Chapter 10
Becky sat on the toilet seat, staring at the pregnancy test across the room on the counter.
She knew more than five minutes had passed, but she couldn’t bring herself to stand, walk across the cold tile floor, and see what she already knew.
A light knock on the door had her eyes leaving the test to look that way.
“Becky?” Katrina’s voice was low. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Becky’s voice croaked, then she cleared it. “Come in.”
Katrina walked in, her eyes going from Becky to the test sitting on the counter, then back again.
“I can’t.” Becky shook her head as the lump in her throat grew.
“Can I ask you a personal question?” Katrina didn’t approach, but closed the door and leaned against it.
“Yes,” Becky replied, having no idea where this was going.
“What if you are pregnant?” Katrina asked, her eyes watching her closely as if ready to detect a lie. “No matter the how or why. No matter what anyone is going to think. No matter what Sloan feels about it. How are you going to feel?”
Surprised by the question, Becky glanced away from her and back to the test. “Scared. Confused,” she replied after a long moment. “But I would love the child and protect him or her with my life.”
“Then that’s all that matters, Becky.” Katrina gave her a small half smile. “Now, do you want me to leave so you can do this yourself, or do you want me to stay? The answer that matters most right now is there on that counter waiting for you. That is in your control, no one else’s.”
Becky wanted nothing more than to hug Katrina at that very moment. She was so young and yet wiser than Becky herself was right now. Becky had never in her life been this lost, but Katrina was absolutely right. She was in control of this, and she really needed to feel that.
Glancing down at her ring, she frowned. She had kept so much from Sloan these last few months, and the guilt was eating her alive. This wasn’t fair to him. Not at all. Slowly, she looked up from her ring to Katrina. “I need to talk to Sloan.”
Katrina gave her a small smile and nod, then walked over and hugged her. “I really think that is for the best. That man loves you, Becky.” She pulled away. “Call me if you need anything at all. Okay?”
“I will.” Becky grabbed her arm before Katrina walked away. “And Katrina, thank you.”
“You’re welcome, but never thank me. You are like an older sister to me.” Katrina replied, then headed for the door.
“Did you have to add older?” Becky frowned, but then felt herself smile at Katrina’s smirk.
Becky snorted just as the door closed, then glanced back at her ring.
Her eyes rose to the pregnancy test on the counter.
This was the right thing to do. Sloan deserved to know.
Taking a deep, calming breath, she stood and passed the counter, keeping her eyes on the door, then walked out of the bathroom just as the bedroom door opened.
Sloan walked in, his eyes scanning the room before looking at her. “None of your clothes fit Katrina?” he asked with a cocked eyebrow.
“I lied,” Becky said without hesitation. It was time to come clean, as much as it pained her, it was time Sloan knew everything.
Sloan nodded, then crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the door.
“Just like you lied when I asked you if you needed anything and you told me no.” He paused, watching her closely, and she knew his Warrior radar was on high alert.
“When in fact, you had Katrina bring you something from across town.”
“Yes.” Again, she answered without hesitation. Her stomach rolled with nerves and a mix of nausea. “What I’m about to tell you is the truth. If you don’t believe me, I understand. Hell, I probably wouldn’t believe me either.”
“Tell me what?” Sloan asked. His tone wasn’t angry, sad, happy, or anxious. It was flat, no emotion, and that scared her more than anything. He had been nothing but good to her, and she had lied repeatedly to this man.
Becky took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her unease, but it wasn’t helping. “I asked Katrina to bring me a pregnancy test.”
She watched as his eyes narrowed, their golden shade turning darker. He remained silent as he stared at her. Maybe she shouldn’t have blurted it out like that.
“I’ve never cheated on you, Sloan,” she added quickly.
Still, he remained silent. Her whole body turned cold with fear. She wanted to beg him to say something, but the words stuck in her throat. Then his mouth opened, and she wished he had remained silent.
“What makes you think you are—” He paused. “Pregnant?”
“Because this is exactly how I felt when I was pregnant with Frankie.” Oh, God.
It was as if he couldn’t even bring himself to say it.
