Page 66 of Pain in the Axe
“Put that away,” I hissed, my heart squeezing.
“What?”
“Your smile. I don’t want it, and I don’t like it.”
That only made it stretch farther. He brought his hands up to cover his face, his shoulders shaking with laughter.
“Stop,” I barked. “I can still see it.”
“I can’t help it. You make me smile, Dragonfly.”
Chapter 18
Chloe
Nope. This could not be happening. I took a deep breath and tore open another test.
I’d sent Karl to the pharmacy because I was too shaky to drive. I should be at work right now, but I’d told the staff that I was working from home.
That was a lie. Work was the last thing on my mind. What on earth was happening? Everything hurt, I was exhausted, and my period was officially late.
And not theI’m forty and things are getting less regularlate either. This was theI’m almost a full month latekind of late. I’d chalked it up to the stress of moving and taking over Hebert Timber. Not to mention how little sleep I’d been getting. But when my boobs started to hurt and I felt barfy, I knew something was up.
“You okay in there, boss?” Karl called from the other side of the door.
I opened my mouth to speak but snapped it shut again before I could burst into tears. Fuck, I was so hormonal.
“Yup,” I finally spit out. How the hell could I explain this one to Karl? Or anyone, for that matter?
I peed again and waited for the lines to appear.
Pregnant? At my age?
This couldn’t be happening. Accidental pregnancy was for the youngins, not old ladies like me. My friends had used advanced science, acupuncture, and special vitamins to get pregnant.
And here I was, knocked up after a wild night with my ex-husband.
God, what was I going to do?
Slumped against the wall of the bathroom, I took in the space. It was large and lovely and had the most beautiful tub right under a window overlooking the lake. When was the last time I’d taken a bath? For that matter, when was the last time I’d taken a deep breath?
Pregnant.
I’d thought about having a child many times over the years. Especially recently. I’d begun to feel uneasy about my future and had considered going to a sperm bank, thawing out the eggs I’d had frozen for my thirty-fifth birthday, and just going for it.
Lots of women chose to raise children on their own. And I had the means and the motivation.
But I’d always been too unsure of myself. Too concerned that I wouldn’t have what it took to be a good mother. Now, here I was, forty, in the woods of Maine, and accidentally pregnant by a man I’d vowed to hate for the rest of my life.
With a deep breath in, I picked my phone up off the counter and called Celine. It was in moments like this that I ached for my mother. For her kind words and the safety of her hugs. She’d know what to say and what to do, and she’d help me resolve all the ugly, complicated feelings.
The ache never stopped. It never lessened. I had just gotten better at living with it. Giving it the right amount of room inside my heart and my mind to allow me to get through the days.
Thirty minutes later, tires crunched in the driveway and joyful voices echoed downstairs.
I couldn’t move. My ass had been glued to the dove-gray tile of my bathroom. The excited squeals from the kids migrated to the backyard, along with Karl’s deep voice as he promised them popsicles and sandcastle building.
A moment later, there was a knock on the bathroom door. Then Celine was there, leaning against the frame, wearing a concerned frown. “Why the SOS call with no explanation? I’ve been so worried.”
