Page 152 of The Persistence of Thornes
Smiling in victory, he plucks a paper cup from beneath his sink and passes it to me. Then he just… stands there.
“Get out.” I shoo him toward the door. “Let me retain what little dignity I have left after yesterday, please.”
He crosses his arms over his chest, leaning his butt against the counter. “You promise to take it?”
“Yes.” I hold out my little finger as my bladder screams at me to get it over with. “Pinky promise.”
He loops his pinky through mine, and with a nod, exits.
I flick the lock before he can change his mind and barrel back in.
Once I’ve relieved myself—and filled the cup—I wash my hands and pull the instructions from the box.
Why is this so complicated? I may not be puking anymore, but my mind is a mess.
A knock startles me, making me drop the instructions. “Can I come back in?”
With a sigh, I pick them up, then turn the lock and shove them at him.
“What does this even mean?” It’s all gibberish.
He takes it and reads it over. Then, without a word, he removes the test and dips it into my urine. Totally at ease, he sets the stick on its wrapper on the counter, then turns to me and crosses his arms. “Now, we wait.”
“It was really that simple?” I gripe.
Smiling, he steps in close and cuffs my neck, pulling me against his chest. “I notice that when you panic, you shut down. It’s okay. You have me.”
Yeah, I do have him, which is the wildest part of all of this.
This man needed to be in Boston, but he didn’t hesitate to hop in the car and drive home to look after me.
While we wait, he keeps me pressed against him. Nerves rattle through me, causing my stomach to roll, but his heartbeat remains steady.
All too soon, he releases me and looks at his watch. “Time to check.”
He presses his lips to the side of my forehead, then picks up the test. Eyes darting to it, he sobers, then studies me, as if gauging how I might react.
I cover my eyes and sink my teeth into my bottom lip. “Just tell me.”
“It’s negative.”
A gust of air leaves me all at once. “Oh, thank God.”
The possibility was almost nonexistent, but that didn’t stop me from panicking. The last thing either of us needs right now is an unplanned pregnancy.
“I’m going back to bed and sleeping for a hundred years,” I tell him.
With a chuckle, he grasps my wrist and tugs me gently back to him. For a moment, he just looks at me, as if studying my features. I open my mouth, itching to break the silence, but before I can, he says, “I love you.”
I smile. Hearing those words from Caleb iseverything. He proves every day that he means them, whereas my mom used to use them as manipulation.
“I love you too.”
“Get some more rest.” He gives my ass a light swat. “I’m going to make toast before you doze off, though. Think you can get that down?”
I frown, but nod. Though my stomach is telling me no, my brain recognizes that I need to eat at least a little. “I’ll try.”
With a soft smile, he guides me back into the bedroom, and as he leaves, I settle back into his bed. The guestroom mattress is pretty great, but it’s got nothing on his. It’s enormous, and he has the softest sheets imaginable. The bonus? They smell like him. I never want to sleep in another bed again, and something tells me Caleb would be all too happy to give in to that fantasy.
