Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24663 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 123(@200wpm)___ 99(@250wpm)___ 82(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24663 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 123(@200wpm)___ 99(@250wpm)___ 82(@300wpm)
Laurelin makes a soothing noise.
“First of all, you’re going to take a deep breath and calm down, Rach. You weren’t in that bed alone. He’s just as responsible for what happened as you.”
“It wasn’t just the bed, Laurelin. It was the chair. The pool. The kitchen table, hell, the kitchen floor.” A loud shriek makes me pull away from the phone all of a sudden.
“Rachel Marie Champion, I’m so damn proud of you!” she squeals.
I roll my eyes.
“Are you clapping for me, Laure? Really? Applause?”
“Yes, in fact, I am. And it’s going to be fine. Just go with the flow, girlfriend. I mean, who cares if he’s your dad’s friend? Heck, if your dad has more friends like Max Wyndham, then I’m going to leave my husband for one of them!”
I giggle because Laurelin’s crazy in love with Tate, but it’s funny nonetheless.
“You’re right, and I’m going to stop freaking out now. Plus, I need to call Max because I haven’t talked to him at all today, and I promised I’d keep in touch. And I need to eat too. And go to the bathroom.”
Laurelin chuckles.
“Okay, go do what you need to do, hon. I’ll talk to you later.”
With that, we say our goodbyes, and I hang up only to immediately dial Max.
“Hey, Rach.” His deep voice sends a pleasant thrum through my belly and I smile involuntarily.
“Hey yourself.”
“You sound beat, baby. Was it a long day?”
“It was. I’m exhausted. Delivery went well, and everyone’s okay. The parents are ecstatic, actually.”
“Thanks to you,” he says.
“Thanks to a lot of people,” I smile.
“I love your humility, sweetheart. So much and I miss you. Are you still coming back tonight?”
I smile and lay back on the couch. “No, it’s too late and I’m exhausted. But let’s talk again tomorrow?”
He growls with disappointment but agrees.
“Of course, sweetheart. I’ll miss you in bed with me, but get your beauty sleep because we’ll be back at it before you can say boo.”
I giggle.
“Thanks, Max. I love your arrogance, especially in the bedroom.”
He chuckles at that. “You need to rest. Go to sleep, honey. We’ll talk later.”
With that, I hang up and walk to my bedroom. My eyes are shut and my mind already dreaming of the handsome man before my head even hits the pillow.
12
Rachel
I wake up the next morning feeling groggy and out of sorts. My muscles are sore from falling asleep in a weird position, and I stand to stretch. Oof! I need a massage, but that probably won’t happen today. Instead, I get up and head into the bathroom for a much-needed hot shower. The water feels good pounding on my frame, and by the time I’m dressed and made-up, I’m feeling more alive.
I walk into the kitchen and open the fridge. The date on the milk is only one day out, so I open it and lift it to my nose. But the smell makes me so nauseous that I literally gag and run to the sink before pouring it out with my nostrils pinched shut. Ugh, that was so gross and I flush the entire mess with a bolt of water from the faucet. How disgusting.
I decide to cook some eggs and waffles, but those also make me horrifically sick, so I give up and just nibble on some dry crackers. I wonder if something’s going around?
At that moment, Laurelin calls and asks if I want to meet her for sushi at our favorite place in Midtown. At the mention of raw fish, my stomach revolts.
“Um sorry, I can’t. Not sushi, at least.”
She frowns on the videochat.
“Are you okay, hon?”
I sigh. “I’m totally fine. I think I came down with a bug though. It must be because I was so exhausted, and it finally caught up to me.”
But Laurelin throws me a strange look.
“Rach, I hate to ask this, but are you pregnant? You usually love sushi.”
My head snaps up at the word, as I stare at my pretty friend.
“Hell no. There’s no way. Absolutely not.”
She gives me a doubtful look.
“Yes, but you and Max have been having non-stop sex right? I mean, you were just telling me about it. Could it be that?”
I shake my head again.
“No way. It’s way too early to tell anyways.”
Yet inside, my heart trembles when I realize that I was right smack dab in the middle of my ovulation window while I was at the beach earlier this week. And while my birth control is very effective, nothing is guaranteed in life.
Laurelin is thoughtful.
“Well, it is early, so a home test won’t help you. But I bet a lab could do a blood test for your hCG levels.”
I gulp. Surely not. There’s just no way, right?
Laurelin fixes me with a look. “You’re a midwife, Rach, and you know you can get a lab test at the drop of a hat. Go do it because the not-knowing will kill you.”