After washing my hands, I hurried into the living area and found my bottle of water. I chugged the whole thing to give myself plenty of ammunition before scooting back into the bathroom.
“Let’s try this again,” I said out loud, giving myself a pep talk.
Miraculously peeing on the proper part of the stick instead of my hands, I set the test on top of the sink counter and poured the rest of the tests out of the bag. They all informed me that they weren’t one hundred percent accurate, so I should take more than one before going to a doctor for final confirmation.
Cell phone in hand, I stared at it, willing the minutes to go by faster. Unable to wait any longer, I wandered back into the bathroom and glanced down at the test, which was changing as I watched. The first window darkened and two lines appeared. It stated on the test that one line meant you were not pregnant and two lines meant you were. But it said nothing about a faint line. What did a barely there second line mean?
I scanned the directions and focused on the Frequently Asked Questions. It stated that the appearance of a second line meant that you were pregnant, no matter how faint or dark the line.
Pregnant.
Not willing to trust the one test, I took two more. All three yielded the same results:
PREGNANT.
Oh my gosh. I couldn’t wait to tell Jack. He’d wanted to knock me up since the night he proposed. I fought the urge to call Melissa back and tell her, dying to share my news with my best friend. But Jack deserved to be the first person to know.
I laughed out loud when I realized why I’d been such a crazy freak lately. Thank heaven I had a reason for my incessant sob fests. I wasn’t going insane, I was just pregnant.
With a baby.
In my belly.
Holy shit.
What if I turn out to be a crappy mom? I wonder how far along I am?
I hid the tests in the closet and fell asleep waiting for Jack to come back. When the door burst open, I jumped, the sound scaring me half to death.
“Sorry, Kitten! My hands are full, that’s why I kicked the living shit out of the door here.” Jack appeared, his arms filled with what looked like grocery bags.
“What is all that?”
“I got you ginger ale for your stomach, plus a bunch of other stuff in case you don’t feel well. And then I got you a bunch of munchies and snacks in case you do. Do you feel better?”
“Much. How was the game?”
He grinned. “We won.”
“Did you throw?”
“Not until tomorrow, you know that.” He narrowed his eyes, looking at me closely before saying, “You’re acting weird.”
Jack couldn’t possibly know anything. I wasn’t acting weird; I was acting just like I always act.
Forcing an innocent look on my face, I asked, “How am I acting weird?”
“You have this look on your face. And your eyes …”
“What about them?”
He ran his thumb down the side of my face. “They’re hiding something, but they want to share,” he said as he lifted his eyebrows at me.
That’s it. He is magic. I knew it.
About to burst with excitement, I couldn’t stall any longer. “I don’t know how you knew that, but I do have something to tell you. It has to do with why I wasn’t feeling well earlier.” I pulled him toward the closet. “The reason’s in there.”
“Is there a guy in the closet?” He stepped back, his hands balling into fists. “There better not be a fucking guy in this closet.”
“What? No? I just hid something in here.” I rolled the door open and pulled one of the tests down from the shelf. Unfolding the washcloth from around it, I presented it to Jack like a crown jewel on a display pillow.
He peeked down at the test stick, his brow furrowing. “What is tha—” He stopped midsentence, his eyes huge. “Is this? Are you?” He looked at me, his face full of wonder, and I nodded.
Jack fell to his knees and pressed his head against my belly. He wrapped his arms around me and held on to me without saying a word, his breath hot through the fabric of my shirt. I’m not sure how long we stood like that, but it felt like hours. When he finally pulled his head from me, tears were falling down his cheeks.
“We’re having a baby?” He covered my stomach with both of his hands.
“Three tests said yes, so I think so.” I smiled down at him as he moved to sit on the floor.
He reached for me and when I linked my hands with his, he pulled me down across from him. “We’re having a baby.”
“Are you happy?”
“Are you kidding, Kitten? I’ve wanted to knock you up since the day I met you!”
“Liar!” I laughed out loud.
“Okay, maybe not the day I met you. But pretty soon after.” He reached for my face, palming it with both his hands. “I can’t believe you have our baby in your belly right now. He’s just in there chilling.”