Page 91 of The Sacrifice
“Please dress me in a gray and white striped sweater and put a blue jacket over it. I’ve always wanted to do that.”
“Just for you, sis.”
No wonder I fell in love with Mia. I’ve listened to the same sense of humor since I was a kid. Mia’s was hidden under a layer of perfection. Being around the two of them is like snuggling under a warm blanket on a cold night.
Chapter Forty-Eight
A Month Later
Mia
I set Hadley down on the pineapple-designed blanket and steady her for a second. When I let go, she remains upright. “Good job, baby.”
She looks up with those big, beautiful eyes, and my heart fills with joy. I couldn’t ask for a better baby. She sleeps through the night, allowing us some much-appreciated adult time. And she’s happy. Even when she cries, it’s short-lived, and back comes the bubbly, hand-waving, laughing little girl who’s stolen my heart.
“She’s adorable.” Jade walks from the kitchen, where I’m crouched in front of Hadley. Kevin and Jackson are chatting about something at the dining room table. If I had to guess, it’s probably football.
“Yes, she is.” I stand and cross my arms over my chest.Oh….I cringe. The sides of my boobs ache. I drop my arms to my sides.
“How are things with you and Jackson?”
“Everything is great.” I bend down and retrieve a block, handing it to Hadley. Her chubby hands turn it around from one side to the other as she studies it with the same intensity Jackson does a football. “I’m getting used to him being gone for away games and the structure needed for the home games. But I’m not going to lie. I will enjoy the offseason when I can have him all to myself.”
“I bet.” She grins and waggles her eyebrows. “You’ll have more time for sex.”
“I might not survive.” Jackson’s dedication to football is only challenged by his commitment to providing me endless orgasms. It’s a rarity when we skip a day of sex unless he’s out of town.
Skip a day of sex? We should skip a week of sex.
When was my last period? New York? That can’t be possible. Can it? I tap the toe of my shoe on Jade’s white carpet as the room spins. My box of tampons is still sealed in the cabinet.
Jade touches my upper arm. “Are you okay?”
Oh, my God. That was over four months ago.The blood in my brain wooshes, blocking out the sound of Jade’s voice. “I’m trying to remember the last time I had my period. When you said we’d have more time for sex, I realized there haven’t been many missed days of sex. Except for when we were separated and when he’s at an away game. But I didn’t have a period then either.”
My entire body decides to sweat at the same time. I elevate the hair at the base of my neck and fan my face. “I’m a little freaked out. What if something is wrong with me because of all the stress I’ve been under?”
She rolls her eyes and clasps my upper arms. “You’re pregnant.”
“No. I’m not.” I shake my head. “You know what the doctor said. He said it would take a miracle to get pregnant without medical intervention. Something’s wrong. What if I have cervical cancer?”My boobs.“Or breast cancer.”Shit.My hands are shaking, so I clutch them together.
What will I do? I can’t orphan Hadley. Who will help Jackson take care of her? Andrew agreed to be her godparent, but did he mean it? Don’t be stupid. If something happened to you, Andrew would step up and help Jackson. That isn’t a question.
“Stop.” Jade shakes me so hard that my eyeballs rattle. “I see your head spinning, and the smoldering is going to make the smoke detector go off. You and Jackson have been having sex non-stop. And I assume it’s been without protection.”
“Yes. I mean. No. We haven’t been using protection. I can’t get pregnant, so there’s no need to.”
“The doctor didn’t say you couldn’t have a baby. He said you would need the right circumstances. Jackson is the right circumstances.” She glances down at Hadley. “He clearly has super sperm.”
“But we weren’t trying.” The whiney sound from my mouth makes me sound like a three-year-old having a temper tantrum.
“Which likely helped. You weren’t attempting to getting pregnant, so your body wasn’t fighting it. Jackson probably has a high sperm count, and there you go.”
I step backward. “It’s not possible.” All the percentages and ratios from fertility charts flash through my brain.
“Please.” Jade rolls her eyes. “You spend too much time in your head. You can’t be with Jackson because he’s your younger brother’s best friend. You’re too old for him. You’re too boring for him. All these excuses that you use. You’re putting limitations on yourself. What if you’re pregnant?”
My shoulders fall as exhaustion flows over me. The abrupt departure of the wave of adrenaline seeping out of me has left my arms feeling like they’re deadweight. “It would be amazing.” I glance down at Hadley, who’s chewing on the blue plastic block as a trail of drool travels down her chin.