Chapter 25

It’s beentwo days since the ritual, since I’ve set eyes on Roman, and I’ve forced myself not to contact him. Actually, the minute I was settled at Wyn’s, I blocked him. I need space, and so does he, clearly. Hopefully, Ash was able to talk some sense into him.

I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen, but I assume one of the guys will tell me when it’s safe to have a conversation with Roman, once he’s cooled down a little. But how long is that going to take? Three days? Three weeks? Three months?

Whatever. I just need to keep my mind off Roman, so for the next day, I get on with my business; going to classes, and eating in the cafeteria. I’ve been living at Roman’s for the past few weeks, so I haven’t had to use any of my room and board money, which means my bank account is uncharacteristically flush, which is weird for me.

But Wyn’s roommate will be back on Monday, and I’ll have to figure out where I’m going after that. I can hardly sleep at night, worrying about where I’ll go, but that’s still a few days away, so I have a little time to figure that out.

I’m just slinging my backpack over my shoulder to head to my afternoon class when my phone rings. It’s an unknown caller with my area code, so I pick it up. “Hello?”

“Miss Anderson, this is Dr. Kimballs’s office calling. The results from your blood test have come in.”

I think I have an out-of-body experience because suddenly, I can’t feel my limbs. Swallowing, I try to talk past the bolder that”s lodged in my throat. “Y-yes, is everything okay?”

“Yup, everything was normal. Your HGC levels were a bit low, though, so the doctor would like you to come in at your six-week mark for another checkup.”

Oh, okay, well maybe I just have some kind of hormone imbalance. That would explain things…

“Um, what’s HGC? What does that mean?”

I must sound nervous, because his voice softens, like he’s trying to put me at ease. “It’s normal, just on the low side. The follow-up appointment is pretty standard, just a precaution.”

“A precaution for what?”

“To check the baby, and make sure everything is progressing normally.”

I drop the phone like it’s a live cobra, hissing at me. It falls to the carpeted floor, and I just stare at it, disbelieving. He’s mistaken. The test was faulty. There’s no way I could be…

Bending, I pick up my phone and hold it to my ear. “Sorry. But, um, is there any way that could be a mistake? The doctor said my test was inconclusive before.”

“Right. Sometimes it’s too early to show up on a urine test, but a blood test is much more accurate.”

“Oh,” I say numbly. “Thanks.”

“Would you like to schedule—”

I hang up before he can even finish his sentence. Letting the phone fall away from my ear, I drop it on the bed and just stare at the wall in front of me.

This has to be a mistake.

This is not real.

He’s not a doctor, right? He must not know how to read a blood test.

I’m still standing like that, in frozen silence, when Wyn walks into the room. The second she sees me, she knows something’s up and she grabs my arm. “Lux, what’s wrong? Are You okay? Is it Roman? What happened?”

As she peppers me with questions, I place a hand on my ribs, suddenly unable to pull in a full breath. It feels like I’m suffocating like the room is closing in around me.

Wyn shakes me. “Lux!”

I blink, my gaze shifting to her face. She looks concerned. I clear my throat. “I’m…uh…that was the doctor’s office.”

“Finally! Took them long enough. What did they say?”

I swallow, shaking my head. And that’s when the tears start to fall. By the time Wyn pulls me into a tight hug, I’m sobbing, trying to suck in large gulps of air.

“Lux, it’s okay,” she soothes. “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out.”

All I can do is cry, the tears coming hot and fast. I have no idea what I’m going to do. Roman is completely unhinged, and I can’t even think about telling my grandmother about this. How could I possibly finish my degree with a baby on my hip? My mind is whirling, going over every possible scenario in a matter of seconds, then coming right back around to go over it all again.

Pulling back, Wyn forces me to look at her face. “Lux. You aren’t the first girl in history to get pregnant. We’ll figure this out, okay?”

The assurance in her voice jolts me out of my self-pity. And now that I’ve gotten that initial flood of tears out, I feel a fraction calmer. I sniff and nod. “Yeah. You’re right.”

Her fingers tighten around my arms. “You should probably tell Roman, though. I mean, unless he’s not the—”

“Yes,” I cut her off before she can even say it. “Of course he is.”

Granted, there was the brief thing with Ash, but we were never physical. I realize Wyn doesn’t know that, though. We’ve never really talked about my relationship with Ash, or…I don’t know, whatever it is. A friendship?

Wyn lifts her hands. “Okay, no shade if a girl is getting it from more than one place. I didn’t want to assume.”

I sink down onto the mattress, still in a bit of a daze. Would it be either if Roman weren’t the father, though? Things are already so complicated between us, and this is only going to complicate them more.

“Are you okay?” The concern has returned to Wyn’s voice. She’s a good friend. Better than I deserve. I’ve been such a hot mess lately, I’m not sure why anyone would be my friend right now, honestly.

I flash Wyn a tight smile. “Yeah, I’m okay. Thank you. You’re a good friend.”

She takes a step back and grabs her backpack, which is probably why she came into the room in the first place. “I’m heading to class, but text me if you need anything. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

I swallow. “Okay, thanks.”

“Just remember, you don’t have to make any decisions today, okay?”

I nod, tears prickling the backs of my eyes again. “Okay.”

“And this is a bit of unsolicited advice, but you should probably tell Roman sooner rather than later. That way it’s done and over with.”

“He knows it’s a possibility already, so hopefully it’s not a complete shock,” I say.

It was still a shock for me, though, and I don’t really know why. I guess I never really thought this could happen to me. I should have been smarter about it, but—

Shaking my head, I force the thoughts about what should have been away. Beating myself up isn’t going to help my situation. Wyn is right, I need to take a second to absorb the blow, then get my shit together, and strategize.

“Okay, well, text me. Let me know what he says.”

Then with a reassuring squeeze on my shoulder, she’s out the door, and I’m alone again, which I immediately decide I don’t like. Alone means I have time to think, and my thoughts immediately stray to Bree. What would she say about all this? What advice would she give me?

The tears fall again, silently this time. I have an afternoon class, but I need a shower, and something to eat. Once my class is over, then I’ll go see Roman. I just want him to hold me. As crazy and toxic as shit is between the two of us, when he pulls me into his arms, I feel safe.

Part of me wonders if I’m just being naive, though. I’m not very trusting these days, but in the past, I’ve been known to put my faith in the wrong people. Well, the wrong person. Singular. Dr. Cunningham takes pleasure in reminding me that that was one instance and one person. Still, I question my own judgment sometimes.

A bit later, I’m just stepping out of the shower, and toweling off when my phone starts ringing. It’s strange for anyone to call me, except for my grandmother, so I pick my phone up. It’s the private investigator I hired weeks ago. I know it’s a bit of a long shot, but hopefully, he has some information for me.

I suck in a deep breath, my hair still dripping. “Hello?”

“Ms. Anderson, Dave Harrison here. I have some information for you…”