Page 69 of Pumpkin
“It’s also not the topic of this conversation,” he pressed. “If you haven’t missed your period, why do you think you’re pregnant?”
Dosia’s cheeks flushed, “Because Calliope says I have a little pumpkin in my uterus. She says it was the same when I was pregnant with JJ. So I’m either pregnant or about to be, but she thinks I already am because of how defined the little pumpkin inside me is.”
Pumpkin scratched his forehead in utter confusion. “You’re going to have to run that by me again because I have no idea what you just said.”
Dosia sighed. “Sometimes Calliope has visions, glimpses of what’s to be. Other times she sees symbols that she has to interpret. When I was pregnant with JJ, she kept seeing a pumpkin grow inside me. I thought that was why she always referred to JJ as ‘little pumpkin’ and why she suggested ‘Jacqueline’ as her middle name. But now I know it was more than that. She knew it had something to do with JJ’s father,” she said pointedly. “That’s what our argument was about. I felt she was manipulating me. Fiddling with my life.”
Pumpkin was trying really hard to follow along, but he only understood about half of what Dosia was telling him. “Okay, we’re going to have to circle back to some of that. But what you’re saying is that because Calliope saw a,” he grimaced, “little pumpkin inside you while you were pregnant with JJ and now she sees another one inside you that she thinks you’re pregnant?”
Dosia nodded. “That’s the simplistic version, but yeah.”
“Let’s keep it simple, please,” Pumpkin begged. “I’m not familiar enough with some of what you’re saying to entirely wrap my mind around it, and I’m already struggling with the fact that condoms just don’t seem to work for me.”
Dosia watched him carefully for a moment. “You… I mean, you believe me that it’s yours?”
Pumpkin’s eyebrows shot up. “Of all you said, I did catch the ‘pumpkin’ references.”
Dosia flushed. “It’s just that we haven’t been together long and we were only…intimate,” she hedged, “once and I know a lot of guys would doubt the timeline. But I swear, I haven’t been with anyone but you. The last time I was?—”
Pumpkin put a hand over her mouth. “There’s not a lot in this world that will turn me murderous, but hearing about you and another man definitely will.” Dosia nodded her head and Pumpkin dropped his hand. “And as much as it would piss me off, the thought of you with another man, I don’t exactly have a leg to stand on. You accepted SJ with open arms and an open heart. So if you were pregnant by another man prior to us reuniting,” he made a face as the very thought left a sour taste in his mouth, “it would make me an ass of the highest order if I blamed you for that.”
“Some guys still would,” Dosia said quietly. “But I swear, I haven’t been with anyone. Obviously, I still have to take a test and we need confirmation beyond my witchy aunt’s word, but we can do a paternity test too, if you need.”
Pumpkin shook his head. “I don’t need.” He moved his hand from her hip to her belly. “What about you? Doyouthink you’re pregnant? You’d be about four weeks along now. I’m not familiar enough with pregnancies to know when symptoms generally start.”
Dosia gave a noncommittal shrug. “I’m not sure. I didn’t have the typical symptoms with JJ until I was closer to nine weeks. If it wasn’t for my missed period, I probably would have never known or figured it out for a few months.”
“But what do youfeel?” Pumpkin clarified. “Do you think it’s possible?”
Dosia put her hand over his on her stomach. “Yeah,” she said softly. “I think it’s very possible.”
A smile spread his lips so wide his cheeks hurt. “You know what this means, right?”
Dosia shook her head. “What?”
“I havesuper sperm. Fuck Superman and his super strength. No condom made can stopmysperm.”
Dosia stared at him like he’d lost his fucking mind. Then she started to giggle. Her giggle became a laugh, and she collapsed over him, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face into his shoulder. Pumpkin pulled her close, elation bursting free from him as he laughed and kissed whatever part of her he could reach.
She sat up, and Pumpkin noticed how she was keeping her lower half off his legs. He guided her hips down so she was sitting astride him. There was no way she couldn’t feel his partial erection either, but he didn’t care.
When she started to protest putting her weight on him, Pumpkin cut her off with a kiss. “We’re going to need to get married.”
Dosia blinked, “What?”
“Married,” he repeated firmly. “Husband and wife.”
“I know what married means,” she said frustratedly. “I mean, why would we need to get married?”
“Well, for one, you’re pregnant?—”
“I’ve been pregnant before.”
“And we’re not talking about then,” Pumpkin insisted. He would like to think he would have done the right thing if Dosia had told him about JJ six years ago, but frankly, he had his doubts, and that shamed him. “We’re talking about now. You’re about to have our third child. I think it’s past time we get married.”
“Your third child,” she corrected.
“Your third child,” he repeated. “SJ is yours in every way but DNA. Do you deny it?”
