Chapter Ten #2
Aurora glances at Chloe, whose eyes open wide. Something silent passes between them.
“Do your boobs hurt?” Aurora asks bluntly.
“What?” I ask loudly, catch myself, and moderate my tone. “I’m sorry. What are you asking me?”
Aurora grins. “Jordan, could you be pregnant?”
Her words catch me mid-swallow, and I swallow wrong and begin to choke on the bubbles in my drink. “What?” I’m beginning to sound like a broken record. “Pregnant? I don’t think so!”
And how can I even talk about this with Linc’s sisters?
Chloe clasps her hands in front of her, looking shaken but not at all upset. “Okay, so based on what I saw at the shower and today, I’m assuming you and Linc are together.”
“Yes. And he’s your brother and we don’t need to talk about it. But I know we always used protection. Now subject closed. End … of.” I slice my hand through the air.
But the word pregnant lingers between us.
And Aurora isn’t finished. “Nothing is one hundred percent.” She shoots me a knowing gaze. “How long have you two been … you know?”
Chloe’s eyes are wide, but she appears focused and is listening.
I swallow hard. “In Florida. And one more time after that,” I say, squirming in my seat. Not because I can’t discuss sex but because these women are too closely related to the man I’ve been with.
“So a little over a month ago.” Aurora is a persistent thing, something I’m discovering.
I nod. But I can’t be pregnant now. I’ve been through that experience before, and early on, which was all I had, I felt fine.
No symptoms until I missed a period. Oh God.
I think about when I was due and realize I’ve skipped my period.
With everything going on in my life, I haven’t even realized it.
I begin to sweat, the possibility of being pregnant now running through my mind.
“We passed a pharmacy on the corner. Let’s get the check and you can buy a pregnancy test,” Chloe says. She wipes her mouth with her napkin and gestures for the server.
Stunned, I nod, my mind going back to the first time Linc and I were together. He didn’t intentionally bring condoms but found one in his Dopp kit. And it looked old, like it had been there for a long time. Wincing, I pull out my wallet to pay.
A little while later, I’ve purchased the pregnancy tests, a few because I need to be certain, and the three of us return to the restaurant, which is attached to the mall. Nobody else is in the lounge or the room with the stalls.
Chloe and Aurora sit down in chairs in the waiting area while I, panicked and horrified, close myself in a stall alone, pee on three sticks, and place them on top of the boxes they came in on the floor in front of me.
And I remain in the private stall, wanting to be as alone as possible.
And I wait.
“Any news?” Aurora calls out to me.
I glance down but the alarms I set on my phone haven’t gone off. “Not yet!”
I bought three different brands. Unfortunately that means three different time frames before I get all of the results. One minute, three minutes, five minutes.
Nausea fills me, this time thanks to worry and fear. I’ve been down this road before, and the last guy did not take the news well. Linc’s father hadn’t taken the news well. It’s a wealthy man pattern.
Linc and I don’t make sense as a couple, and the rationale for that conclusion hasn’t changed.
A pregnancy now would be a nightmare. Sure, Linc wants us to be together, enjoying sex, having fun.
He doesn’t want kids. He once told me about his fear of subjecting children to parents who try marriage but don’t get along, like his.
And I’m still certain I don’t fit into his world.
So the tests have to be negative. They just have to be, I think, closing my eyes and praying hard.
The first alarm goes off on my phone. I shut it and glance down, seeing a dark line. Fuck!
“Well?” Chloe sounds closer.
“Give me a minute!” I breathe in and out, and finally the second one goes off.
I kneel down and this time I see a plus sign. Closing my eyes, I want to cry. Not needing the other one, I turn off the last alarm, scoop up the tests, and walk out, tossing them in the trash.
With Chloe and Aurora surrounding me, I wash my hands, stalling before facing them.
Finally I speak. “I’m pregnant.”
They stare at me with wide eyes, clearly stunned.
Before they can say a word, I continue. “And you cannot tell anyone. I’ll talk to Linc in my own time and in my own way.” We’ve planned to be alone after the concert. That gives me a couple of days to come to terms with the situation, and I’ll have to find the courage to tell him then.
“Promise me,” I say, meeting each of Linc’s sisters’ gazes. Could this be more awkward?
“Yes, of course,” Chloe says, biting her lower lip. “Jordan, I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how you feel. I…” Trailing off, she merely pulls me into a hug.
