CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Pregnant. If she was, and she wasn’t admitting to anything right now, then
she’d be ten weeks. She rubbed her hand over her flat belly and shuddered. A
baby. Nickolas’ baby. He would never believe her.
Morgan had made Byron promise that he wouldn’t say anything to anyone.
Not even his mother. Especially not his mother. It could be just a mistake.
“Right. A mistake. You are living in a fantasy world if that’s what you think.
I won’t tell anyone, but you have to go and have a test done. Immediately. Take
it to Damon. He can be discreet, and if he doesn’t, then I’ll kill him too.”
“No! No killing. Promise me. I’ll go take one of those home thingies and see if
...I’ll take one tomorrow. Do you promise not to murder anyone? I’ve been to
prison and you’d never make it on the inside. You’re much too pretty. You’d be
someone’s boy-toy in no time flat.”
“I promise. But you have to go to Damon if it turns out positive. If you don’t,
then I’m going to take it back.”
“All right. Okay.”
She’d gone into three different drug stores on the way home. The buses she
had to take to get home stopped that many times, and she made that many
purchases. At the first one, she bought three tests and a calendar. She wanted to
make sure of her dates. And sitting in the parking lot of the second store waiting
for the next leg of her journey, she realized that she hadn’t had a period since
before Halloween. At the next stop, she bought four more tests, two candy bars, a
can of chips, and a box of condoms. When she came out of the third shop, she
had four more tests and three bags of stuff she didn’t remember purchasing.
When she opened the door to her room, she emptied all the bags on the table
and sat down and cried again. She had purchased a total of eleven tests, two bags
of candied hearts that said things on them, stables for a stapler she didn’t own, a
toothbrush, hair spray that she never used, the can of chips, seven candy bars,
three boxes of condoms and an infant sleeper. Bright blue.
Morgan didn’t sleep a wink all night. She had laid all four of the tests out on
the back of the toilet that night before going to bed, wanting to be ready in case
she had to pee sometime in the middle of the night. Of course, she couldn’t have
peed if her life depended on it right now, but she wanted to be ready.
By eight-thirty, she got up and took the first test. She was shaking so badly
that she wasn’t even sure she’d hit the mark. She pulled open the second one
before she’d even set the timer for the first one. She laid both sticks on the
counter and left the room. If she sat there watching them, she’d go nuts...well,
nuttier anyway.
When the timer went off, Morgan took a deep breath and looked at the little
windows. Both were positive. She sat down hard on the toilet and stared at them.
She must have done something wrong, she thought, and wondered vaguely if
she could pee again.
Pregnant. Almost three months. What was she going to do now?
A knock on her door startled her sometime later. When she looked at her
watch, she couldn’t believe it was almost noon. She’d been in the bathroom for
four hours. Nervously, she looked at all eleven boxes of pregnancy tests opened
and strewn all over the room. She had peed on twenty-two sticks and all of them
read the same. Positive. The knock again, harder and louder this time, had her
leaving the bathroom and running to the door. She looked in the peep hole and
there stood Byron.
“Not now. Go away, please. I’m...I just took a shower and I’m not dressed
yet.” Well, that was partly true, she had taken a shower, and she wasn’t dressed
yet.
“Morgan, open the damned door before I break it down. Damon is with me
and he has a few things to go over…”
She ripped the door open so quickly that he jumped back. “Are you fucking
nuts? What part of ‘promise me you won’t say anything’ did you not
understand? Go away. We have nothing to discuss. You stupid jackass, I can’t… I
suppose the whole family knows? Damn it.” She stomped her foot and winced.
Byron paid her little mind and walked right in. Damon stood back for maybe
ten seconds, and then he barged right in too. Both men sat down on the couch
and looked at her.
“Sure, come on in. Make yourselves at home. Can I get you a drink, maybe
something to eat?” If they couldn’t hear the sarcasm in her voice, she’d worry
about them.
“No, thanks, but when did you eat last? Byron, go in the kitchen and find her
something to eat. I’m betting she forgot to eat. How many test have you taken?
Byron, bring her some tea if she has some, if not, lots of juice. Morgan, sit down
before you fall down.”
Morgan sat, but not because he told her to, but because she was suddenly
dizzy again. That one word kept running through her head. Pregnant. Pregnant.
Pregnant. Over and over until she wanted to scream.
“Twenty-two. I used all of them. What am I gonna do? I don’t have the
means to raise a baby on my own. I barely have enough for myself.” She looked
around the room she rented over the bar. There wasn’t even room for a crib
much less a toddler.
“Let’s cross that bridge in a minute. Right now, I want to take a blood test
and confirm your twenty-two other tests, all right?” Damon was telling her
gently.
