Page 13 of Entangled By You
Pierce refused to leave the room until I was fullydischarged, but his face showed zero emotion at the doctor’s results. Maybe he didn’t think twice about the pregnancy possibility. How nice it must have been to not be on edge for the last twelve minutes and fifteen seconds. Going over every little thing that would change in your life if he came back with a positive on a pregnancy test instead of a flu test.
“There isn’t much you can do besides wait it out at home, preferably alone or with limited contact to reduce the risk of spreading it around. Absolutely, no work until you’ve been symptom-free for 48 hours. Drink lots of liquids to stay hydrated. And unfortunately, you’ll be somewhat limited on what you can take over the counter for those symptoms. But Doxylamine with B6 is safe during pregnancy and should help with the nausea and vomiting.”
The world stops—my vision swims. And I bolt upright on the table, throwing me even more off balance.
“What did you just say?”
MOVING DAY
PIERCE
The bloodin my veins turns to ice as the doctor drops the news, like an elephant crashing through a glasshouse. I watched Lexi’s face shift the moment he clarified the flu results. The relief was unmistakable. That’s what she was expecting. The idea of anything else besides food poisoning hadn’t seemed to have crossed her mind.
But when he mentioned pregnancy, something in her changed. A heavy dread seemed to rise off her, like steam from the hot Texas pavement after an unexpected summer storm. It settled over the room, lingering even after she stepped out to take the test. Whatever faint hope she’d been clinging to, it’s gone now, snuffed out with a few unfiltered words.
The doctor’s voice keeps going, distant and muffled, but I can’t focus. All I can see is Lexi, folding in on herself. I’m used to her strength, hidden beneath the easy smiles and scatterbrained charm. She’s always played it light, but I saw through it the first time we met at orientation for eighth grade. And I see right through it now. She’s tough. But in this moment, she’s unraveling, and I’ve never felt more on edge.
I shoot up from my seat, barely avoiding the doctor’sshoulder as I shove through the door and back out to the waiting room. Silas and Harlow are still tucked in the corner, whispering while they wait for Lexi to come out. I make a beeline for them, and they must sense me coming because they both fly from their seats in an unnecessary panic.
“I need to go. I left my bike at Lexi’s, so I’ll take her car and drop it off. I’ll leave the keys under the mat.”
“Wait, where’s Lex?” Harlow asks.
But I can’t be here right now. I can’t watch her crumble when I’m the one who ensured her baby daddy would never see the light of day again.
Okay, maybe that was technically Harlow, but that doesn’t help my brain from hyper-fixating on that night. The way his sallow skin reflected off the lights in the warehouse. The smell of the chemicals as I mixed them in the oil drum.
My stomach roils, and the contents exit into the bushes lining the sidewalk in front of the clinic. The couple walking my way gives me a wide berth when I make it up right and wipe the evidence of my guilt from my chin with the back of my sleeve.
She deserves ten million times better than that asshole. We probably did her and this kid a favor by taking him out of the equation before she even knew. But I’m assuming she’s going to have this baby. Maybe I’ll be the only one who knows before she makes her decision. I couldn’t fault her for it. Not that my opinion matters. It’s hers and hers alone.
This day is too fucking much. I need a drink. Shit, I think I need a whole bottle.
The room spins, and my head pounds the second my eyes slit open. My stomach revolts at my sudden groggy consciousness, and I blame the hammering against my door. The empty bottle of Jack crashes to the floor as I fumble off the mattresses, tripping over my untied boots that never made it off last night. I’m ready to give whoever is interrupting my hangover cure—sleep—a piece of my mind.
“What?” I growl, opening the door just enough to peek Silas on the other side.
What time is it? Fuck, what day is it?The hall is too dark to tell.
“Damn, man, you look like shit.”
“Feel like it too. Now, what do you want?”
“We need to talk.”
“Pretty sure that’s what we’re doing right now. Just tell me what this is about, so I can go back to bed.”
“It’s about my sister.”
I pull the door wide and step back, picking up the discarded bottle from the floor and popping it in the bin. Silas only comes in far enough to shut the door behind him before he leans back against it, with his arms crossed menacingly against his chest.
Silas is a big dude, but it’s the fact that I respect him too much to want to go toe-to-toe with the guy. He’s always looked out for us… me, in the club. And he’s unknowingly found my one weak spot.
Her.
“So, what’s up with Lexi?”
“She mentioned you’ve been around lately.”
