Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
JUNE
D id that really just happen?
Did I really just have to abandon Apollo’s lap and all the seriously fun sexy time we were having to run— half-naked— through his house and lose all the delicious food I’d eaten this evening?
Leaning against the bathroom vanity, I stare at myself in the mirror. I look like I went a round with the champ, and it didn’t go well for me at all. If I were the referee, I’d call it.
“What in the hell is going on with my stomach?” I whisper to my reflection. “If this is a virus, it’s the weirdest virus I’ve ever had.”
I brush my teeth and splash cold water over my face before I open the door and find Apollo standing on the other side, holding a glass of water and a washcloth.
“Thank you.” I gratefully accept the water and take a long drink, relieved that my stomach has settled enough for it to stay down. “Sorry about that.”
“Do you think you ate something bad?” He looks so concerned as he brushes a strand of my hair off my cheek. He’s not even ogling my bare boobs, which is kind of sweet. “Because, if you did, we should let Mira know so she doesn’t serve it to someone else.”
“I don’t know. My stomach has been off for a few days. It’s probably an ulcer or a weird stomach condition because of stress. Or some kind of virus.”
I feel my eyes widen as I stare at him.
“Shit, if it’s a virus, I probably shouldn’t be hanging out with you if I could be contagious.”
“I’m good.” He takes my hand and leads me to the bedroom. “I have a change of clothes here for you.”
I love the way his muscles move and shift under his smooth skin, and without giving it another thought, I reach for him and pull him close.
“You know, I’m feeling a lot better now. We can pick up where we left off.”
In fact, not only do I feel better, but also, I might spontaneously combust if he doesn’t make love to me right this second.
I don’t know if I’ve ever been this horny in my life.
“Honey, if you don’t feel well, it’s totally okay. I’m not mad or disappointed or anything.”
“I will be if you don’t jump my bones.” I shed my pants, move to the bed naked as the day I was born, and crook my finger in invitation. “Come here, Winchester.”
“How do you go from heaving to sexy in less than ten minutes?” He may be hesitant, but he’s not arguing as he strips out of his clothes and joins me in bed.
“Whatever it was, it’s passed, and now, I want you even more than I did earlier.”
His cock hardens in my hand as I stroke him and kiss my way down his torso until I’m wrapping my lips around him.
“Holy shit.” His hands dive into my hair and hold on as I work him over nice and easy at first, and then I take him deeper until he’s panting and fisting my hair so hard my follicles hurt in the best kind of way. “Need you.”
He sits up, takes my face in his hands, and kisses me hard as he flips us so I’m tucked beneath him and he’s kneeling between my legs.
“Now.” I reach down and rub myself, unable to quench this crazy thirst that’s clawing at me. “Now, now, now.”
He pushes into me, and we both moan in pleasure.
“Hard,” I demand, lifting my hips in a desperate invitation, which he happily accepts.
“Jesus,” he mutters. “I fucking love everything about you.”
Yeah, the sex is damn good. It’s always been out of this world with Apollo, which really pissed me off at first.
Now, I can’t get enough of him.
That should also piss me off, but it doesn’t because I’ve gone and fallen in love with the big jerk.
Except, he isn’t a jerk at all.
He’s maybe one of the nicest people I know, and that’s been a huge adjustment for me, as well.
Picturing my life without him, going back to the way it was before we started this wild affair, makes me so sad that I can’t even contemplate it.
It’s not an option for me now, which scares the absolute hell out of me. This man has the power to completely devastate me, and he doesn’t even know it.
I’m in no hurry to tell him either.
“Look at me.” His voice is rough and hard, and my eyes snap open. “I want you to fucking come , and I want you to say my name when you do.”
“That’s cheesy.”
He takes my chin in his hand, and his eyes are so fucking intense, it makes everything in me tense.
“God, you’re sexy,” I mutter as I feel the orgasm grow.
“Do it,” he says, pounding even harder, and I fall apart. Apollo’s name falls from my lips as wave after wave of sensation rolls through me.
He groans and follows me over, and then he rolls to the side and tugs me tight against his chest.
“So, getting sick makes you horny.” He swallows hard as he catches his breath. “Good to know.”
I smile. “I guess so. This isn’t after-sex cuddles.”
His hand drifts up and down my back, making me want to stretch into his touch and purr like a kitten.
