Page 81 of Sinister Vows
“Oh fuck off,” I complained good-heartedly and she smiled brighter at me, turning to give me a bit of privacy as I took the test.
When I was done, I set it on the counter face down and washed my hands. She watched me with her hip against the marble as I avoided looking at the test altogether. “Do you want me to leave while you look at it?”
“Not a chance,” I replied, taking a deep breath and forcing myself to pick it up. I met her eyes over the top of it briefly and she gave me a reassuring smile as I turned it over to read the result.
Pregnant.
“Holy hell,” I whispered in complete shock before dropping my hand to my flat stomach like cradling that area in my hand could somehow make it feel real.
“Wow,” she agreed, nodding and grabbing my free hand as we both stared at the test. “Okay, sit down before you pass out.”
I blindly sank to the floor with her at my side and rested my back against the vanity as my world began to spin. “I don’t know how to be a mom,” I admitted for the second time to her.
“I know,” she agreed again, squeezing my hand in her lap and taking a deep breath like she was calming the both of us. “But we’ve been over that. You’re going to trust your human nature instinct and forget all of the things you were taught about parenthood. You’re going to choose to embrace it and allow it to be a good thing because you can’t change it now.”
“Promise me, you’ll help me.” I looked over at her as tears pooled in my lash line. “You’ll help me figure it all out, right?”
“Right,” She nodded her head as her own eyes misted over, “And I think it’s time that my mother comes out of retirement since all of her kids are grown and moved out.” She smiled brightly. “We will help you, Arianna, I promise. You won’t do this alone. We’ll be there with you and Nicolas through the whole thing.”
“Holy Hell.” I sank back into the vanity again as I realized I had to tell my husband. “He’s going to be so mad when I tell him I lied to him.”
“You don’t know that,” she assured me. “He’ll be happy over the news of it all, and you’ll have to just take that high and ride it as long as you can while he processes it all.”
“Right,” I repeated the word she had used to sound so sure. “He’ll be happy.”
“Are you happy?” She whispered as I stared off into the distance.
“I think so,” I admitted. “Somewhere beneath all of the fear and self-doubt,” I shrugged, “Sure. I think I’m a little happy.”
“Good,” She smiled and took a deep breath, “Because ready or not, your clock has started and there’s no stopping it now.”
“Gee, thanks.” I groaned, nudging her with my shoulder causing her to chuckle.
“Let’s get up off the floor and get you to the breakfast table.” I grimaced and glared at her but she held her hand up and stopped me from refusing. “I’ll make you a fruit smoothie,” She said with her eyebrows raised, “My mom swore by fresh fruit during the early stages of pregnancy, to combat morning sickness.” She waited for me to decide, and the idea of a strawberry smoothie didn’t completely repulse me. “How does that sound?”
“Like you’d better have a bucket ready just in case,” I groaned, letting her pull me up off the cold tile floor. “But not the worst idea you’ve ever had.”
She snorted and pulled me into a hug. “I’ve never had a bad idea in my life.”
“Ha!” I chuckled, letting her ease warm me and relax the anxiety trying to pull me under into a full-blown panic attack.
With her by my side, I’d figure it out.
I just hoped I had Nicolas there too.
“We’redocked,”Mollysaidhours later as she poked her head into my bathroom where I applied the last of my makeup in the mirror and took a calming deep breath.
“Any word on when Nico will be here?” I asked, but she didn’t get a chance to answer as my husband himself walked into the bedroom behind her, silencing anything I had to say.
God, he looked magnificent. He wore a pair of light blue jeans and a white t-shirt that hugged his massive biceps and wide chest, revealing the ink down both arms that I’d fallen in love with.
“Right now,” Molly winked and backed out of the doorway, giving Nico a small curtsey as she walked past before shutting the bedroom door behind her.
“Hi,” I whispered anxiously from where I stood frozen in place at the bathroom counter.
“Are you going to make me come into a restroom to kiss you hello, or will you join me out here?” He asked with a small grin on his perfect face.
I pushed off the counter and walked toward him without a single thought to do so and stopped when my toes met his. “Better?”