Page 29 of Dare to Live
A scream sat on my tongue as I thought back to the last time I’d had my period. I never kept track. And since I had switched from the pill to an IUD, my periods were much lighter.
I took in a few deep breaths to calm my pulse, which was all over the place. My brain was on overdrive. How was I going to deal with a pregnancy and baseball? But I didn’t get a chance to take in another breath or even figure out the answers before Kade sauntered in.
Dark circles marred the undersides of his eyes. His hair was disheveled as though he’d been through a wind tunnel, and a frown made him look distraught, as though he were fighting a war I wasn’t aware of.
I motioned to sit up.
He rushed to my side and pressed a button on the bed.
Once my upper body was elevated and I could see the room more clearly, I asked, “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve been beat up.”
He grasped my hand. “You scared the fuck out of me. That’s all. What did the nurse say? She kind of looked at me weird when she walked out of the room.”
Do I tell him or not? Do I even go down that road to get his hopes up before my test results come back?
“I’m sorry I scared you.”
He kissed the back of my hand. “It’s not your fault. And I’m good.”
I narrowed my gaze. “Liar.”
He traced circles on my hand. “That day in high school came screaming back when you passed out on the mound.”
“It’s not my PTSD.”
“I know,” he said. “You’ve been under a lot of stress. And I’m part of it.”
“You?”
“Maybe I’m stressing you out being on the road with you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Seriously, Kade Maxwell. I love that you’re with me. It’s just… you’re right. Too much is going on, and I’m trying to make sure I play as well or better than any guy on my team. I’ve been a little paranoid lately about the Sea Dogs not signing me next year.”
“Tara said they don’t want to lose you.”
I nodded. “I know. But I have nothing in writing other than my current contract.”
“Lace, your health comes first.”
And so does the baby’s,I wanted to say.
I gnawed on my lip.Oh God. A baby.Parts of me were scared, overwhelmed, excited, apprehensive, confused, and so many other things. Considering I didn’t exactly keep track of my periods, I was curious how far along I would be if I were pregnant. Kade and I had been having sex frequently. During All-Star break, we’d been inseparable, and since he’d been on the road with me, we had sex just about every night.
“What’s wrong?” Kade asked, knowing full well I had something on my mind.
I inhaled through my nose. “Who was on the phone?” No way was I telling him I could be carrying our baby. One, I wasn’t ready to say that out loud. And two, I couldn’t get his hopes up only to have them squashed if the test results were negative.
Our baby.I turned that over and over in my head, and a twinge of giddiness coursed through me, causing me to smile wide.
“Kody. He and Jessie got a gig this weekend in New York City. So I have to head home to manage the club.” He cocked his head. “Why are you smiling all of a sudden?”
“I love you.”
He leaned down and kissed me on the lips. “You are my polar bear.”
OMG!He hadn’t called me that in forever. I slipped my tongue into his mouth, and when I did, he took control of the kiss.
We stayed glued to one another until a man cleared his throat.