“Of course not.” He kisses my forehead. “Do you need anything?”
“I think I’m kind of sleepy now.”
“Makes sense to me. You’ve had a busy time of it tonight. Drift off, babe. I’m right here with you.”
I can’t keep my eyes open, so I do as he says. I relax and let sleep take over.
I can’t believe Apollo talked me into staying home today.
I own the company. Sick days aren’t a luxury that I can indulge in. Sure, I have an excellent crew, but I need to be out in the field every day, checking on job sites. He even asked me not to go to the chapel, which I almost threw down about before I ended up having to run to the bathroom.
There may not be a chance in hell of finishing it by Christmas, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t work on it anyway. Speaking of Christmas, it’s right around the corner, and I haven’t done any shopping, which means I have way too much to do to just lie around Apollo’s house all day.
I will admit, though, it felt good to sleep in a bit. Whatever’s decided to piss off my stomach has made me so freaking sleepy. I’m so over it, and if I’m not better in a couple of days, I’ll have to break down and go to the doctor, which I hate . So, here’s to hoping this passes and I start to feel better on my own.
Ignoring my rolling stomach, I get dressed, pull on my sturdy coveralls and work boots, and then pile my hair under my old, beat-up trucker hat so it stays out of my way.
Happy with that result, I set off for the chapel so I can take a look around before I head to the job sites and check in with my guys there.
Admittedly, they likely have everything under control, but I like to touch base with them in case they have questions or any issues.
When I pull up to the chapel, I immediately scowl at the number of trucks parked out front. Before I even make it to the front door, I can hear power tools and talking inside. Someone has a radio playing.
Stopping in the doorway as I let my eyes adjust, I feel like I’ve been hit in the solar plexus. My walls are being textured. The kitchen cabinets are being painted, and Apollo is giving instructions for how the light fixtures are supposed to be installed.
There have to be twenty men in here, bustling about as if this is the most important project in town. There are certainly more workers here than what I have on staff. Even my brother has a tool belt slung around his waist and is carrying trim in and out of one of the bedrooms.
“What’s happening?” I ask.
Apollo’s head whips around, and when he sees me, he grins, but then his smile drops into a concerned frown as he climbs off his ladder and hurries over to me.
“I thought you said you were going to take a sick day,” he says as he reaches me.
“No, you said that. What in the hell is happening here? I didn’t hire them to do this.”
“I know.” He glances back at them and then turns to me with a very satisfied grin. “It was supposed to be a surprise, but you’re not good at taking directions. Are you feeling okay?”
Right now, something’s doing the rumba in my stomach, but I shrug. “I’m fine. Talk to me, Apollo.”
“Okay, so when you said the other day that you wouldn’t be able to move in here before the holidays like you wanted, it got me to thinking. You obviously didn’t ask your staff to help you, even though you promised you would.”
“I didn’t?—”
“So, I made some calls, and everyone agreed that they’d take today to get ahead of things, and then, schedules willing, they’ll be here from three until six in the afternoon every day until it’s done. They can spare those hours around all the other projects they’re working on.”
“I don’t employ all of these people.”
“No, but they all know you and care about you. Juniper, we live in a small, tight-knit community. They want to help, so they are.”
“Christmas is only two weeks away.”
“Well, then, we’d better get crackin’.”
I blow out a breath, feeling perilously close to tears. “This is too much.”
“No, it’s not. No one feels that way at all. You’ve put this project off for months, letting it take the back seat to literally everyone else as you work your ass off for them. This is your home, June, and we all want you to be able to live in it as soon as possible. It’ll take a load off your plate.”
“I mean, it will do that.” It’s tough to admit, but he’s not wrong. “It’ll help my stress level a lot. Maybe that’s why my stomach’s been off.”
“It could absolutely be the case. Let us do this for you, Juniper. We want to help you.”
“Am I allowed to jump in, too?”
“It’s your house, so of course you can—just not today. Today, I want you to go back to my place or to your grandma’s and relax. Hell, even the inn would work, but I want you to take it easy until you’re feeling better. You need the rest.”
“You’re so damn bossy. If I had known how bossy you are, I’m not sure that I’d be letting you do things to me all the time.”
He smirks and leans in to whisper in my ear. “You didn’t mind my bossiness last night.”
