A smile lit up his face as he pulled me up and hugged me close. “I’m sorry it had to happen this way, but I’m glad of the final resolution. Let me close everything down and we’ll go. I’ll take you home.”
Chapter Sixteen
Two days later I let myself into my new home. Hunter’s and my home. All traces of Blaire had been cleaned away. Her room was now a guest room. The places in the house she used to frequent were being redecorated. Anything she had bought or brought in was long gone.
My keys made a clink as they dropped in the bowl by the door. I headed upstairs to our room. Hunter had left work early to take care of some things with the flat and said he’d meet me at home. I figured he’d be in there.
Across the large room, the bathroom door was open. I could barely hear water slapping the base of the shower.
I wandered closer, stopping in the doorway. “Hunt—” I cut off as my gaze hit the counter.
The water shut off. The glass door rumbled on the tracks as it opened, showing the fantastically cut body of Hunter, wet and glistening. Heat rolled through me, and then extinguished as my gaze went back to the counter.
“I’m not even sure if I’m late, Hunter.”
He grabbed a towel and rubbed away the wetness. “You’re two days late, I thought you said. Last night…when we were watching TV…”
“No.” My phone drifted down to my leg, the code I’d been looking at forgotten. “I mean, yes, I did. But I can’t be sure because things might be different off the pill, so I don’t really know…”
“And now we will.” He motioned toward the pack of pregnancy tests. “I was afraid you’d sneak off and do it by yourself, Livy. I want to be here for it.”
I gave him a pretty fantastic scowl. At least, it felt that way. Because I totally would have snuck away. I wouldn’t want him hovering over me, watching the process. Not only that, but I knew he hoped the test would be positive, and I was worried he’d get his hopes dashed if it wasn’t.
I also had to admit that mine would be dashed, too. I’d been thinking a lot about it. I was young, and it was early, but…something about it just felt right. A little reckless, maybe, but at least money wouldn’t be a problem. The problem would be working hours. Both mine and Hunter’s. But that would be an issue regardless, and he’d already identified it.
“I’m not going to get out of this, am I?” I said as he slipped his arm over my shoulders.
“I’m not going to push you, but…”
“You’ll mope.”
“I don’t mope, Olivia.”
I scoffed. “Say that to Brenda and see what she says.”
Hunter kissed me on the temple before leaving the bathroom. “Brenda has a false view of things. I’ll just be…”
“Waiting on the bed with bated breath, I know.”
“My mother wants to have us to dinner soon, too. She wanted to check with your schedule.”
“I—” I didn’t get to finish. He’d closed the door behind him.
“So I’ll just do this now, then, will I?” I said to the empty room.
I put my stuff on the counter and grabbed the test. I bit my lip, because I knew his look would be all kinds of sad when this came up negative.
I put my phone on the counter with the screen lit so I could still read the lengthy email Bruce had sent me, and took out the wand. I braced, holding it just right, and let go.
“Ew!” The stream hit off the side and splashed me. I angled. My shoulder hit my phone. The device went skittering across the floor. “Oh, come on!”
“You okay?” Hunter called through the door.
“A little privacy, please?” I yelled at him.
Muttering swear words, I cleaned myself up and fastened the lid on the test. There probably wasn’t a romantic way to do this, but this was a bit ridiculous.
I reclaimed my phone and opened the door. Hunter was sitting on the edge of the bed in a pair of pants but shirtless.
“How’d it go?” Hunter asked as he stood. His stare fastened to the white plastic stick in my hand.
I wanted to say, “Well, I peed on myself, so what do you think?” Instead, because he didn’t need the added stress of me being super stressed and really grumpy, I said, “Fine.”
I sat on the edge of the bed. He sat down next to me. His gaze was still glued to the test.
“If it doesn’t happen, Hunter, just know that it’s okay. Okay? We don’t—” I cut off as his expression turned to one of incredulous delight. I looked down at the little window. “Oh crap.”
I wiped my forehead and then my eyes. I stared at the little plus sign. “Kimberly said coming off the pill and immediately getting pregnant was highly unlikely…”