Page 37 of Her Candy Cane Cowboy
Nausea rolls through me. Gagging, I lean over the sink where I dry heave repeatedly.
“Honey, what’s wrong?”
I put my hand on the ache in my lower back. “I don’t know. I haven’t felt well lately.”
“Why didn’t you tell me. Let’s get to the doctor.” He grabs one end of the bow to yank it off. “Holy fuck that hurt!” He cups himself and goose steps toward the bedroom. “I’ll grab some jeans. Hang on.”
I start mentally adding weeks in my head. My last period…what…I could be…
“Dallas!”
He runs back into the room with one leg in a pair of jeans. His face is pale. “What?”
I close my eyes.
“You’re worrying the shit out of me,” he says, discarding the jeans and picking me up to carry me to the sofa.
“I think I might be…possibly…pregnant.”
His eyes widen. “Seriously? I’ll go get a pregnancy test. No, I can’t leave you alone. I’ll ask mom to do it.”
He quickly calls and tells his mom what’s going on.
She’s probably in the middle of making treats for the family night we’re all getting together for later, I know she’ll drop everything for me. She’s become a second mom.
Dallas paces the floor right beside me.
“You might want to cover my gift before anyone gets here,” I say.
He glances down as if surprised to find he’s naked. “Good idea. Aw…look at that mark. Damn bow.” He retrieves his jeans and puts them on, carefully zipping them. Then he sits beside me and rubs my back, and I can tell his mind is a million miles away.
“Where is she? She should be here by now,” he says not even ten minutes later. “I’ll put on a shirt and then call her.”
“Dallas. Sit.” I put my hand on his. “Take a deep breath. What’s going on?”
My big handsome cowboy’s throat works. “Marshall was telling me the other day how hard giving birth is for a woman and I don’t know.” He rakes his hand through his hair. “I’m excited at the possibility of having a child, but I don’t want you to hurt and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I have to stay by your side and make sure I’m here to unwrap your special day gift in the future.”
He laughs then winces. “I don’t know what the hell was up with that bow.”
“It’s the thought that counts,” I tease.
The front door bursts open and Elizabeth rushes in and hands me a pharmacy bag. Hot on her heels is Ned and my dad. He moved to town not long after Dallas and I got married and I’m glad he’s around.
He paces the floor the same way Dallas did.
I don’t mind everyone being here. If the test is positive, I’ll be able to share the news right away with the people I love and if it’s negative, I’ll be surrounded with the support.
“Okay, here goes.” I gather the pregnancy tests and go into the bathroom with Dallas. “It won’t take long,” I tell him after I use them.
I sit on the edge of the tub, and he sits beside me. We hold hands and I know that like me, he’s probably thinking of all the possibilities. A daughter. A son. Growing our family. The memories we’ll make. How much love our child will receive. How his parents and my dad will spoil him or her.
I bite my lip. “I can’t check.”
“I’ll do it.” Dallas gets up and goes to the counter where I left one of the tests. “Two lines,” he says, voice raw. “Does that mean?”
“Maybe. I’ll take a second one.”
