Affairs of State(52)

“Don’t you worry about what they think. Sometimes they need a little convincing but believe me, I have years of experience in that department.”

“I don’t want things to move too fast.”

“I know. I’ve been telling myself to slow down. Sometimes I’m like a steam locomotive in motion, but I’m putting the brakes on, I promise you.” He was running late for his meeting. “When I get to Washington, we’ll do everything so slow it will be downright kinky.” He glanced about, suddenly remembering he was in a public street.

She chuckled, but again, it wasn’t her usual enthusiastic laugh. She must be getting cold feet now that they were apart. Which only made him more impatient to get there and warm them up for her.

“I’ve got a board meeting for UNICEF, so I have to go, but I’ll talk to you soon,” he said after a pause.

“Great. Thanks for calling.” She sounded a bit like she couldn’t wait to hang up. He was tempted to call her on it, then reminded himself not to be pushy.

“You’re more than welcome.” Telling her he loved her would be waaaay too much pressure, even if he was convinced it might be true. That could wait for a more intimate moment, preferably one where no one but Ariella was in earshot.

* * *

Ariella hung up the phone with her gut churning. In the last three days since Scarlet had planted the idea in her mind, she’d become more and more convinced that she was pregnant. She hadn’t paid much attention to her menstrual cycle before, but based on the last period she could remember, she was due for another one, and it wasn’t showing up.

Talking to Simon and trying to pretend everything was normal was agony. She could barely get words out of her mouth, let alone make polite conversation. How would his snooty family feel about the exciting surprise of an unplanned pregnancy? She’d bet that wouldn’t go over too well.

If she was pregnant, of course. There was no way to be sure until she took a test. Scarlet had brought one over for her yesterday and told her to take it whenever she felt ready. It sat on the shelf in the bathroom, in its unopened white-and-pink box, mocking her.

Was she too chicken to find out the truth? Possibly. If she confirmed a pregnancy, she’d have to deal with how to tell people. Scarlet, for a start. She had enough money saved to take some time off work, but you didn’t run a small business with someone then announce that you’d need a year of maternity leave. Then there was Simon….

She walked slowly into the bathroom and looked at the test. Picked up the box and read the directions. It sounded easy. Maybe she wasn’t pregnant? Maybe the nausea was just from stress and exhaustion as she’d first suspected. Or maybe she’d eaten something funny.

Her nipples had become very sensitive, but that could happen when she was expecting her period. Same with the sudden swings of emotion that made her weep over television coverage of the fund drive at a local dog shelter. She could simply be losing her mind. People had cracked under less extreme circumstances than she’d found herself in lately.

Her stomach contracted as she picked up the box and ripped it open. She was a big girl and could handle the consequence of her choices. She’d willingly had sex with Simon, and sex could lead to pregnancy. Everyone knew that.

But for some reason it hadn’t crossed her mind even once during those steamy nights in Simon’s bed. In his castle.

Go on. Do it.

She picked up the stick and followed the directions, waiting the exact amount of time listed while watching the long hand of her watch. If she were pregnant, a line would appear. If she weren’t the little circle would remain blank. She’d never wanted to see a blank space so much in her life. Her eyes started to play tricks on her during the agonizing wait, so she hid the stick under a tissue while the time was passing. When she reached the full five minutes she held her breath and lifted the tissue….

To see a thick pink line bisecting the white circle.

“Oh.” She said the word aloud, and startled herself. Then she ran from the room as if she could run away from the whole situation. Which, of course, followed her. Apparently—and she still couldn’t believe it—there was a baby growing inside her belly, right now. She glanced down at the waistband of her jeans. Her snug T-shirt sat against a totally flat stomach. Though of course at this stage the baby probably wasn’t larger than her pinkie nail.

Suddenly she felt dizzy and plunged for the sofa. How could it all happen this fast? She’d slept with Simon for the first time less than two weeks ago and now her entire life was about to change forever. It didn’t make sense.