Page 36 of Irreplaceable
“Hmm,” Lauren chimed in. “I’d think anything you ate in Croatia would be out of your system by now.”
I lifted a shoulder. I hadn’t felt well for weeks. I was tired and nauseated, and I didn’t seem to have the energy or desire to do much of anything. I’d been traveling nonstop, jet-setting across the world. And though I’d been doing this for years, the pace was beginning to wear on me. Am I getting old?
Alexis tilted her head, her gaze shrewd as she assessed me.
“What?” I snapped.
“Nothing.” She smiled, and I could tell she was only trying to be nice. It made me feel like even more of a bitch. I’d been short-tempered all week.
“I’m sorry.” I hung my head. “The jet lag, stomach bug, or whatever… It’s got me down.”
“Are you about to get your period?” Juliana asked. “I know I’m always a little off when it’s time for mine.”
I paused, glass of water poised in midair. I did some quick mental calculations, slowly setting the glass back down. I should’ve had my period weeks ago. I’d been so preoccupied and busy, I hadn’t even noticed.
I stared straight ahead. How had I not noticed?
“Ooh, girl,” Lauren said, popping a strawberry into her mouth. “I know that face. You’re late, huh?”
I bit my lip. “Yeah. I mean, maybe. But with all the fertility drugs and stuff I was taking, my cycle could just be out of whack.”
“Have you slept with anyone lately?”
I rolled my bottom lip between my teeth and shook my head. “Not since…” I couldn’t even bring myself to say his name. My girlfriends had assumed it had ended because it was a vacation fling, and I’d let them believe that because it was easier than the truth.
“But you and Enzo used condoms, right?”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Every time?” Juliana asked.
I nodded, remembering how religious Enzo had been about using them.
“You had a lot of sex. Maybe one of the condoms broke?” Juliana asked.
I shook my head. “No. Not that I know of.”
“You used to track your ovulation, right? You should see if you were ovulating when you were in Bali,” Alexis said.
I pulled out my phone and skimmed through the calendar, stopping short. Yep. I definitely could’ve been ovulating.
Alexis leaned over, staring at the screen before brightening. “Oh my god. You could be pregnant.”
I shook my head. Even though I wasn’t on birth control, I didn’t see how it was possible. “We used condoms. And even if we hadn’t, I had three unsuccessful rounds of IUI. Three.”
“Yeah, but that’d be like Preston and me trying for three months. Even if I was ovulating, there’s no guarantee I’d get pregnant.”
I frowned. I’d never thought about it like that, but I didn’t think it was the same. I’d been taking drugs to enhance my fertility. And my doctor had attempted the inseminations under the best possible circumstances. If I couldn’t get pregnant in an ideal situation without condoms standing in the way, why would this be any different?
“Why don’t you take a test? Just to see,” Alexis added. “I have some upstairs.”
I lifted a shoulder, considering it highly improbable. “Wouldn’t I know if I were pregnant?”
Alexis and Lauren shared a knowing grin before Alexis said, “Not necessarily. When I was pregnant with Blair, I had no idea.”
“Please,” Juliana said to me. “Just to put our minds at ease.”
“I don’t see the point, but sure.” I shrugged, too tired to fight it. “Why not?”