“That was different.” I laugh and then look around at all guys working in the chapel, feeling so much gratitude and love that I don’t even know what to do with myself. “You’ve already done so much in here.”
“We’re hoping to make a lot of progress today,” he agrees. “You already had all the fixtures and materials stored in your guest bedroom, so we’re installing them. If there’s anything that we do wrong, tell us and we’ll fix it.”
“Thank you.” I want to kiss the hell out of him, but the thought of doing that in front of all of these people is absolutely mortifying, so I just smile. “I mean it.”
“You’re welcome.” He winks at me, and my chest squeezes.
Damn, I have it bad for this man.
“Now, get out of here and rest. Don’t make me sic my sister on you.”
“Okay, okay.” I turn to walk out the door, but then turn back to him. “Can I sit in there and supervise? I won’t get up. You won’t even know that I’m here.”
He raises an eyebrow, and I narrow my eyes at him.
“Fine. Keep all the fun for yourself, then.” He laughs at my back as I walk away.
“Have a good rest,” is all he says as he firmly shuts the door behind me, closing me out of my own goddamn house.
“Well, how do you like that,” I mutter as I shuffle over to my truck. I admit, I’m already sleepy again, and that irritates me. “I just got kicked out of my own house.”
I guess a nap doesn’t sound too bad, but rather than go back to Apollo’s place, I head for my grandma’s house.
I haven’t checked in on her in a few days, and I miss her.
Only, when I get there, she’s not home.
“What a weird day,” I mutter as I pad my way up the stairs to my childhood bedroom. My phone pings with a text from Luna.
Luna: Rumor has it that you’re not feeling well today.
“Jesus, does the entire town know? Why didn’t he just take out an ad in the paper?” Chalking the irritation up to fatigue, I reply to her.
Me: Yeah, not great. Came to Grandma’s to nap for a while.
Luna: Okay, get some rest and feel better!
After setting my phone to silent, I slide into the old familiar bed and almost instantly fall asleep.
“Don’t wake her up.”
It’s a loud whisper that I assume is meant to be quiet but definitely is not quiet.
“We need to talk to her.” Another whisper.
“She needs sleep more .”
“I’m awake.” I sit up and scrub my hands down my face. When I crack my eyes open, I find my two best friends standing beside my bed, both peering down at me with concern. “Hi.”
“Hey. We didn’t know if we should wake you,” Luna admits as she reaches over and presses the back of her hand to my forehead, which I immediately bat away. “I want to see if you have a fever.”
“I don’t.” I glance to the window and frown. “What time is it?”
“It’s after five,” Sarah says and sits at the foot of my bed.
“Holy shit, I slept the whole day away.” I scowl and stretch my arms over my head. “I hate it when I do that.”
“I’m sorry that you’re not feeling well,” Luna says and sets a basket on my bed. “We brought you a whole bunch of stuff to help settle your stomach. Ginger tea, saltines, Sprite, broth…there’s a lot in here.”
“Thanks.” I grab a pack of saltines, rip open the clear package, and stuff one in my mouth. “I’m really hungry.”
“I’m surprised you’re here and not over at Apollo’s,” Sarah says, trying to act casual.
“Why would I be over there?”
“Oh, come on,” Luna says, rolling her eyes. “We’re not stupid, June. We’ve seen you two together a hundred times since before Halloween, and it’s obvious to anyone with eyes that you’re together. Stop pretending that you aren’t.”
I lower the cracker to my lap and stare down at it. “I don’t know why we kept it a secret. Well, yeah, actually, I do. It was because I told him that I wanted to because, what if we just slept together a few times and then it was over, you know? There was no need to announce that to the world.”
“But it hasn’t been just a few times,” Sarah says softly.
“No, and I don’t think we’ll stop any time soon. We were going to tell everyone this week, but then I wasn’t feeling well, and it seems like there’s been something constantly keeping us from telling you. Frankly, I feel a little guilty that I’m talking to you about this because Apollo and I agreed that we’d tell everyone together, but holy shit, it feels so good to get this off my chest.”
“I admit, my feelings were hurt at first,” Luna says. “Him not telling me, I understand, but you’re my best friend, and you kept me out. After I thought about it for a bit, I realized that it’s not about me. I’m so glad you’re together. Given how explosive you are when you can’t stand each other, I bet it’s like a nuclear bomb when you do like each other.”
