Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Rowan
N ausea hit me before I even opened my eyes the following Wednesday morning.
I lay there taking deep, even breaths, staving it off, wondering if I’d eaten something bad or if this was just today’s version of morning sickness. I’d had a couple days of feeling pretty decent upon waking. Maybe my body was catching up after that reprieve.
I reached for the box of oyster crackers I’d started keeping on my nightstand and groaned when I remembered it was empty. I’d forgotten to buy a new box.
Closing my eyes again, I lay back on my pillow and focused on my breathing. The minutes ticked by, meaning I’d have to hurry to get to work on time, but that seemed preferable to standing at the moment.
After several minutes of not moving a muscle other than to breathe, the icky feeling receded, not gone entirely, but enough that I thought I could make it to the shower.
I put my hair up so I wouldn’t have to dry and style it, then stepped under the hot water. As I soaped myself, I started to feel better still.
“I might make it through the day yet,” I said aloud as I dried off, still moving slowly, afraid of unsettling my gut again.
By the time I was dressed, the house was silent. Chance and Sam would’ve left a few minutes ago to get her to school on time.
After one more slow, settling breath, I grabbed my purse and bag and headed downstairs. I was halfway down the steps when the bacon smell hit me.
Normally I loved bacon, but today that smell… A tidal wave of nausea rolled through my gut.
I just needed to grab a couple of protein bars from the cabinet, stuff them in my bag, and get out of the house, away from the odor.
I breathed through my mouth, exaggerated and audible, as I hurried to the kitchen cabinet. Before I could get the bars out of the box, I dropped my bags and dashed to the bathroom.
As I was leaning over the toilet emptying my stomach, the door to the garage slammed shut.
“Rowan? Oh, my God, are you okay?” Sam asked from the doorway of the powder room.
With my elbow braced on the cold porcelain, my hand supporting my forehead, I attempted a yes, but even I could hear it wasn’t convincing. I retched again, mortified to have an audience but unable to stop it.
My eyes filled with tears, and I felt like an alien had taken control of my body.
Behind me, I heard Sam gagging as she backed away from the doorway.
“Sorry, Rowan,” she called. A few seconds later, as I wiped my mouth with a piece of toilet paper, Sam’s voice was back in the doorway but muffled, like she’d pulled her shirt over her face. “Do you want me to get my dad?”
I shook my head, sitting up straighter, testing myself. I felt marginally better now that I’d apparently purged everything in my gut. “No,” I managed. “I’m fine.”
“That didn’t seem fine.”
Grabbing the pedestal sink, I pulled myself up and stood, leaned over the basin, and splashed cold water on my face. When I straightened, I saw Sam take a couple steps back from the doorway. I met her gaze in the mirror.
“Sorry,” she said. “I don’t want to catch whatever you have.”
“It’s not contagious.” I said it without thinking, then pumped soap into my hands and scrubbed them.
“Did you eat something bad?” she asked. “We all had the same beef stir-fry last night, but I feel okay.”
“It’s not from food,” I said, gauging how I felt now. Better still. I could probably handle work as long as I didn’t start feeling worse again.
“Oh, my God,” Sam said. “Are you pregnant? Is this morning sickness?”
I dried my hands and face, thinking I should replace the towel, when her questions hit me.
Shit.
Again I made eye contact through the mirror, my mind spinning through options. I could lie, or I could tell her the truth before Chance was ready. I didn’t like to lie, and it would be the stupidest lie anyway, as reality would prove otherwise within weeks.
“I am,” I finally said.
I no sooner got the words out than the door to the garage shut again.
“What’s going on?” Chance asked his daughter. He couldn’t see into the bathroom from the utility room.
Sam looked to me, which had Chance peeking into the bathroom.
“Rowan was hurling,” she said.
“Damn.” Chance stepped closer. “Morning sickness?” he asked me.
I nodded, wiping my face with the towel one more time.
He put a hand on my back. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“You knew she was pregnant,” Sam stated instead of questioned.
“Do you want some tea or water?” Chance asked me, not seeming to hear Sam.
“Not yet,” I said. “The bacon smell just hit me wrong.”
“Oh, my God, is the baby yours, Dad?”
I snapped my gaze to Chance’s. My panic was reflected in his eyes.
