Nicole grabbed the keys from him, with a little huff and marched out to the garage, with him right on her heels. He loved watching the sway of her hips as she walked away from him, especially when she was in a tiff and the movements were more pronounced.
"Are you stalking me now?" she asked, as she stepped through the garage door.
"I'm leaving for work too," he informed her and chuckled. That earned him another glare.
"Well then, I'll see you later," she said and reached for her car door. He spun her around and kissed her long and hard, leaving her breathless.
"Think about that today," he said, then jumped in his car and drove away. Nicole stood there dazed for a few moments and blew out her breath in frustration. The man got under her skin in seconds. He evoked powerful emotions in her, whether it was anger, lust, or happiness. He didn't do anything half-way.
She pulled onto the street and had to stop a couple miles down the road at a drug store. She'd put off taking a pregnancy test for a ridiculous amount of time and knew it was time. She was terrified to confirm what she already knew in her heart but she had to do it. She wouldn't take the test at home where Ryan could read her face like a book.
She walked out of the store, with the test safely stored in her handbag and had to control her breathing. What scared her more than knowing the truth was how much she wanted the baby. At first she'd been terrified to think she was pregnant and then as the thought sunk in that she was most likely carrying Ryan's baby she'd been overwhelmed with joy.
She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt her love for Ryan had never gone away. She'd loved him with the innocence of a child and since living with him that had grown into an adult's deep and binding love. She knew he didn't love her and that knowledge was enough to destroy her.
She knew he desired her and in the months they'd been together, that desire had turned into a red hot inferno. It seemed neither of them could get enough of each other but that wasn't enough to make a relationship work, especially with a baby on the way. She had such mixed feelings over the test. She wanted the baby with an overwhelming desire but at the same time was terrified of what that would mean between Ryan and her.
She walked into the shop and for once was grateful neither Jasmine nor Trinity was there. They were as bad as Ryan at reading her every expression and she really needed time to take her test and deal with the emotions to follow, whether the answer was yes, or no.
She couldn't wait even a second longer and headed straight for the bathroom. Shakily she read the instructions, then sat with the small stick sitting on the edge of the sink. She waited a full ten minutes before getting the courage to grab the stick again and see what the results were.
Her eyes filled with tears and overflowed down her cheeks but they were not tears of sadness, or even terror. They were tears of complete joy. She'd already known the answer, so she really didn't see why the stick turning blue should be able to fill her with so much emotion but it was a confirmation that she was carrying Ryan's baby within her womb.
By the size of her stomach, she figured she was several months along already too. She was surprised he hadn't said anything about her weight gain. Actually, looking back, he'd made a comment she was so much healthier and her body was even more attractive to him. She smiled as she thought how his tune would change when she was as big as a whale.
She wasn't ready to share her secret with anyone yet, so she stayed in the bathroom a while longer. She had to get control over her features, or the girls would know for sure something was up. She buried the test in the bottom of the garbage can and walked out.
Jasmine had arrived but was literally buried to her elbows in batter, so she couldn't follow Nicole around, as she sometimes did. Trinity ended calling them and saying she couldn't make it in because her youngest child had a cold. Nicole knew the women loved owning their own place, most of all because it allowed them to be mothers first.
She unconsciously rubbed her hand along her stomach and thought she'd love to be a full-time mother. If she could still work for them, she'd get to make that a reality. The place was set up for kids, with a nursery in the back and a playground out front. It would be ideal for a new mother.
She had real hope and she wanted to shout to the world she was going to be a mother. It would be hard not to say anything to Ryan that night but she wasn't sure if she wanted to share with him, yet. She didn't know how he was going to react to the news. She knew he loved children because he was amazing with his cousin's kids but he'd been emphatic with her that their relationship was a temporary thing.
A child tied them together unlike anything else and even when they went their separate ways, they would always be a part of each other's lives. It was all too complicated, so she decided to make some floral arrangements to get her mind off the situation.