“It’s pretty wild,” I agree, nodding. “Now, if I could shake this stomach thing, everything would be great. I need to get to work, and Christmas is a couple of weeks away. I have shit to do.”
Luna and Sarah share a look, and then their gazes return to me.
“What?”
“Well, we brought you something else,” Luna says, reaching for her handbag. She pulls out a slender box that is very clearly marked as a pregnancy test.
“Whoa.” I hold my hands up in defense. “Let’s not go overboard. It’s a queasy stomach, that’s all.”
“Honey, how long have you been sleeping with Apollo?” Sarah asks.
I sigh and think back. “I don’t know, since before Halloween. Maybe a week or two before that.”
“You need to take this test.” Luna holds it out to me, but I cringe away from it.
“I’m not pregnant.”
“Great. You can go pee on this, get a negative result, and then we can take you to the doctor to figure out what’s up with your stomach. Win-win. Now, go pee.”
“You and your brother are both really bossy.”
“Yep.” She smiles serenely, not backing down, so I grab the box out of her hand and stomp into the bathroom.
“I’m not fucking pregnant,” I mutter as I open the box and quickly read the instructions. Just pee on the thingy and wait a few minutes.
Fine. I can do that.
When I’m done, I return the stick to its little foil packaging, return to my room, and drop the stick onto the bed.
“We can check it in a few minutes.”
“Great, thanks.” Luna pats the bed. “Sit. You look exhausted.”
“I’m probably dehydrated.” I blow out a breath, suddenly nervous. “I’m not drinking enough water. That’s what it is, I’m sure.”
“That could be,” Sarah agrees, but it’s clear they both think I’m full of shit.
And until right this minute, it never occurred to me that I could be with child , as Annabelle would say.
“We’ve been careful,” I insist, answering a question that no one asked. “I’m on the fucking pill, and most of the time, we use condoms, too. Not every time, but a lot of the time. Like, at least half.”
I blow out a breath because I’m rambling and need to stop.
“Shit, we haven’t used condoms in a really long time. Still, I take my pill every day without fail.”
“Then maybe you’re not pregnant,” Luna says as she reaches for the stick in the package. “You want to look, or do you want me to?”
“You do it.” I stand and walk to the window, chewing on my thumbnail. Damn it, I can’t be pregnant.
I. Can’t.
His reaction when he realized he didn’t wear a condom that first time was intense, and he was so freaked out that it took him an hour to calm down.
Jesus, I assured him that we couldn’t get pregnant because I was on the pill.
“Uh, June?”
I close my eyes and then turn back to them.
“Yeah?”
“Open your eyes.”
“I don’t want to.”
“June,” Sarah says. “It’s okay.”
“I’m not pregnant?” My eyes pop open in relief, but when I see their faces, I know I’m wrong.
“No, you are pregnant,” Luna says. “She means that everything’s going to be okay.”
“Holy shit, I’m going to throw up.”
I run back into the bathroom and drop to my knees by the toilet in time to get violently sick. Someone’s rubbing my back, and someone else is holding a wet cloth to the back of my neck.
“I don’t like to be touched,” I mutter between bouts of vomiting, but they don’t stop.
When I’ve lost everything I’ve ever eaten in my life, I sit back on my heels and take the wet cloth, rub it over my face, and then turn to rest my head on Sarah’s shoulder.
“What am I going to do?”
“You’re going to come back into your bedroom and eat a cracker,” Luna responds.
“I’ll go heat up some water for tea,” Sarah says when we reach my room. She hurries off, and I sit on the side of the bed.
“At least this explains all the throwing up and being so tired.”
“Yeah, well, I think I’d rather have the flu.”
“I know.” She sits beside me and wraps her arm around my shoulders. “If you don’t want this baby, you have options.”
That brings tears to my eyes. “It’s not that I don’t want this baby, it’s that I didn’t think I wanted any babies at all. I thought you and Sarah would have a dozen kids between you, and I’d be the cool aunt who gives out gum and ice cream like it’s going out of style.”
“I’ll invest in a good dentist,” Luna says dryly.
“I have hot water,” Sarah announces, carrying a tray with a steaming mug and a plastic bear holding honey. “Annabelle says that she’ll check in on you in a little while.”
“Did you tell her?”