Once she releases me, Aurora does the same.
Then Chloe grasps my hands. “Linc loves you. Everything is going to be fine.”
I force a smile. Love isn’t a word we’ve ever used, and I don’t kid myself about the future. I’ve done this before, and nothing was fine. I don’t anticipate things going any better now.
* * *
Jordan
I don’t know how I made it through the week, coming in to work every day and hiding the news of my pregnancy from Linc. I’m sure fear and panic were written all over my face, but as he’s busy with business deals, he didn’t seem to notice.
The private investigator has located Wallace, who took a private jet owned by a friend to the Maldives, which lack an extradition treaty with the United States.
He jumped through hoops to hide his tracks, but Linc isn’t interested in how the CFO accomplished his disappearing act.
He wants to talk to him and understand what was going on with his father in his final days.
Now I stand in my bedroom, trying to find something to wear to Madison Square Garden for tonight’s concert. I take out my favorite pair of tight dark-washed jeans and slide them on, wriggling my lower body as I pull them over my thighs and try to button them around my waist.
They’ve always been snug, but I still have to convince myself the tightness as I lie down on the bed to button them is normal. And not the result of my pregnancy.
I choose a light blue silk top with a low-cut V-neck and loose sleeves, tucking in the front and letting the back and sides hang over the jeans. A pair of black over-the-knee boots laced up the outer sides complete the outfit.
Standing in front of the full-length mirror behind my door, I take in my appearance, knowing I won’t be wearing tight clothes for much longer. My hair hangs long over my shoulders and my makeup is done.
Grabbing my black leather jacket, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be to deal with telling Linc he’s going to be a father. I’m so nervous and worked up, I doubt I’ll be able to pay attention to the concert.
Linc picks me up with Max driving, as usual. His eyes light up when he sees me, but I can’t find comfort in the fact that he finds me attractive. Not when so much more is at stake.
Linc is in a good mood as we drive to MSG, and I try to put everything out of my head until later. On the way, we chat, making small talk.
“Will Chloe’s fiancé be there tonight?” I ask.
Linc frowns. “No. Concerts are too loud for him. Pussy,” he mutters under his breath.
I can’t help but laugh. “I have a question. Would any man be good enough for your sister?”
He leans back against the seat. “I take the Fifth.”
I laugh. Soon we pull up at the Garden. Linc helps me out and keeps an arm secure around my waist as we push past the crowds and head to the private entrance to the VIP suites.
The family has backstage passes, and our tickets are for a box high up in the arena.
The actual VIP event is scheduled for after the show for a select group of people allowed to hang out with the band, including family and close friends.
Once inside the box, I say hello to everyone, doing my best to avoid Chloe’s and Aurora’s curious stares. I’m actually glad when Linc makes his way over to Aurora and hugs her tight. I trust the young woman not to spill my secret.
While waiting for the opening act, I walk over to Xander, who has poured himself a drink.
“Hi there,” I say.
“Hi, yourself. Can I get you something?” He gestures to the bar.
“Club soda would be great.”
He fills a glass with ice and hands me the cup. “So. What’s happening in your life?” he asks.
“I think I’d rather know about the life of a famous novelist,” I say, deflecting and turning the subject to him.
He shrugs. “Just writing my next book and talking to the director and producer about the next movie.”
“He says modestly.” I nudge him with my shoulder. “Who’d have thought the Kingston brother who went off to join the marines would end up being a world-famous thriller writer.”
His eyes turn darker. “Writing lets me deal with things without actually having to talk about them.”
Every sibling has found their own way to deal with Kenneth Kingston’s affairs and painful behavior. Xander’s was to get as far away as he could. No one knows what happened when he was overseas, but when he returned, he became more of a loner who puts his emotions on the page.
“Well, I’m proud of you. In fact, I have an entire bookshelf devoted to your books. Someday I expect you to come sign them.” I lift my cup and take a sip of my bubbly drink.
“It would be my pleasure. Invite me over any time.” He winks at me, and I laugh, just as Linc joins us, slipping an arm around my waist.
“What are you trying to get her to invite you to?” he asks Xander.
“Jordan wants me to sign her X. Kingston collection, and I told her I just need an invite.” Xander grins.
“Just make sure I’m there when this bozo shows up.” Linc pulls me closer and his fingers wrap nearer to my belly.