Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 35154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
“No, Stella,” Megan’s voice grew a little sharper. “I’m not sure you’re understanding me. You can’t go back on the pill because you’re still on fertility drugs. They’re still very much in your system for the next few weeks.”
My heart started to climb into my throat.
“Look, it’s not going to hurt you or anything to take the pill, but it does mean each one you take is basically a placebo.”
“Wait,” I said quietly. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying your birth control pills are useless right now, plus,” she laughed nervously. “Well, I know your chances are on the lower side, but they’re the highest they’re ever going to be right now. You’re about as fertile as possible at the moment, Stella. So, use condoms!”
She tittered another laugh, but my stomach dropped through my feet as my whole body went numb.
Oh.
My.
God.
As fertile as possible.
Use condoms.
Slowly, my breath coming in short gasps and my blood pumping like thunder through my ears, I looked down at my belly and slid a hand over it.
Oh holy shit.
11
Dallas
“I’m going to tell her.”
Austin and I were waiting for her by the hot springs under our tower. She’d taken off earlier to check in with Katrina and Braun before she headed back here to be with us. What’d happened earlier had been incredible. Hell, life in general and as a whole had been incredible ever since she’d fallen into our world. But then, there was one thing burning a hole inside of me.
We’d held back. We hadn’t told her everything.
Maybe we’d been scared, or just not ready to go there yet, or just worried that it’d push her away when things were so perfect. But not telling her the real reason we were up here, and how we were running from an investigation into our father’s death was eating me up inside. We had to tell her. Not sharing all of us with her just felt wrong. And even if it still worried me about what that knowledge would do to what we had here, I knew it had to happen.
“Tell her what?” Austin said quietly, as if he didn’t know exactly what I was thinking.
“You know,” I shot back.
He growled, shaking his head. “Tell her what, that we had to run from our entire world because our shithead uncle made everyone think we murdered our father?”
“Basically.”
He sighed, looking away before his jaw tightened.
“I want to tell her too, man,” he finally said, his voice low. “I want to tell her everything.”
And I knew we both did. We wanted to tell her about the mistakes we’d made, and the life we’d led before this mountain life. The thing was, neither of us missed the glitz of that life, not after living here for so long. We’d run from money and privilege, but we’d found peace up in the woods.
And yet, there was one thing we missed up here. I guess we’d miss it even if we were back home, with dad gone. But up here in the solitude of the mountains, is was even more obvious.
I missed family. And if I’m being honest, I missed thinking about having one of my own someday. I know Austin did too. I knew we both wanted that for ourselves and for each other, but it was kind of hard to make that happen when you were on the run and up in the mountains.
But then, we’d met her — our Stella. And suddenly, it felt like…
I sighed to myself. It felt insane to even think about it like that, considering what it meant and considering how little time we’d known her. But I couldn’t help it. One day with her and I knew. Hell, one fucking second and I’d known. Stella was it — she was the family I’d thought about and hoped for someday. And I saw it with her.
There’d never been jealousy with Austin and me, but suddenly I wondered if this would be the breaking point. I wondered if she would be the thing that came between us and wedged us apart.
“It’s getting dark man.”
“Hmm?”
Austin’s voice broke me from my thoughts, and I looked up at him.
“She’s not here, and it’s getting dark. Look, let’s head to Braun’s place and we’ll just meet up with her there.”
I made a face. Stella had asked us to not say anything to Braun or Katrina about what’d happened. And I totally got it. I mean, for one, it was a lot to tell someone — the three of us? Yeah, that was big. And with her best friend getting married the next day, all telling people now would do is pull attention away from Braun and his woman on their big day. And I got that.
So, her going back to their place to check in, figure some stuff out about the next day, and freshen up a little was something she’d wanted to do without the two of us coming with, and we could totally see that.