The Proposition (Hush Hush Duet #2.5)

Chapter 11

Eleven

M y stomach churns at the sounds of the bolt.

The door slides open, and I hear James’s keys drop onto the table. He closes it, and I flinch.

“Aubrey?”

“Hey,” I say, my voice sounding small.

“Why are all the lights off?”

My heart pounds in my ears. I’ve been curled up on the couch in the dark since I got back, replaying how this moment would go. How I would tell James why I could be sick. I might not even be pregnant, but I can’t stop the intrusive thoughts from running through my mind. I almost wish Natalie hadn’t joked about it. I’d rather be oblivious than feel the torrent of emotions consuming me right now. We weren’t supposed to have kids.

Could it be possible? And if so, what is the possibility that Reece could be the father? My gaze falls to the brown bag on the coffee table. The opening is crumpled from fisting it so tight on my walk back.

I took a test the second I got home, but I refused to read the results. I stuffed the stick back into the bag and left it there. I decided I would read them when James got home.

“Sweetheart? What’s going on?” He flips on the chandelier overhead. His eyes search for me as the room fills with light. “Are you okay?”

Tears well in my eyes. I nod, struggling to find the words. I wish I could keep it together better. “I’m okay,” I say, my voice shaking.

James’s forehead wrinkles, his brows pulling tight as he rushes toward me. I reach for him, needing his security. In an instant he’s holding me. I climb into his lap and nestle my face in his neck. His lavender and spicy scent envelopes me, and I breathe it in, finding comfort.

“What happened? Are you hurt? Is Natalie okay?”

“Everyone’s fine,” I say, my voice squeaky.

“Then what is it? You’re worrying me.”

Looking down, I can’t meet his gaze.

“You can tell me anything,” he says, his voice full of concern. “I brought home your favorite soup. The bakery had fresh bread. I got you a loaf.”

His words cause a sudden rush of emotion, and tears spill down my cheeks. A bun in the oven. I start crying at his thoughtfulness. James leans back and takes me with him. I pull my knees up, and he wraps his arms around them.

“Did you read a book that made you cry again? That Nicholas guy?”

This causes a sad laugh to escape me. That Nicholas guy never gives a happy ending to any of his books. “No.” Silent tears fall down my cheeks. My mind is running with ways to tell him what’s going on. After a few moments, the words fall from my lips. “I think I might be pregnant.”

“Really?” Two seconds later, he rumbles with laughter. “Is that why you’re crying?”

I nod, still unable to meet his gaze. “Yes,” I say, but it comes out like a squeak.

“That’s nothing to cry over.”

His response startles me. “But we didn’t want kids.”

James is quiet.

My voice is low. “I was worried you’d be mad.”

He studies me, his eyes shifting back and forth between mine. Confusion sets in. “Why would I be mad? It takes two to make a baby. Whatever happens, happens. We’ll figure it out together.”

“I bought some pregnancy tests.”

“And?”

“And I took a test then shoved it back in the bag. I was too scared to look at the results. I was going to wait until you got here so we could do it together.”

“Are you late? Did you miss your period?”

I shrug. “I spoke to Natalie earlier and told her how I’d been feeling all week. At first she was joking about being pregnant, but then she brought up how I switched birth control and that it isn’t effective at first. I only started taking the new one right before we left for Belize.” I lower my gaze. “I didn’t know that was possible.”

My chest hurts from how hard my heart is racing. It’s one thing to get pregnant.

It’s another thing entirely to get pregnant by your husband’s best friend.

The silence is deafening, and it’s starting to get to me. James is quiet for too long, and I know it’s because he’s thinking the same thing I am.

James stands and steps away from the couch. My stomach drops. I’m sick. Instinct has me reaching for him, but I fight to keep my hands to myself. He runs a hand through his silver hair and looks up at our wedding photo above the fake fireplace he had installed for me.

“I never should have brought Reece into this.”

My shoulders sink. I hope he doesn’t think this is his fault.

“The test you took is going to be invalid. You’ll need to take another one. The results are only good for the first couple of minutes.”

“Oh. I didn’t know that.”

“I only remember from when Natalie was conceived. Do you have another? Sometimes two come in a box,” he says.

My heart is thumping in my throat. Damn tears are rising to my eyes again. “I bought seven in total. I got overwhelmed. I didn’t know what to buy.”

James turns around, walks over to where I’m sitting, and bends down. He presses a kiss to my forehead and then says, “Let me get changed, and then we’ll take the test together.”

I fall back into the couch, trying not to count how many seconds pass before he comes back to me. It’s only a few minutes when I hear him walking down the stairs.

My husband is so fucking fine.

Despite the fact that it’s twenty-seven degrees outside, James only has on a pair of navy-blue sweatpants. His toned chest is bare, and one arm is completely covered in tattoos now. He’s been itching to fill the other one up. The sweats sit low on his hips. I love when he wears them like this, how the V dips into the waistband and the smoothness of his waist shows. My gaze automatically drifts to where his cock lies. His balls push his cock forward as he walks. I scan the wide outline, knowing exactly where the tip is. I’m a total pecker checker when it comes to him.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he says.

I straighten and sit on my knees. My knuckles hurt from gripping the hem of my hoodie in my fist. I flex my fingers. A blush crawls up my chest and heats my cheeks. “I can’t help it.”

James waves me over, and I follow like a lost kitten into the kitchen. He reaches into a cabinet and then hands me a red Solo cup.

“Go pee in this cup. We’ll be able to take more than one test this way. Maybe save two for the morning.”

I turn to walk away but James grabs my elbow and spins me around. He cups the side of my face and plants a kiss on my lips that steals my breath. He pulls back but doesn’t move and presses his forehead to mine.

“Wipe your tears. I love you.”

James lets me go.

I walk back into the living room and swipe the brown bag from the table then make my way to the guest bathroom, hoping for the best but expecting the worst.