Page 109 of Revenge Is a Dish Best Served… Wearing Heels?
Tiny. Blurry. But unmistakable.
A heartbeat.
A baby.
No. No, it couldn't be.
Stepping forward, my legs carrying me on autopilot, I felt like I was moving through water. I finally reached her side, my eyes darting back and forth between her and the screen, until they finally settled on the beautiful woman beside me.
"Astrid," I said. "Is that...?"
She looked at the image again, before nodding once, so slightly I almost missed it. Then she whispered, "Yes."
Her eyes shone with emotion, heavy, life-changing, stunned like she was still trying to make sense of it herself.
I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to breathe.
And I had no idea what came next.
But I knew I would never walk away from her, from this child, from this situation. They were mine now. I just had to convince her.
Twenty-Nine
Astrid
Double shock hit me. Was that a thing? If not, it needed to be. Because I was definitely in it.
First, to get real confirmation in front of my very eyes that the pregnancy tests had been correct. I was indeed pregnant.
And then, to have Tristan Hawthorne walk in right in the middle of it all?
My mind raced to comprehend everything, all of it too much, too sudden, incredibly overwhelming.
The silence in the room thickened the air, until the technician broke it, pulling back the wand and wiping the gel from my stomach gently.
"I'll give you a moment," she said as she stepped away. "Dr. Patel will be in shortly."
And with that, she left, closing the door softly behind her, leaving only the two of us.
Tugging my shirt back down, I sat up slowly, a bit unsteady from the intense emotions coursing through me. Tristan's hand immediately found me, helping me upright, steadying me with a firm yet gentle touch on my back.
"Are you all right, baby?" he asked.
Oh, God. The tenderness lacing his tone nearly did me in. I was already on the verge of tears, but that?
"Are you... are you crying?" he whispered.
"No," I cried, sniffling loudly.
He grabbed a nearby tissue box and set it down next to me. "Please don't cry, baby. Please."
"Quit... calling me that." I swiped at my nose, then dabbed at my eyes. "It only makes me want to cry harder."
He stared at me, like he was trying to figure me out, the crazy mess I'd become. My eyes burned, my throat ached, and my heart felt like it was trying to beat its way out of my chest.
"It's just a lot, you know? So much. So soon. And I..." My voice barely held steady as I tried to explain.I looked at him then, blinking through my tears. "Did the condom break or something?"
He looked startled. "No," he said quickly, like the idea had just hit him. "I mean... at least I don't think so. I didn't exactly examine it before tossing it."
