Page 124 of The Troublemaker

“I have pregnancy tests,” Alaina said.

She must have given Alaina a shocked look.

“What? I already had one unplanned pregnancy, and even with Cameron being tiny, I’m a little bit paranoid. I don’t trust anything. I got pregnant my first time having sex. You go through that, and every twinge makes you a little bit nervous and, as much as I want to have more kids, I just can’t stand the idea of having to wait to find out if I suspect, so I have a little bit of a stock.”

That’s how Charity found herself following Alaina back to the main house. Where thankfully, nobody else was.

Gus had taken Cameron out with him in a front pack, taking a cue off Sawyer Garrett, who had always had his daughter out with him on the ranch, for as long as she’d been able to stand.

Charity liked that. The way that the men on the ranch naturally took care of their children, even though they did have wives that were also present and invested.

She wondered if Lachlan would be the same kind of father.

The thought made her stomach feel tight.

All of this made her stomach feel tight.

She took the offered pink box from Alaina and went into the bathroom.

After following the instructions, the evidence was undeniable. She was two pink lines’ worth pregnant.

Emotions swamped her. She hadn’t been prepared for this.

Her dad would’ve been a wonderful grandfather. That was the first thought she had, the realization piercing her soul.

She buried her face in her hands and cried. He wasn’t here for this. And heshouldbe.

He would’ve been so happy. So very, very happy.

A big part of it would have been his happiness forher.

That she was making a life for herself, and she did know that.

So she had to... She had to be okay. She had to see the joy in this moment, because her dad would want to, and he wouldn’t want her to be robbed of it on his account. Not at all. Not in the least.

He would never, ever want that for her.

She took a breath and came out of the bathroom. She hadn’t even let herself think about her. Or Lachlan.

“Well?” Alaina asked.

“Definitely pregnant.”

Alaina squealed and threw her arms around her. “You’ll be a great mom. You’re so good with Cameron. I love that. I’m so excited to have a niece or nephew. I love babies so much.”

“I thought you were just telling me you were terrified to have another one.”

“Oh. I’m terrified to bepregnantagain. Because I felt so gross. Like a beached whale at the end. But I love being a mom. And other people’s babies are great.”

“I... It’s so funny. Because I didn’t really think that I would feel afraid of it. I know the mechanics.” She realized how often she had told herself that mattered more than it did. Knowing the mechanics did nothing to prepare her for the real-life version of anything. The fact that she was all too aware of that now contributed to her anxiety.

“The only thing you need to know is that in the end, love is enough. It carries you through. There are parts of it that are hard—the pregnancy, the labor and the delivery—but so much of it is a joy. Once they’re here it’s all worth it. And there’s nothing better than watching the man you love soften like that. It’s just a wonderful thing.”

“Well, I’ll be interested to see how Lachlan handles it.”

“Lachlan is a great guy. He’ll handle it well. Because they all do. Look at how Brody became an instant dad. I don’t want to make a big deal out of the fact that Gus isn’t the biological father of our baby, because you know, we’re a family, and that doesn’t matter. But the way that Gus stepped up for me was so admirable, and I bring it up sometimes just to highlight the fact that he’s a caregiver down to his soul, in spite of what happened to him. Or maybebecauseof what happened to him. I don’t think Lachlan will be any different.”

Charity clung to that. She clung to it hard on the drive back to her and Lachlan’s place. She canceled the rest of her appointments for the day, since none of them were emergencies, and she felt a little bit guilty about it, but she needed to have a nap.

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