test. His fear made him afraid to hope. As emotionally fragile as I’d been feeling, he’d felt every bit as unstable as I had.

“I’ve had regular video conference calls with my gynecologist. She even made two house calls,” I assured.

“Have-have you—” he uncharacteristically faltered, his voice sounding hoarse. “Have you heard the heartbeat?”

My chest tightened, feeling as though it might burst with love for this man. I smiled softly, understanding his uncertainty. He was afraid that he’d missed out.

“No. I haven’t had a sonogram yet. The doctor would like one soon, though. I was just waiting for you for that part. Besides, arranging home visits to ensure the doctor was here and gone by the time Vivian finished with her Friday errands was challenge enough. The doctor and I made it work, but there was no way I’d be able to sneak in sonogram equipment. I’m not that good,” I added with a laugh.

“I wish you would have told me sooner, Krystina. I don’t appreciate being left in the dark.”

The hurt in his eyes was evident, causing guilt to claw at my conscious.

“I know, Alex. A part of me wanted to tell you so badly, but I wanted to be sure everything was okay first. Trust me when I say that keeping it from you was near impossible. My acting skills were definitely tested, that’s for sure.”

Alexander’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “When did you become so sneaky?”

“The moment I met you,” I joked with a laugh. “But seriously, after all we’ve been through, I was only doing what I thought was best. And well, I had to be sneaky. You control everything and tend to ruin all my surprises.”

---