Chapter 31

Chloe

As the door shuts behind Dom, I breathe a tiny sigh of relief. My stomach is still doing backflips, and after puking my guts out in the bathroom, it's hard to be so damn chipper.

I'm not trying to keep it from him. I'll tell him I'm not feeling well when he gets back. I just didn't want to ruin his first normal day at the job site in ages.

"So, chica. How's it hanging? Got any movie recommendations to buy some time?"

Luke's megawatt smile is so damn infectious, and I can't help but grin back. I nod, but another jolt of nausea stops me in my tracks.

"Hey, you okay?"

He furrows his brow at me, rushing closer and holding me up under the elbow as I wobble.

"Yeah, sure. I'm fine. My stomach is just rebelling. I think I had too much pad Thai or something."

At the mention of food, my gut clenches like it's actually upset with me for merely mentioning the stuff.

The waistband of my pants feels way too tight, and as I stand straighter, I try to push the thing lower without Luke noticing.

"Ha, been there." Luke walks me to the island before grabbing me a glass of water. "Here."

"Thanks." I take a sip, and it eases things slightly. "Dom doesn't have any medicine in the house, though. I spent, like, fifteen minutes searching the bathroom."

Luke chuckles. "Cast-iron stomach, that one. Plus, he probably likes being sick. Can't be too happy, you know?"

I laugh, but this nausea is getting old. I want something to stop this queasy ache that is steadily progressing into hardcore bloating and even a bit of heartburn.

"He's not that bad." I stand up, slowly heading for my wallet on the console table near the door. "But I can't keep this up. Can you take me to the drugstore?"

Luke hesitates, his permanently sarcastic smirk dropping.

"We're sort of not supposed to leave the premises."

I sigh, dropping my head and closing my eyes as I try to make it through another wave of nausea.

"Luke, it's a Walgreens. I think I'll be okay." I shake my head with a forced laugh. "And Dom himself said that I may have caught something from the night I spent in a jail cell. I don't want to not treat myself if I'm sick."

I can see Luke at war with himself. But really, I just need to hit the store quick. It'll be ten minutes, max.

"Please? I can't stand this nausea anymore. It's getting very annoying."

I look up at him, frowning slightly.

"Oh, stow the puppy eyes. I was going to do it anyway. Ugh." He walks over, snagging his keys. "Don't tell Dom. I like my balls intact."

With an exhausted giggle, I nod. "Of course. My lips are sealed."

Luke opens the door for me, pausing as he shuts it behind us to lock things up.

"My car's downstairs."

We take the elevator to the garage, and as soon as we reach the parking level, I know immediately which car is Luke's. All I have to do is look straight when the doors open to see the neon green marvel sitting right next to Dom's usual spot.

"Wow. And I thought Dom's car was flashy."

"That SUV?" He scoffs. "Yeah, that's got nothing on Beatrix."

I stifle a laugh as we walk to the sharp-angled sports car. "You named your car?"

Luke opens the door for me, quite the gentleman, and I slide into the passenger seat, which is significantly lower than I expected.

I steady myself through another roll of my stomach. You cannot puke in Luke's car.

After taking his place behind the wheel, Luke looks over with a grin. "Of course I did."

When he presses the button for the ignition, music comes blaring on, and I jump in my seat.

"Oops." Luke quickly turns it down with the controls on his steering wheel. "Forgot to mention that I listen to music loud."

"I'm surprised you have ear drums left at this point." I rub the outside of my ear with a pained grin.

He just shrugs. "Meh, who needs 'em."

I try to laugh, but now I have a bit of a headache.

Luke fires up the machine, pulling out of the spot with expert precision, if fast. The car swings around, and my stomach lurches at the momentum.

"Dude, remember? Nauseous."

He looks over, confused, and after a moment, it finally occurs to him. "Oh, right. I'll keep it nice and slow from now on."

Luke's true to his word, and we pull out of the parking lot and onto the street in a much slower fashion. Though by anyone else's standards, it's still quick.

Mental note. Luke handles this thing like a race car driver.

"What is it with you guys and ridiculous cars?" I shake my head as Luke adjusts his rearview mirror ever so slightly. "At least Dom's isn't lime green."

Luke laughs. "Oh, this is nothing. You should see my other ones."

I raise my brows. "You have more?"

"I have several. And I don't know about Dom, but I just like cars. I find them fascinating. The intricate parts, the way you can push them to be more and more powerful."

Giggling, I nod at him.

He smirks, raising a brow. "What?"

"Nothing. It just makes sense that you'd like sports cars. You've made it pretty clear that you're all about the flash."

Luke chuckles louder at that, nodding. "Well, someone in the family had to actually be fun. I think two out of three grumps is quite enough, don't you?"

I roll my eyes, smiling. Luke reminds me a bit of Anthony. They both have such light hearts, untroubled by all the nonsense in the world.

I envy that sometimes. Okay, a lot of the time.

It's only a few minutes to the drug store, and when Luke finds a spot right near the door, I stop him from unbuckling as I grab my wallet.

"You don't need to come in. I'm not a child. I can buy some Pepto-Bismol without a babysitter."

He frowns at me, but I hold his eyes until he finally relents with a huff.

"Fine. But if you're not out soon, I'm coming in."

Rolling my eyes, I get out of the low car and turn around to shut the door, leaning through the open window for a moment.

"I have to pee, so give me at least a few minutes. Okay?"

He squints at me. "All right."

The sliding glass door chimes as I walk inside, and I scan the signs hanging from the ceiling for the correct aisle. I see stomach relief and head toward the back row near the pharmacy.

As I pass through the various sections—makeup, kids medicines, cough they taste terrible. Several pieces get stuck between my teeth, and I have to use my tongue to push them out and swallow.

My phone buzzes against the door where it sits in my wallet, and I take it out to see the text from Luke.

Everything okay?

Yes, Luke. I had to pee, remember. Finishing up.

I slide my phone back into the wallet pocket and wrap the loop around my wrist. I think it's been about two minutes at this point.

"Okay." I can't really see what the result is from here. "Just pick it up and read it."

I don't move.

"Oh, come on, Chloe. It's fine. Just look."

My fingers shake as I reach for the test between my feet. As I stand back up, I read it from left to right.

The control box is filled in. I peed enough to give it a proper reading. Cool.

The next section is the one where two lines mean I'm pregnant. The first line is there. That's normal.

My heart is so loud in my ears, Luke's music seems like nothing. I'm willfully not focusing past the tiny section of this test, letting my eyes go blurry as I refuse to focus.

But then I blink.

Everything snaps into clarity, and I see that second blue line.

"Oh, fuck."