“I don’t need to. This is just my body reminding me I need vitamins.” Right? Right! There was no way she could be pregnant. It was only a few weeks since she’d had sex with Nate. And that was only one night. Okay, an unforgettable night, but still only one night. She remembered how she’d wondered why her time of the month hadn’t arrived. She was on the pill to regulate her cycle. She was only like a day late anyway.
Oh, hell this couldn’t be happening. She and Nate… Yeah, she was going to be sick. Her stomach lurched. Bile slapped the back of her throat, leaving behind its acidic taste. He’d been so busy helping out Caleb they hadn’t seen much of each other. A fact that tore at Karla’s insides daily. And made her wonder on an hourly basis if she’d been a one night stand. The idea started to cement itself in her brain. Maybe that’s all she’d been to Nate. A challenge until he’d gotten what he wanted. The one night stand idea grew deep roots in her mind.
Whenever she thought of the scenting ceremony she wanted to cry. It had been such a great night. And then all hell broke loose. Her friends had been attacked repeatedly, and the possibility of spending any more time with Nate had been forgotten when he volunteered to help Caleb gather some men and start strategizing a way to get Caleb’s pack back. Everyone was involved in protecting Jordan from the bad guys. She’d been hurt pretty badly in multiple attempts on her life. It got to the point Aric had asked Karla, Emma, and Nicole to stay away for a few days in order to ensure their safety. Everyone was worried others close to Jordan would end up hurt. Pack politics kicked in, and Caleb needed Nate and Jake to help out. Things just took a turn into crazyland.
“Please, Karla. Look, I’ll come over. We’ll do it together,” she offered.
Wait, what? She gulped. “You need to pee on a stick too?”
Jordan sighed. “I think so. Let’s not freak out until we know for sure. Pick me up a test too, and let’s wallow in whatever the results are together.” The roar of an engine sounded. “I’ll bring the wine and ginger ale. No matter what the result is, I think we’ll both need a glass from one or the other.”
Yeah. Hell was breaking loose all over again. “Do any of the others know?”
“Ellie probably, but she won’t say anything. I’ll meet you at your house.”
“Okay.” She hung up and sat there. Frozen. How had her day gone from taking control to completely losing it? It couldn’t get more frightening than this. Not for her. Her mother had been a single mother. She’d chased after her father for years, hoping that he’d commit only to find that he was already committed to someone else. Karla couldn’t— wouldn’t put herself through that.
She headed to the dreaded aisle containing the tests, stomach twisting and churning. Her gaze drifted to the box of condoms sitting next to them. Nice. Where the hell were they when she’d needed them?
With ten different tests in her plastic carry bin, she ambled at a snail’s pace toward the register as if she were headed for the guillotine. She’d just gotten into her car when her cell phone rang again. Please, God, don’t let it be any more bad news. She couldn’t take it.
“Hi Kel.” She tried to sound enthusiastic, putting a smile on her face because she knew he’d be able to tell if she was upset.
“What’s wrong?”
Dammit! That stupid extrasensory whatever the hell they shared had screwed her again. He’d known she was internally having multiple panic attacks.
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m on my way home now. Just got some vitamins.” And other stuff she really didn’t want to discuss.
“You sure? I could sense distress from you.” Her brother’s tone told her he didn’t believe her. Too bad. She wasn’t discussing the possibility of her being pregnant with him.
“I’m sure. I’ll talk to you later. I’m starving and tired.”
“Go home and rest. You’ve been looking sickly lately.”
Fantastic. It was obvious she wasn’t doing well. Not exactly what she’d wanted to hear. “Yeah. I’ll call you later.”
Her mind whirled over what she’d do if the result from the test ended up being positive. She and Nate were nowhere near what she’d call a relationship. And she wasn’t dragging him into one if she was. When she reached her house, Jordan’s energy-saver was parked outside.
She hopped out of her car and met Jordan at the door. Jordan hugged her and inhaled. She looked into Karla’s eyes with a frown. “It’s stronger now.”