Morgan barely registered Byron’s comment on the tests she’d taken. Didn’t
even notice when Damon rolled up her robe and gently took out some of her
blood. She just lay back on the chair and closed her eyes. Suddenly, she was so
tired.
It was dark out when she woke up. There was a tantalizing smell coming
from somewhere close and she realized how hungry she was. She sat up slowly
and tried to remember getting into bed again, then remembered Byron and
Damon and why they were there.
Morgan heard them then, or at least she supposed it was them. She didn’t
want to talk with them just yet and went into the bathroom. Someone had
cleaned up and had taken out the entire mess along with the boxes and bags. She
was grateful for that. She didn’t think she could look at them again.
After a very long hot shower, she got dressed and went to the door. She had
given herself a good talking to while in the shower and felt better equipped to
deal with whatever happened now. Hell, maybe the tests she’d taken were faulty
and she wasn’t ... yeah right and she could live with the Easter Bunny and Santa
Claus when she got hugely round.
“Hello. You hungry? I have linguine and marinara sauce. Garlic bread and a
salad. You didn’t have much in the way of food, so we went shopping while you
were napping. Come on while it’s hot.” Damon had cooked for her. Whatever
had happened with the tests, it wasn’t good.
“Tell me.” She didn’t move as Byron came into the little kitchenette and sat
down next to his brother.
“You’re pregnant. As I’m sure you’d already figured out. If what we think
happened when we think it did then I’d say you’re due around the first of
September, give or take five days.”
“If you think happened when it happened? You mean when I had sex? Yes,
well that’s my business. I thank you for your concern, but I’d like you two to
leave now. I have to ... I have things to do.” She walked over to the door and
opened it wide. Neither of them moved.
“Is it Nicky’s baby, Morgan? Because if it is, then you’re wrong if you think
it’s not our concern. Nicky will stand up for you and that child. I’ll...we’ll make
sure he does,” Damon said. She glanced over at Byron. He shook his head
slightly. He hadn’t told him.
“No, it’s mine and only mine. I’d like for you both the leave now. I
appreciate your concern, but it’s nothing to do with you. Any of you. If you send
me a bill, I’ll pay you for your time.” Damon stared at her. She didn’t squirm or
fidget like she normally did when people were disappointed in her, but stared
right back.
“Come on, Damon, let’s go. She’s right. It’s none of our concern,” Byron said
to his brother. Finally, Damon stood up, too, and walked toward the door. She
wanted to cry with relief, but stood her ground.
“Here is a list of doctors in the Zanesville area that will take good care of
you. This is a prescription for prenatal vitamins that you need to start taking
right away. Stay off you feet as much as possible and eat lots of fruit. If you can’t
afford anything, and I mean anything, Morgan, you call me.” She took the
offered sheets from him, but didn’t say a word. She was afraid that if she opened
her mouth, she’d beg them to take care of her.
After she heard them pull out of the lot, she sat down at the table again.
Without a thought as to what she was eating, she filled her plate and began
putting the food into her mouth, chewed, swallowed, then did it again until the
plate was empty. Getting up, she began cleaning up the kitchen and going over
the layout of the pictures she’d taken yesterday—was it only yesterday?—of
Byron’s art. After she’d cleaned up, she pulled her laptop to her and began
setting the pages up. She got up twice to use the bathroom and to get a drink of
water. Not once did she think of the baby or Nickolas Grant.
Tune in next week for CHAPTER THIRTY
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Reed Bowen Boys
The Final Book In Series
Blurb for Reed:
Kerry Stephens is beyond excited. The job promotion with the cable company came through taking her out of the office in into the field. She needs this job and didn’t know how much more she could stomach her current boss. Anything has to be better than working for him, right? So much for wishful thinking.
The Bowen family is buying the floundering cable company and want Kerry to help clean house. The problem? Kerry doesn’t want to talk. She may not be happy there under the current conditions, but she isn’t going to be responsible for anyone losing their job. She doesn’t need any more problems than she already has.
The last thing Reed expected is to find his mate so soon after coming back home. His new house is understaffed and the only furniture that’s arrived so far is the bedroom set. He knows she’s his mate, and his cat does too. He’s ready to settle down and is ecstatic to find her, and doesn’t understand why Kerry isn’t.
Kerry’s entire life she has never had anyone to love her and trust doesn’t come easy for her. Daily threats from her step-sister’s boyfriend don’t help.
When things get heated will Reed be able to intervene? And when push comes to shove can the family stay together, or will a devastating blow drive the family apart forever? Find out in the final installment of the Bowen Boys―Reed
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Happy Reading
Kathi S Barton
Kathi S Barton
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