Page 63 of Veiled Vows

“Oh my God you do, look at your face! You’re as red as a plum!” Catherine breaks out into giggles and finishes her sandwich gleefully. “He’s not a fantasy anymore, he’s really real. So what’s holding you back?”

“I…” Sinking my teeth into my lower lip, I groan. “I don’t know. My hatred of him was so…situational, y’know? Based on what he and his family did, not him as a person. But now I know him, and he seems so sweet. Genuine. And also pained.”

“We love a tortured soul,” Catherine grins.

Just the thought of his mother and how he’s cozied up to that man for decades just to get his revenge makes my chest ache. “But my parents…oddly enough after we had dinner together, my mother became very enamored with him. She talks about him as if he’s my regular boyfriend. But then in the same breath, the wedding causes fights between her and my father.”

“Maybe she just hates Roman’s father.”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. There’s a lot of bad blood there, and I suppose even though she likes him, she thinks the union is bad. And she’s always furious at my father for organizing it. Which is also weird.” I lean forward and rest my elbow on the table. “This was my idea, and yet my father is acting like it’s his. Which was my original plan, but he’s like, fully running with it now. I mean, I think even if I came clean, he would call me a liar.”

“Your father is very…” Catherine searches for the right words with a hum. “Driven. Maybe the opportunities this creates are too much for him to pass up, and he’s drowning under the success.”

“You’re probably right. He did say something about this being his ticket to greatness.” I slump back. “So all in all, if my parents can work through their friction, then I’ll be marrying Roman soon at ahugewedding, and I will actually enjoy it.”

“Look at you!” Catherine laughs loudly. “You’re smiling like he’s your first crush.”

“Oh, shut up!” I launch a grape at her, increasing her laughter and with it, the warmth in my heart. Seeing her this animated and happy after everything with Seth fills my chest with delight. I have no doubts about getting rid of him, but seeing her thrive in his absence is the biggest reward.

“Should we get some champagne?” Catherine asks with a grin.

“Actually…” The warmth in my chest dissipates. “About that.”

“What’s wrong?” Catherine sobers immediately.

“I’m two weeks late.”

“Late?” Her eyes dart down to my stomach. “Oh my God. Do you think…?”

“I don’t know. My period’s never been regular, and you remember when I was a teen and I’d go months without anything? Normally, I wouldn’t think anything of it.”

“But you and Roman have been fucking like rabbits.”

“Exactly.”

“Well, you know what this means.” Catherine’s face lights up. “Take a test!”

“But I don’t know what I want the results to be.”

“That’s half the fun!” Catherine discards her napkin, stands, and holds out her hand. “You’ll look at it and if you’re disappointed by what you see then you’ll know what you want. Come on!”

Half the excitement comes from Catherine and her desire to help me, so we leave the cafe and walk down the block to the local pharmacy, where we buy three different brands of tests. Hiding in the bathroom, Catherine plays timekeeper as I pee on each stick and lay them out on the counter.

“Isn’t it weird how pee can tell if there’s a baby inside you?” Catherine says, her eyes glued to the three clocks on her phone.

“Hormones and…stuff,” I reply as I struggle to unjumble my thoughts. What do I want the test to say? What will I do if it says one or the other? What will Roman say? As if hearing my very thoughts, Roman texts me a second later.

[Ren]Busy?

[Jasmine]Yeah, what’s up?

[Ren]Is it pathetic if I say I can’t stop thinking about you? Haven’t seen my fiancée in a week.

[Jasmine]Wow you’re needy.

[Ren]What can I say, I’ve tasted you and I’m a weak man. Some would call it addiction.

[Jasmine]Thinking about my pussy?

---