Her eyes fell from his and stared at the floor.
“And a woman knows,” she whispered, because she did.
Deep in her heart, she knew. She didn’t need a test to tell her.
The nausea and total exhaustion weren’t the only symptoms she’d been having.
Her breasts were tender, the cravings had started, and even though menopause was just around the corner for her, it was too early for her periods to stop completely.
“And?” Sloan’s one-word question had her eyes shooting back up to his.
“I don’t know.” Her hands twisted together nervously. “It’s still sitting on the counter in the bathroom. I haven’t looked. I wanted to talk to you first. I’m tired of keeping this from you.”
Sloan’s stare was beginning to unnerve her. She started to say something else, but he pushed off the door and headed toward the bathroom. He passed her without a word, then disappeared inside.
Becky honestly didn’t know what to do. Should she follow? Or just stand there?
Hearing a loud crash and breaking glass, she jumped, turning toward the bathroom just as Sloan walked out. His eyes were black as midnight. He marched toward the door, not looking her way.
“Sloan.” She tried to stop him, but he kept going.
“I need a minute,” he growled, then slammed the bedroom door behind him.
Becky stood frozen, staring at the closed bedroom door as if it may open again and Sloan would come back in, take her in his arms, and tell her everything would be okay.
But the door didn’t open. The silence that filled the room was worse than his anger, worse than the crash from the bathroom, worse than the blackness in his eyes.
It wrapped around her until she could hardly breathe.
She had known this was going to hurt. God, she had known.
But nothing could have prepared her for the look on Sloan’s face or the way he walked out without looking at her.
Her hand slowly went to her stomach, and another sob broke free because no matter how this had happened, no matter what had been done to her, there was a child inside her.
A child she already knew she would protect with her own life.
But in that moment, all she could feel was the terrible fear that she had just lost the man she loved more than anything.
Becky stood there staring at the bedroom door long after Sloan had slammed it behind him. Her whole-body shook. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. All she could hear was the crash from the bathroom playing over and over in her head.
Finally, forcing her feet to move, she turned and walked toward the bathroom.
The second she stepped inside; her hand flew to her mouth.
The mirror above the sink was shattered, pieces of glass scattered across the counter and floor.
Blood streaked the broken edges and smeared across the white sink where Sloan had obviously braced himself, or maybe tried to stop himself from doing worse.
“Sloan,” she whispered, her voice breaking as tears filled her eyes again.
Her knees almost gave out, but then her eyes shifted past the blood, past the broken mirror, to the small white test still sitting on the counter like it hadn’t just destroyed everything around it. Two lines. Clear as day. Positive.
Becky stared at it, her hand slowly lowering from her mouth to her stomach as the room tilted around her.
She had known. God help her, she had known, but seeing it there in front of her stole what little breath she had left.
A sob tore free as she backed away from the counter, glass crunching beneath her shoes.
She was pregnant. Somehow, someway, she was carrying a child, and the man she loved had walked out with blood on his hands and pain in his eyes because how could the child be his?
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, not knowing if she was saying it to Sloan, to the child, or to herself.
Becky stared at her broken reflection and hated what she saw.
She had lied to the man who had given her everything.
His love. His protection. His trust. She didn’t blame him for walking out.
How could he not be upset? What broke her was knowing he probably thought she had cheated on him.
She hadn’t. And the worst part was, she had no way to prove any of it other than her word.
There were only two ways this could have happened, and neither one made the situation any better. Both meant someone had done something to her while she was helpless. While she was unconscious. While she had trusted them to fix her, not destroy her.
Picking up the test, she stared at it for a long minute before wrapping it in tissues and tossing it in the trash.
She reached for a towel and started cleaning the glass from the counter because honestly, she didn’t know what else to do.
Sloan’s blood smeared across the white surface, blurring through her tears.
A sharp, jagged piece of glass sliced her thumb, and her blood mixed with his.
Her silent tears turned into sobs of regret, loss, and fear.
Sinking to her knees among the broken glass, she ignored the pieces poking through her thin sweatpants.
In fact, she welcomed the pain, hoping it would somehow lessen the one tearing through her heart.