Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
She swallowed over the bile threatening to rise in her throat.
“Come on.” Nikki stood, grasped Winter’s hand, and pulled her to her feet.
“Where are we going?”
“To your place, but we’re stopping at a drugstore and buying a few home pregnancy tests first.”
At the same moment, the bathroom door opened, and a group of women walked in, laughing and talking loudly. Any further personal conversation would have to wait.
“I can do it all myself,” Winter told Nikki. “No need for you to miss the party. You’re all dressed up and everything.”
Nikki rolled her eyes. “I know you’re accustomed to doing things alone but get used to me being around. I wouldn’t leave you now if you paid me to go.”
Winter managed a smile, and gratitude filled her. The last thing she wanted was to find out whether or not she was pregnant by herself. She just wouldn’t have thought to ask her new sister to stay.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
There was a chance she wasn’t pregnant. The stress surrounding her was real. She had her biological father trying to talk to her and the press attempting to interview the former senator’s illegitimate daughter. If it turned out Winter was carrying Hollywood’s Hottest Playboy’s baby, there would be no place for her to hide.
Chapter Three
Winter awoke, and her new reality came rushing back. She was pregnant. This time, when her stomach churned, she wasn’t sure if it was morning sickness or pure panic. Her dog, Panda, who slept beside her on her own pillow, realized Winter was awake, walked across the mattress and began to paw her shoulder.
“I know. You want to go outside.”
She licked her cheek, and she smiled.
Forcing herself out of bed, she pulled on a pair of pants and a heavy sweatshirt, stopped in the bathroom, and then hooked her leash and led her out for her morning walk.
As she took her along their regular route, she had time to relive every moment of last night. She and Nikki had stopped to buy the tests, and they took Asher’s car and driver to her apartment. Winter followed the instructions and then they waited while the endless minutes passed. When her phone timer went off, they’d both stared at the identical results across three different brands.
Nikki had freaked and began pacing the room, and ironically, Winter had had to calm her sister down. Needing to be alone to process things, she’d convinced Nikki to go home to Asher, who had left the event not long after they had. He was not a party person, and it was no surprise he hadn’t wanted to stick around once Nikki left.
Knowing there was no way Nikki could keep the news from her fiancé, despite him being Harrison’s brother, Winter had agreed to let her confide in him, but extracted a promise to let Winter tell Harrison herself. Asher was a rational guy, and she trusted him to keep quiet unless he thought Winter was hiding the truth, something she’d never do.
With Nikki gone, Winter had taken Panda for her last nightly walk and returned home, washed up, and climbed into bed. Though she’d expected to toss and turn, to her shock, she’d slept like a baby. Pun definitely intended.
Now, walking in the cool morning air, Panda finished her business and Winter returned to the building, waved to the doorman, and rode the elevator to her upstairs apartment. She fed the dog and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.
She turned on the faucet so the water would heat up and turned to face the mirror. Lifting her nightshirt, she looked at her flat stomach. Though there was no bump, she knew from last night’s dress her shape had shifted already. There were a lot of changes to come, and she needed to mentally prepare.
She blew out a deep breath and pulled the material over her head, then stripped out of her pants and underwear and stepped beneath the running water.
As she soaped up with her coconut-scented gel, then washed and conditioned her hair, she faced one simple fact. She was single and pregnant like her mother had been, with a baby daddy who didn’t want kids. Except in her mother’s case, the senator hadn’t wanted kids with her. He’d already had a son when Juliana realized she was pregnant.
Winter’s situation was different. Harrison might not want a family, but he deserved to know. As for Winter herself, she might be surprised but she already knew she planned to keep her baby. She admired her mother for raising her alone and wanted to make her proud by emulating her in the same way. Given her trust issues, Winter had never been certain whether or not she’d have children. She hadn’t planned to marry any more than she’d thought about having a baby on her own. But now she would be.