Page 56 of The Complication with the Best Man

“Interesting combo.” My head tilts to the side.

Honestly, looking at the arrangement of foods on the counter makes my stomach turn. I swear I can smell the vinegary tang of the pickles, and the thought of eating ice cream makes bile race up my throat.

“I googled what pregnant women crave. Figured if you can’t eat full meals, maybe you can have snacks throughout the day.” He shrugs then holds up the ice cream with a smile.

All I can picture is it curdling in my stomach.

I slap a hand over my throat and race for the bathroom, managing to get down on my knees moments before I vomit. I’m not aware of anything except purging my stomach until a large set of hands gathers my hair and holds it at the nape of my neck.

Oh god, how embarrassing.

I continue vomiting until my stomach is empty, then I reach up blindly and flush the toilet, sitting back on my heels. Finn lets go of my hair.

“I’m sorry.” I wipe under my eyes with a finger, sure that my mascara now looks like shit from my watering eyes.

“Why are you apologizing?” Finn slides to the floor beside me, somehow not looking repulsed.

“Isn’t it obvious?” I chuckle and use the toilet for leverage to stand.

Finn stands up too, and I suddenly realize how small this bathroom actually is. His presence presses in on me from all sides.

“I should be the one apologizing. Obviously, I didn’t buy the right stuff.”

I shake my head. “No, it was very thoughtful of you. This is the first time I’ve thrown up. There’s no way you could have known. I hope this isn’t a sign of the next pregnancy stage.”

He looks at me with concern. Something in his expression feels wholly intimate, so I turn away.

“Just let me go upstairs to brush my teeth, and then we can head out.”

I wait for him to step out of the bathroom so that I can get past him, but he shakes his head. “We aren’t going anywhere.”

My forehead wrinkles. “What do you mean?”

“I’ll rebook it. Let’s just stay in tonight in case your stomach wants to go another round.”

I do a mental check of how I’m feeling. Though my stomach definitely feels more settled now, I still have that queasy feeling at the back of my throat. Though I was looking forward to getting out of the house and doing something, Finn is probably right.

“Okay, maybe that’s best. Thanks.” I cringe.

“Why don’t you go change into something comfortable, and then we can chill?” He turns and steps out of the small bathroom to let me pass.

I head upstairs and change into leggings and an oversized thin sweater, pulling my hair up into a messy bun. When I get back downstairs, I find Finn with the TV on the home page of a streaming service. He’s taken a blanket out of the blanket box and has it on one end of the couch, and he’s lit the candle on the coffee table.

The vibe is chill and cozy and exactly what I need. If I didn’t know better, I might even think it’s romantic.

My mind drifts back to the kiss we shared, but I quickly push the thought away.

“What do you want to watch?” I sit near the blanket on the couch and pull it over my lap.

“You choose.” He motions toward the TV.

“Do you like reality TV?” I ask.

He chuckles. “Never really watched it.”

I pick up the controller from the cushion beside me. “Well, you’re in for a treat then.”

By the end of the second episode, my stomach seems to have come around, and I decide to try to eat something. I settle on crackers with peanut butter and head into the kitchen to make some. Finn follows to make himself something to eat since he hasn’t had dinner yet.

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