Unbreak My Heart (Unbreak My Heart #1)(18)

“Crap, Katie! What’s going on? Are you okay?” she asked nervously.

“I’m pregnant,” I whispered, as if saying the words quietly would soften the reply.

“Didn’t you get your shot? What the f*ck, Kate? You can’t miss a shot!”

“I didn’t. I swear, I got it right when I was supposed to. I don’t know what the f*ck happened!”

“I hope to Christ you know what happened,” she replied drily.

“It gets worse,” I moaned, laying my head back on the towel beneath me. “Way worse.”

“Was the guy ugly?”

“Worse.”

“A gigolo?”

“Way worse.”

“Oh, f*ck, Katie,” she whispered after a moment of complete silence. “You didn’t.”

“We were drunk. It was a mistake.”

“That excuse stopped working when you were nineteen. It doesn’t work when you’re almost thirty.”

“I know. I’m such an idiot. God, what was I thinking?”

“Does Shane know?”

The lights were off in the bathroom, but the sun was shining through the small window of my shower and I closed my eyes against it. Shit, even my eyeballs hurt.

“Yeah, I told him this morning.”

“What did he say?”

“Not much.”

“Not much?”

“He asked if I was sure it was his.”

“That cocksucker!” she yelled, intensifying the pain in my head. “I hope you ripped him a new *!”

“No, I just left.”

“What? Why? Don’t let him be a dick to you, Katherine. You’ve put up with far more shit than you should’ve from him over the years.”

“No, I know. I just—” I started weeping then, feeling more pitiful than I ever had in my entire life. “I’m just tired, Ani. I’m so f*cking tired, and I keep throwing up. And Keller was such a brat this morning, he actually hit me, and then Shane got home and was a complete ass about it. I just couldn’t take anymore, and then I had to leave when Kell was asleep and he probably woke up and thought I was still mad at him.”

“Whoa, slow down, sweetheart,” she said soothingly. “Let’s work this out piece by piece. You’ve been sick?”

“I’m so sick,” I rasped, my stomach starting to churn yet again. “God, Ani. I haven’t been able to keep anything down for days.”

“How many days?”

“Like three, I think. God, it feels like forever.”

“You’re probably dehydrated, Kate. You need to go to the doctor.”

“I have an appointment day after tomorrow.”

“No, you need to go in now.”

“I’m too exhausted. I can’t even get off the bathroom floor.”

I heard her rustling with something, then her voice came through the phone more clearly. “I have to call you back, sis, okay?”

“Yeah,” I replied wearily. “I’ll be here.”

“I’ll call you right back.”

“Okay.”

I hung up as my stomach revolted again, and I didn’t even bother trying to kneel up to reach the toilet. There wasn’t anything in my belly to lose anyway.

By the time I was done, I was sweaty and my abs were on fire, but that didn’t stop me from falling asleep curled into a ball.

*



“Katie?” I heard Shane call, pulling me out of the first deep sleep I’d had in days. “Kate!”

Before I could answer him, his body filled the doorway to my bathroom.

“Sorry, I must not have heard the door,” I said inanely as he came to an abrupt stop. “I don’t really feel like company.”

“Katie,” he said softly, taking a step toward me.

“Don’t. I just—don’t. I smell like shit, and I’m all sweaty, and just—give me a few minutes, okay?” I asked tiredly, rising slowly to my knees.

“Don’t move, baby,” he replied gently as he came into the bathroom. “Let’s get you out of here.”

The endearment made my throat feel tight, but I pushed past it. “Where are the kids?”

“I picked Sage up and brought them to the neighbors for a bit.”

“Oh shit!” I tried to rise to my feet, but swayed dizzily and started crying yet again. “I was supposed to get her from school. Oh my God, she must have been so freaked out.”

“Hey,” he called softly, “stop. I talked to Anita, and she told me you were sick. I got Sage right on time. She was fine. Totally fine.”

“God, I’m so sorry. I fell asleep.”

“I can see that. There’s nothing to be sorry for.”

He leaned down to pick me up, and I scrambled to try to move away. “Please don’t, Shane.” I sniffled. “I stink. I need a shower.”

He stared at me, not replying for a long time before he leaned over my body and pushed the shower curtain back.

“What are you doing?”

“You want a shower, right?” he asked as he turned on the water. “So let’s get you in the shower.”

I watched in shock as he slid the curtain closed again and reached back to pull his T-shirt over his head, stepping out of his flip-flops as he did so. Next, he pushed down his khaki shorts and boxer briefs at the same time, leaving him completely naked.