“Dad?”
My heart hammered while Sam looked from her dad to me and back, her eyes narrowed. This was Chance’s question to answer. I held my breath, waiting to hear what he would say.
“Why don’t we move out of the bathroom?” Chance said.
Sam held on to the doorjamb, blocking our way.
“It’s a simple yes-no question.” Sam’s tone was harder. “Rowan? Is he the father?”
“Yes,” Chance snapped. Then he closed his eyes and seemed to gather his patience. “This wasn’t how I planned to tell you, Sam. Can we please sit down?” He gestured to the kitchen.
Sam stepped back, looking as if someone had slapped her.
Chance put his hand on her shoulder, and she jerked away.
I’d never been so torn in my life. I wanted to hug Sam and assure her everything would be okay. I ached to comfort Chance and remind him this was the reaction we’d expected and that she’d come around. And there was a big part of me that itched to grab my bag, run away from the turmoil and bacon odor, and bury my head.
“Let’s sit in the family room,” Chance said.
“I have school,” Sam said, her tone conveying she’d prefer to escape as well.
“Okay. I’ll drive you there in five minutes and call in for you so they don’t mark you late. This is not how I wanted to do this, but I obviously can’t control a damn thing.” He stepped into the kitchen and turned on the exhaust fan above the stove. “Maybe that’ll help,” he said to me.
That simple, thoughtful gesture put me on the verge of tears. I fought to hide them. The last thing Sam needed to witness right now was me turning into an emotional mess. “Thanks,” I managed as I leaned against the wall, more in the hall than the kitchen.
“I don’t want to miss English,” Sam snapped impatiently.
Chance leaned against the cabinets, crossing his arms, looking weary. “Rowan is pregnant. Yes, I’m the father. We didn’t plan this, obviously.”
“God, how embarrassing,” Sam muttered. “So you moved your girlfriend in and lied to me? Pretended she’s a coworker?”
“I do work at the brewery,” I said, feeling helpless, knowing this conversation was ultimately Chance’s domain but still wanting to soothe both of them. “And I’m not your dad’s girlfriend.”
“Better yet,” Sam said with an exaggerated laugh, her gaze aimed at Chance. “So you had a one-night stand, got a girl pregnant, and moved her in?”
My brows shot up, because yeah, that was pretty much spot on, and it didn’t sound great, particularly from Sam’s perspective.
Chance’s jaw was clenched tight, his eyes closed. I had to fight not to reach out to him.
“Rowan and I are adults. We’ve done nothing wrong. We took a risk, and now we’re handling the consequences.”
“Are you getting married?” Sam asked.
“No. We’re planning to co-parent,” Chance said.
“So Rowan’s living here permanently?”
“Only until I can get my feet under me and find a place of my own,” I said. “I’m sorry our actions are affecting you, Sam. Your dad’s first concern all along has been you and your feelings.”
Sam scoffed. “Obviously not if he was out having a one-night stand.”
“Like I said, we’re adults, Sam. Rowan and I have a lot to figure out,” Chance said. “I’m sorry you found out the way you did.”
“I need to get to school.” She hurried past me, out of the house.
I spotted a textbook on the counter. “Does she need this?”
“That’s why we came back.” Chance took it from me. “I’m sorry your morning is shit, Rowan.”
The understatement of that made my lips flicker upward. “I’m sorry I gave away our news prematurely.”
He wrapped me in an unexpected hug. “We’ll stop buying bacon for a while.”
That made me laugh. “Least of our problems.” I sobered. “Go to your daughter. She needs you. I’m a big girl…soon to get bigger.”
“I don’t think Sam wants me anywhere near her right now, but I do need to get her to school. Will you be okay? Do you need to stay home?”
I soaked in his care and concern, letting myself relax into his chest for a moment. I could take care of myself. But damn did it feel amazing to have Chance’s support. Even more so because he had a very pressing problem waiting for him in his SUV.
“Physically I feel a lot better,” I told him. “My stomach just needed to empty itself. I’ll be at work.” I nearly asked him if he was doing okay, but I knew he wasn’t, so I held the question in. “We’ll get her through this, Chance.”
“Keep telling me that.” He kissed my forehead, then ended the hug. “See you at work.”