Tempted by Her Innocent Kiss (Pregnancy & Passion #3)(44)

He drew her in close, noting again the fatigue etched in her features. But more than that, it was as if the light had been doused from her usually expressive eyes.

He experienced a tightening sensation in his chest but he shook it off and focused his attention on her.

“We’re leaving.”

She looked up in surprise. “But why? The party will be going on for hours yet.”

“You’re hurting,” he said quietly. “Headache?”

A dull flush worked over her features. “It’s okay. I’m fine, really. There’s no need for you to leave. I can have Pippa take me home or I can just catch a cab.”

“The hell I’ll have you leave here in a cab,” he bit out. “I’ve done what I needed to do here. The rest is William’s night. I won’t have you suffering when you could be at home in bed after taking your medication.”

Her shoulders sagged a bit and she nodded her acceptance. He put his hand to her back, noting again just how fragile she felt. It wasn’t something he could even describe. How did someone feel fragile? But there was an aura of vulnerability that surrounded her like a fog. He wasn’t imagining it.

He guided her toward the door, not stopping to acknowledge the people who spoke as they passed.

She was silent the entire way home. She sat in the darkened interior of the car, eyes closed and so still that he was afraid to move for fear of disturbing her.

Once back at their apartment, he helped her undress and pulled back the covers so she could crawl into bed. He leaned down to kiss her brow as he pulled the sheet up to her chin.

“I’ll go get your medication and something to drink.”

To his surprise, she shook her head. “No,” she said in a low voice. “I don’t want it. I hate the way it makes me feel. I just need to sleep. I’ll be fine in the morning.”

He frowned but didn’t want to argue with her. She needed to take the damn medicine. She was obviously in a lot of pain. But her eyes were already closed and her soft breathing signaled that she was relaxing or at least trying to.

“All right,” he conceded. “But if you aren’t better in the morning, you’re taking the medicine.”

She nodded without opening her eyes. “Promise.”

Seventeen

Devon woke Ashley the next morning long enough to ascertain how she was feeling. Ashley assured him she was fine even though her stomach still churned with humiliation and upset. In truth, she just wanted him gone. The last thing she wanted was a set of eyes on her when she was on the verge of cracking.

After he left for work, she shuffled into the shower and stood for a long time underneath the heated spray. Afterward she didn’t linger in the bathroom long. She dried her hair because of the cold, but pulled it back into a ponytail. She was too on edge to worry over makeup and just made do with moisturizer.

She was in turns scared and dismayed over the prospect of pregnancy. At times she firmly hoped she wasn’t expecting. Others, she held a secret, ridiculous hope that a pregnancy would… What? She laughed helplessly at just how naive she was. Even as she knew a child would in no way fix a doomed relationship, there was a part of her that wondered if Devon would grow to love the mother of his child.

It angered her that she could even entertain such a notion. Why on earth would she settle for a man loving her because she produced his offspring? If he couldn’t love her before that, why would she even care what happened after she popped out a kid?

Unrequited love sucked. There were no two ways about it.

If she had it to do all over again, she’d put a definite “wait and see” on any childbearing. Or at least get through the honeymoon without any life-altering surprises.

She ate a light breakfast to settle her stomach. She couldn’t be entirely certain if her queasy morning stomach was due to pregnancy or her rather fragile emotional state of late. Or maybe subconsciously she wanted to be pregnant and so had convinced herself of the possibility. Weren’t there women who had false pregnancies?

Her nervousness grew as she got into a cab to go to the doctor’s office. The only person who knew what she was doing today was Pippa. And well, now Tabitha and Carly would know as well, but she was counting on them to get her through either scenario. Pregnant or not pregnant.

At the clinic, she filled out the paperwork and waited impatiently for the nurse to call her back. After answering a myriad of questions, she was asked to pee in a cup. They drew blood and then she was asked to wait in the reception area.

For twenty of the longest minutes of her life.

She fidgeted. She flipped through a magazine. Finally she got up to pace as she took in the other women in various stages of pregnancy.

Finally the nurse called her back. Ashley hurried toward the door and was escorted to a private sitting area outside one of the exam rooms.

“Well?” she blurted, unable to remain silent a moment longer.

The nurse smiled. “You’re pregnant, Mrs. Carter. Judging by when you say your last period was, I’d say maybe six weeks at most. But we’ll schedule a sonogram so we can better determine dates.”

Ashley’s stomach bottomed out. She broke out in a cold sweat and her head began pounding until her vision was blurred.

“Are you all right?” the nurse asked gently.

Ashley swallowed rapidly and nodded. “I’m fine. Just a little shocked. I mean, I suspected but maybe secretly I didn’t really believe I was.”