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Mark chuckled. “I’m not?”
“No. Because then I’d be suicidal and you’d have my blood on your hands.”
“Well, I can’t have that.” They held each other a long while. Then Laura pulled away. For the first time, she felt she had the courage to actually take the pregnancy test. She was able now to see the result, no matter what it might be.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” she said, sliding off her bar stool.
“Sure. I’ll get started on these dishes,” he said, gathering up their dinner plates and hopping off his stool.
Laura went to the bedroom, grabbed the pregnancy test from its hiding spot in her drawer and went to the bathroom. She listened as Mark moved around the kitchen, the sound of the tap running and dishes clanking together. It was now or never.
She ducked into the bathroom, locked the door and readied the test. Her heart beat quickly as she finished, put it on the counter and waited. She’d flush the toilet in a second. She glanced at the window. What do I want? She didn’t even know. She couldn’t imagine being pregnant, but if she was…did that mean she’d have a second chance to be a mother?
She felt a jumble of emotions—panic, hope, stress.
Laura eyed the test with some trepidation, waiting for the window to change with her result. She bit her bottom lip as the letters started to materialize.
Pregnant.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
LAURA WAS…PREGNANT. Oh, God. She felt both overjoyed and horrified all at once. She’d have to tell Mark…but how could she? Hey, by the way, I know you want to sail around the world in honor of your son and you might be just getting over serious thoughts of suicide, but what do you think of being a dad…again?
A knock on the door made her jump.
That’s when she realized the sound of the kitchen tap running had disappeared. He must’ve finished the dishes. How long had she been in here staring at the pregnancy test?
“Everything okay in there?” Mark’s voice came from the other side of the door.
Um, no, everything is not okay. I’m going to have your baby.
If my body can actually carry that baby to term.
Hastily, Laura flushed the toilet. “Uh, yeah. Coming!” Her mouth was suddenly dry.
Laura couldn’t imagine telling him the news. How could she? Theirs was not supposed to be a long-term thing. They’d both signed on for something short-term. This changed all those rules.
And what if he was excited about the prospect of being a dad again…and what if she miscarried the baby? Could she really risk getting Mark’s hopes up when she knew her body was faulty, that she couldn’t manage her last pregnancy?
Laura stuffed the test back into the box and then hid it at the very back of his bathroom cabinet, behind the plunger. She’d retrieve it later. Right now, she had to hide the evidence. Deal with it later.
“Coming,” she said. She opened the door and Mark was there, a puzzled look on his face.
“Everything okay?”
She nodded. “Just a little upset stomach. Probably nerves. About the race tomorrow.” She laughed uneasily.
Every fiber of her being wanted to tell him, and yet…she couldn’t. Not now.
Not to mention, if she told him, there was no way he’d let her sail tomorrow. He’d step out of the race, and who knew if that would even ensure she’d carry to term? She might lose the baby anyway. There was no way she’d let him give up on sailing for Timothy.
“No need to be nervous about tomorrow. You don’t have anything to worry about,” he said and took her into his arms.
She so hoped he was right.
* * *
MARK TOSSED AND turned most of the night, worrying about the race the next day. Was he doing the right thing? Allowing her to race? Was she ready?
Races could get dangerous. Accidents happened all the time.
And what if they did win? He wasn’t even sure what his goals were anymore. Laura had changed them all. In his arms, Laura slept fitfully. She was worried about the race, too. Not that he could blame her. It wouldn’t be an easy thing. To race or to win.
Eventually, the alarm sounded with Mark not sure he’d gotten much sleep at all.
“Time to get up,” he said, nuzzling the top of her head. Laura yawned and sat up, looking every bit as beautiful as an actress ready for her close-up. Her pink cheeks and pink lips invited his kisses. She looked amazing, even without makeup. Her natural beauty drew him to her. He dipped down and kissed her on the lips.
“Morning, gorgeous,” he said, and she smiled. “Ready to race?”
“I hope so.”
Mark flipped on the morning news as he brewed them a pot of coffee. Then a loud alert blared as an emergency announcement popped up on the screen.
