Fake Empire(88)

I don’t answer any of his questions, but I do pee on the first stick. Once I have, I don’t know what to do with it. Just hold it, I guess? Wave it around like a Magic Eight ball? I peed on it, so I’m not setting it down on the counter surrounding the sink.

“Scarlett?”

It’s bothering me less and less that Crew is here. It actually feels nice, not that I’ll tell him that. I open the door and hold out the test. “Here. Hold this one while I take the other two.”

“What?” He fumbles with the boxes. “Why?”

“Because I didn’t want to get pee on the counter.” I give him a duh look.

“What does it say?” He squints at the stick.

“Nothing yet.”

I take the other two tests from him. I pee on them both at once, which might affect the results. At this point, I’m past caring. I just want a somewhat definitive answer before I go to bed.

When I open the door again, Crew is staring at the test in his hand like it will disappear if he looks away. “It’s, um, positive.” He clears his throat. “Pregnant.” It’s the first time I’ve heard him sound unsure about anything, and it’s while looking at a black-and-white answer.

After a quick glance down to determine if the two I’m holding show results—they don’t—I look back up. He’s looking at me now, and I have no idea what to say or do. I think he was hoping for some direction from my reaction, because he stays just as blank and immobile.

“Do you think this is normal? Do other couples stand here holding these?”

He smiles, and I smile back. “Who cares what other people do?”

I exhale. “Yeah. You’re right. You…want this, right?”

“A kid?” he clarifies.

I nod.

“Yeah. Do you?”

The tests I’m holding both turn positive. I turn them so he can see. “Three for three. I think we’re past the wanting kids conversation.”

“We don’t have to be.”

“We’re married and you want a kid and you’re telling me you’d be okay with not keeping this baby?”

“I’m saying it’s your body and if that’s a conversation you want to have, let’s have it.”

I’m surprised, and I know it shows on my face. We’re not a couple of high schoolers who fooled around once. Kids—heirs—are one of the primary goals of this marriage. “Wow. That’s shockingly progressive of you. Suzanne Lamonte asked me if I was considering taking time off work to try and get pregnant earlier.”

“She might feel foolish about that.”

I catch the caveat. “I’m keeping it, Crew. There was never a question. Yeah, I wish it had happened later—like maybe when we were actually trying—but it didn’t. I don’t feel ready, but I probably never will. So…” I lift one shoulder and let it drop.

“So we’re having a baby.”

A comment about his lack of role in the whole growing and birthing a human process going forward is at the tip of my tongue. His contribution was quick and enjoyable. I’m having a baby, not him. But I bite it back, considering he’s handling this whole thing far better than I expected.

“Yep. I mean, I’ll go to the doctor and confirm, but these all had super accurate plastered on the front, so it going the other way seems unlikely, I think? I don’t really know.”

“You’ll tell me? When the appointment is?”

“Oh,” I reply, thrown. “Uh, you don’t have to—”

“I want to go.”

“Okay.” My voice is barely a whisper.

“Okay,” he echoes.

Then, unexpectedly, he kisses me. It’s urgent and eager. There’s no finesse and lots of emotion. The stiff material of his tux rubs against my bare skin, sending moans tumbling out of my mouth. Then something shifts. Slows. Softens. Touches linger and drag. Sink into my skin and sear.

“I should go let Teddy out,” Crew murmurs, pulling back.

“Are you coming back?”

“Yeah. I’m coming back.”

“Okay.” I step away and walk back into the bathroom without looking at him. His footsteps fade as he walks down the hall to the guest room that’s become Teddy’s domain.

I shed the lace I’m wearing and step into the shower. Hot water pounds over me as I wash my skin and shampoo my hair. I rest a hand on my flat stomach as suds slide down it.

I’m pregnant.

Suspecting felt different than knowing. I’m scared and excited and a million other emotions I can’t name.

I’m relieved Crew knows. I didn’t realize how heavily telling him was weighing on me until it lifted. There wasn’t any doubt in my mind he would want this baby. Heirs—for his family’s company, for my family’s company—were always a pressing goal of this marriage. All the uncertainty stems from how this will affect us.

Crew and Scarlett.

I step out of the shower and towel off. My hair gets a quick brush and my skin a sweep of moisturizer. I’m too tired to do anything else. I hang up my towel, pull on one of the silk nightgowns I usually sleep in, and slide into bed.

When the door opens, I’m still awake. I stay curled on my side as I watch Crew’s silhouette remove the tux. I close my eyes when he approaches the bed. But I know the exact second he slips between the sheets. His heat radiates. The mattress dips.