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“Screw it,” I whisper. I’ve got to know now. I can’t wait. Sneaking out of the house isn’t too difficult, and I race to the outskirts of town, picking up a pack of tests before racing back to the manor.
Once I’m inside, I rush to my room, locking myself inside.
I grab two of the four tests out of the box and line them up, my hands shaking as I prepare to take them.
Once it’s done, I set them back on the counter, my heart in my throat as I set a timer, counting down the seconds until I find out the truth.
Please be negative, please be negative, I chant in my head.
My watch starts to ding, alerting me that the three-minute wait is over, and I squeeze my eyes shut as I bring the first test up to my face.
When I open them, two little lines stare back at me.
“Shit.”
I grab the second test, and it’s positive as well.
“Crap!”
I’m so screwed. What am I going to do? What in the hell am I going to do now? I can’t have a baby. I’m only twenty-one years old, and I just left my piece of shit father’s house. I can’t move back in with him.
And I can’t tell the Everharts what’s happening. First of all, I doubt they’d believe me even if I gave them a signed affidavit that I haven’t been with anyone else.
Secondly, they’d fire me so fast for this.
I feel a panic attack coming on, and I have to bend down with my head between my knees as I take in deep gulps of air, trying to keep myself from freaking out too badly.
Seriously, what the actual hell am I going to do now? I’m royally screwed if I keep it.
Closing my eyes, I try not to cry as I weigh my options. An image pops in my head of a tiny version of the three men out there, a little helpless thing that just wants to be loved.
I could give that baby the love I never had. I could give him or her a good life.
My eyes fly open, and I stare down at the positive tests again, wondering if I have the strength to go through with this. It feels like a huge thing, like something I shouldn’t do, and yet for some reason, I want to do it.
My heart is still in my throat as I put the tests in the drawer and wash my hands. I can’t tell anyone about this yet. Not until I’ve figured out my next move.
Heading back down to the kitchen, I get the mop from the closet and resume my cleaning, hoping no one noticed I was gone.
Just as I’m finishing, I feel the dizziness come back. Knowing what’s causing it has somehow made it worse, and I have to grip the edge of the counter to keep from going down.
Fitz strides into the room, tall and imposing as his polished shoes click against the marble floor with every step. His sharp gaze, framed by furrowed brows and a stern expression, commands my attention with a single look. “Miss Parker, why are you standing around?” he demands.
“Just a little dizzy spell,” I say, waving a hand. “It’s nothing.”
“I’m concerned,” he says, standing in front of me with his arms crossed. “Lately, the quality of your work has gone down, and you seem off. I don’t want to have to fire you. What in the world is going on?”
A chill sweeps through me, sending shivers down my spine. Panic tightens its grip around my heart, squeezing every ounce of air from my lungs. Can I trust this man with my secret?
“It’s nothing,” I tell him, brushing his concern aside. “Just a little stomach bug.”
“This stomach bug has been going on for several weeks now,” Fitz points out. “Perhaps you should go to the doctor.”
“I don’t need to go to the doctor,” I tell him, biting my lip. “I already know what’s wrong.”
“Well, then pray tell. Are you ill? Do you require time off?”
A knot forms in my stomach as he questions me, threatening to choke me. I fight to maintain my composure, but my hands tremble, betraying my inner turmoil.
