Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 86238 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86238 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Add that to the fact we haven’t used protection once in the past month, and you have one hell of a conspiracy theory.
I’m tempted to call Alek into the bathroom with me like I did last time, but I can’t bring myself to do it. He’s had a good month and seems as strong as an ox, but I can’t stop what the doctor said from ringing through my head.
He’s one blow away from death.
The remembrance guts me, but it also has me hopeful that this test comes back positive. I can’t replace our daughter or make up for the preposterous way I acted the day she was born, but I can give Alek something to live for—someone who will make him reconsider volunteering when a ram-raid is added to the mission.
Once I’ve followed the instructions on the box to a T, I place the test upside down on the vanity and then drop my eyes to my watch.
Any girl will tell you that two minutes is never long enough until you’re staring at a pregnancy test. Then, it seems like a lifetime.
“Come on,” I murmur to my watch when Alek checks on me.
When I realize I still have a minute to go, I reply, “Go ahead. I’ll catch up.”
“Are you sure?” Alek asks. “I don’t mind waiting.”
“I’m sure. I…” When I can’t think of a better excuse, I get snappy. “Can a girl just use a bathroom without a damn audience? My God. I have to poo. Okay. There. You happy?”
“All right, драгоценный. Fuck.” His laugh makes me instantly regret my outburst. “You could have just said you need to use the bathroom. I wouldn’t have waited if you didn’t say you were reapplying your lipstick.” I glare at the door when he murmurs with a chuckle, “I was just curious to learn if it matches the shade at the base of my dick.”
He’s being generous. I can’t deepthroat him, but I sure as hell pretend I can when he gets butthurt about my ruse with Ghost. I know how much it hurts believing your other is attracted to someone else, and even though we’ve never kept Alek in the dark about our intentions, I will always make sure he never experiences the pain I did the day Stace arrived at my hospital room claiming she had finally stolen my man.
My smile is heard in my reply. “You’ll find out tonight.”
“Damn straight I will.” He waits a beat before telling me he will meet me at Ghost’s office. “Remember—”
“To take the most indirect route. I know,” I interrupt, hating that he needs to worry but understanding as to why he does. There’s some shady shit going on around here, and I feel as if we’re about to get to the bottom of it. “I love you.”
I hear him place his hand on the door separating us. “You’ll always be my most precious gem, драгоценный.”
That’s his way of saying he loves me back. He hasn’t been able to speak those words since it was the last ones his father said to his mother before he killed her.
Once Alek’s shadow clears from beneath the door, and I’ve settled my nerves enough to be sure I won’t drop the test, I pick it up before slowly turning it over.
“Holy hell. I’m pregnant.”
As my eyes scan the test like it may change the result at any moment, I suck in big gulps of air. I’m assuming Alek will react the same way he did the first time around, but I’m also a little bit panicked. Did he fight for her so much because I suggested an abortion and we fought for kicks? Or does he genuinely want children?
“I guess there’s only one way to find out.”
After another quick exhale, I dump the pregnancy test box into the bin, stuff the pregnancy stick into the fancy clutch I pretend is a knockoff even with its stitch being designer, then check my reflection in the mirror.
I don’t look like the dirty street kid I was when Alek found me. My hair is glossy and pinned back to expose the long column of my neck, my makeup is subtle but enchanting, and my dress fits me in all the right places.
I am a perfectly polished gem.
Alek’s most precious gem.
With more confidence than I’ve yielded over the past four years, I march out of the room I secretly share with Alek, then dart down the corridor that will take me the long route to Ghost’s office. I’m so excited to share my news with Alek that I cut a corner too quickly, crashing straight into someone coming from the other end.
Mercifully, it isn’t any of Kirill’s men. She is feminine and petite, and I’ve not locked eyes with her in an extremely long time.
“Sofia, hi.”
When she bobs down to collect the items that spilled from her hands during our tumble, I do the same. The stitch on my clutch wasn’t as sturdy as it is detailed. It ripped during our collision.