The Proposition (Hush Hush Duet #2.5)

Chapter 13

Thirteen

“I

think you’re right. After all of this, James must get a vasectomy.”

I laugh so hard coffee burns the lining of my nose. I cover my face and reach for a napkin. My eyes water. Hearing Natalie talk about James as if he’s not her father cracks me up.

I pull the phone down and yell, “James, Natalie said you need to get your nuts snipped.”

She laughs on the other end. James lowers the newspaper and looks over it at me for a long moment then raises it.

“He has no comment,” I tell Natalie.

“He thinks I’m kidding, but I’m being for real. This is too much. I have sympathy stress for you. I don’t understand how those tests can be all over the place. You’re basically fifty percent pregnant.”

Tell me about it. My teeth sink into the muffin James brought back on his walk this morning to get our coffees and the paper. I didn’t ask for it, but that’s how James is. He brings me back surprises when he goes out. They’re thoughtful. You’d think I’d be used to it by now, but it’s always a treat and it catches me off guard. Today was an oversize muffin. The other day it was an acai bowl. A few weeks ago it was a plant that I’ve already killed because I forgot to water it. Another time it was a charm for a necklace.

“I don’t get it either. Seven tests, and I’m pregnant but not pregnant.” I pause then say to James, “Can I sue for emotional damages? Those tests are faulty.”

“No,” he says without looking at me.

As soon as I woke up, I peed into another plastic cup then dipped the rest of the pregnancy tests into the urine. Just like the night before, they gave me mixed results. It was too early to call my doctor, so I called Natalie first thing and told her what happened. She couldn’t believe her ears and said that would only happen to me. I’ve been on edge ever since watching the clock strike nine so I could make an appointment. I haven’t been able to think about anything else for more than a few minutes before it’s back on the fact that I might be pregnant. My thoughts are consumed with this.

“Remember when you were a nanny and babysat little monsters? You already know how to change a diaper,” Natalie says.

“I know the basics, like how to survive on minimum wage and make buttered noodles for dinner. I don’t know the first thing about raising a human or balancing two lives.”

“Oh, you should get a puppy!” she says excitedly. “That would be good practice. A lot of married couples start with an animal before they have a kid.”

My brows rise and my eyes shift toward James again. I sort of like the idea.

“James, Natalie said you should buy me a puppy so I could practice.”

“Except you have me, and I don’t need practice. I’ll teach you everything you need to know. We’re not getting a dog. You may not even be pregnant, and then you’re stuck with a dog.”

“James is a bore,” Natalie says jokingly. “Go out and buy one without telling him. You can’t return dogs.”

“Hmmm,” I muse, chewing the last bite of the muffin. “Not a bad idea.”

“Don’t even try it,” James says, and I frown. He folds the paper closed and places it on the table. His gaze meets mine. “I bet she told you to buy one anyway and not tell me.” My frown deepens, and he answers the look on my face. “I know how my daughter thinks. She brought home one of those huge rabbits when she was in middle school without telling me. It was the size of a cat, and she hid it in her closet. My allergies were awful. I couldn’t figure out why it was happening until she was at school one day and I heard a noise coming from her room and found the thing. I almost had a heart attack when I saw it. She’d hidden it for six months. I’d been to numerous allergists to be tested. I even ripped up the carpet downstairs and put down tile, thinking it would help.”

My eyes light up and I laugh. He shakes his head in an attempt to suppress a grin. This doesn’t surprise me. It sounds exactly like something Natalie would do. When she has her mind on something, nothing and no one can tell her no.

“What happened to it? Did you get rid of it?” I ask, curious.

He shakes his head. “We kept it until it died. She was in high school when that happened. I had to take three types of allergy pills if I was going to be in the house. I could barely breathe.”

“He’s so extreme,” Natalie laughs. “It wasn’t that bad.”

James says to me, “You complain every time the neighbor’s dog barks. How are you going to handle our dog barking?”

“That’s because she has one of those tiny toy dogs that has a Napoleon complex. Ours wouldn’t be like that,” I say.

“You’re so sure?”

“I’d want a German Shepard. They’re guard dogs and don’t bark at the sound of the leaves swaying on the tree.

His brows shoot up to his hairline. “In case you forgot, we live in the concrete jungle. Are you going to take a taxi to a dog park? Those dogs are large and probably wouldn’t fit in the back seat comfortably.” Before I can respond, he says, “You love to travel. What are you going to do with a dog when you want to go to Belize for two weeks?”

“Board it? Bring it with us?”

“Sweetheart, I love you, but we are not bringing a dog with us on vacation. I’ll pay for the best dog sitter money can buy.”

My mouth forms an O . That makes the most logical sense.

“What time is it for you?” Natalie asks. “Is it time yet?”

The clock on the stove reads twenty past nine. My stomach sinks. “Yeah. Let me hang up and call them. I’ll text you later when I know more.”

“Luca has some dinner I have to be arm candy for, so if I don’t respond, then you know why.”

Natalie pretends she’s dreading it, but I know her better. She loves to get dolled up any chance she gets.

“Don’t act like you don’t love attention,” I tell her.

She snickers, and it confirms that I’m correct. “Fine. Whatever,” she says casually. “I just like the jewelry he gives me when it comes to one of these things. He spares no expense. The man has good taste, despite his flaws. Last time he gave me a ruby necklace. The gems were the size of my eyes.”

I smile. I can’t wait for the day Natalie admits she likes her husband.

“Send me a picture so I can see it too.”

“Will do. Text you later, bestie,” Natalie says then hangs up the phone.

I exhale a heavy breath and look at James, who is already looking at me. “Ready?” he asks.

“No,” I tell him. “Maybe I’ll wait a little, like closer to lunch. They’re probably bombarded with more important calls first thing in the morning.”

“If you make the appointment now, I’ll take you puppy shopping.”

I sit up quickly. My back goes ramrod straight. “Really?”

James nods.

“Don’t lie,” I say.

“Would I do that to you?”

I flatten my lips. He has a point. I pick up the phone with shaky hands and scroll.

My stomach is in knots as I scan my contacts and locate my doctor’s number. Bringing the phone to my ear, I look for my husband, needing his strength. We don’t break contact until my appointment is scheduled and I’m ending the call with a date with my OBGYN.