She looks at me like I’m crazy and slowly shakes her head. “No, she only knows that you don’t feel well. Jesus, June, this is your news to tell, not mine.”
“I’m sorry.” I gratefully accept the mug and blow on the hot steam. “I know you wouldn’t tell her. I’m panicking and don’t know how Apollo will react to this. Maybe I shouldn’t tell him.”
They stare at me and then burst into laughter.
“This isn’t funny.”
“You’ll have to tell my brother sooner or later because, at some point, you won’t be able to hide it. Besides, he helped create this little bundle of joy. He should know.”
“What if he gets mad and, like, punches holes in the walls or throws a fit and then he leaves and I never see him again?”
I’m met with silence.
“Who did that to you?” Luna wants to know.
“My mom.” I shrug and sip the still-hot tea. “Guys, in my experience, children aren’t a great thing to have around. They don’t bring joy . They bring stress and inconvenience. Even after my mom left us with Grandma, that’s what we were for her, as well. Sure, she wasn’t a jerk about it, but I knew that it wasn’t fun for her. I don’t want to bring a kid into that.”
“I’m so sorry.”
We all turn toward the doorway, finding my sweet little grandma standing there with tears in her eyes and her hands clasped at her waist.
“Oh, shit, you weren’t supposed to hear that.”
“I beg to differ,” she says as she steps into the room. “I’m sorry that you felt that way as a child. You three did overwhelm me, but I never meant for you to feel as if you were an inconvenience. It’s just that I raised my girl, but I didn’t expect to have to raise my grandbabies, as well. I don’t mean that as horribly as it sounds.”
“I know you didn’t.”
“You three brought me so much joy, Juniper Snow. You make me laugh, and you make me proud. Sometimes, you make me want to twist your ear off because you frustrate me, which is entirely normal, but I feel that way because I love you, not instead of. Someday, you’ll feel the same way about your own children.”
So, she didn’t hear the part about my being pregnant.
That’s a relief.
“I’m sure I will, Grandma. I’m fine, honest.”
She kisses my forehead and then walks out of the room, closing the door behind her.
“Your mom sounds as lovely as my parents were.” Sarah’s voice is as dry as paper. “At the end of the day, you have to remember that you aren’t her any more than I am the assholes who don’t deserve to be called my parents. You’ll make your family the way you want it to be, and I personally think that you’ll be a great mom.”
“It’s too soon,” I whisper. “We haven’t even used the L word.”
“The way you wrinkle your nose at the idea is inspiring,” Luna says with a laugh.
“I know you,” Sarah adds, pointing her perfectly manicured finger at me. “And I know that if you didn’t love Apollo, you wouldn’t be sleeping with him. You wouldn’t be spending so much time with him because you don’t waste your time on people who don’t matter to you.”
“Yeah, well, it’s the early days. Sure, I care about him, and he admitted last night that he loves the sexy time, but that’s not necessarily a declaration of love.”
“It’s a start, and until you actually tell him what’s going on so you both have all the information, you can’t move forward in any way.” Luna’s chin firms as she continues to lecture me. “This is something you need to work out together.”
“You would make a really great psychologist.”
She stares at me until I huff out a breath.
“Fine, but give me a few days to wrap my head around this and decide how I want to tell him and how I want to move forward.”
“I think that’s fair,” Sarah says and shrugs when Luna turns to her. “What? It is fair, Luna. I know he’s your brother, but this isn’t about you, and it’s a lot of information for June to process. She needs to clear her head before she unloads on Apollo.”
“Exactly.” I nod in agreement. “That’s all it is, clearing my head before I tell him, and then he and I will come up with a plan together.”
“Don’t put it off too long,” Luna suggests. “It’ll only get harder, and then he’ll wonder why you didn’t tell him sooner, which will be one more thing to argue about.”
“Right.” I bite my lip. “Okay, I’ll tell him in a day or two, tops.”
“In the meantime,” Sarah adds, “what do you need?”
“I really want some chocolate cake right now.”
“You should say the baby wants it,” Luna says. “Then the calories don’t count.”
“Holy shit.” I swallow hard before flinging myself back on the bed and covering my face with a pillow.
“Don’t smother yourself.” Sarah takes the pillow off my face.
“I’m having a baby. How in the hell did this happen?”
“You don’t know?” Luna asks.
“Don’t make me hurt you.”