For a moment, just a moment… I wished I was anywhere else. Back in college, driving to Vermont, sitting in the dentist’s chair… Just anywhere but right here, struggling with everything that terrified me most… and another possibility, even more frightening, that I barely even dared to imagine…

Except when he kissed me again, his lips tender and exploring… I knew why I was here, and why it was the only place I could ever be. But even that awareness didn’t change the facts… or the fears that made my stomach turn over. I thought of the test still hidden in the kitchen drawer, and knew that before I could decide anything, I had to find out if I was carrying his baby. Could a man, any man, really be willing to take on a woman with one child, let alone two…?

Panic rose up in the back of my throat and I took everything I had to force it back down. The chances that I’d gotten pregnant had to be next to zero. The odds in any given month weren’t all that high for any woman, let alone one with my medical history. I could easily never get pregnant again, even with months, or years of trying to. I pushed the whole idea aside. It wouldn’t be true… it couldn’t be true… but what if it was…?

“You don’t need to answer now,” Will said, pulling me gently down beside him. He curled his warm body against mine, spooning me as he tucked his face into the curve of my neck. “Just sleep with me for now, Angel. Let me take care of you tonight.” I raised my head to speak, but he kissed my ear and stroked his hand soothingly over my back. “I’ll be gone before she wakes up in the morning, I promise.”

And he was.

I woke up and rolled over to find the bed still warm beside me, the sun only barely beginning to brighten the sky. I wrapped up in my old flannel robe and stuffed my feet into a pair of Mattie’s slippers.

Violet was still asleep. And Miri only lifted her head when I cracked the door open to check. She tucked her velvet nose into my daughter’s curled hand, and I felt an almost overwhelming desire to have Will beside me. I could smell the aroma of brewing coffee coming from the kitchen…

“Will…?” I poked my head hopefully through the doorway. But the room was empty. The coffee was still hot and waiting for me, my favorite mug sitting next to a note…

“Violet and Miri are safe and sound asleep. So are you, Angel.

I’ll be in the city for a day or two, but I’m only a phone call away.

Let’s talk when I get back… Dinner at the main house?

It was unsigned, but I ran my fingers over the tall, sloping letters before I tucked it into my pocket. I leaned back against the counter and stared out the window at the endless, soothing movement of the waves on the sand. I knew he was right. It was more than time for us to talk. And I needed to have an answer ready. Part of me was terrified he might ask me to marry him. Most of me was sure he might want an answer to the same question that had been nagging relentlessly in the back of own mind…

I held my breath and opened the drawer. It had been so long since I’d had to take one of these tests…. I scanned the directions on the back of the box. Simple… straightforward.

Pee on the stick and wait to see if your entire life turns upside down…

But I headed for the bathroom anyway. Who knew when I’d have a few quiet moments to myself again? And if it was positive… I closed the door with a soft snick and turned to catch my own reflection in the mirror. My pale hair had an almost golden glow in the morning light, blue eyes that looked too round for my face. I untied the belt and let my robe slip to the floor. When was the last time I’d even looked at myself naked?

My mouth was full, bruised from last night. My breasts were heavily rounded, nipples large and dark. I ran my hands down my belly, remembering the fear and excitement I’d felt when I’d found out I was pregnant with Violet. I’d been so young… so afraid of all the unknowns. And I’d been on my own… especially after Jimmy…

But I’d discovered that I loved being pregnant, watching my belly grow rounder and fuller. I’d talked to her, read her stories, played music for her from the very first trimester. I’d eaten right and exercised and seen my doctor… I’d done everything in my power to make sure she was healthy. I was still doing everything I could. And my little girl was slowly starting to blossom…

My stomach rolled uneasily as I touched myself. Were my breasts fuller? They were tender, the nipples exquisitely sensitive. But that could as easily be from Will’s hands… from Will’s mouth. He had sucked me hard, squeezing and kneading me as I’d climaxed on top of him. Hell, my whole body was deliciously sore and sensitive…

And there was only one way to get an answer. I peeled the wrap off the test and sat down on the toilet, my heart pounding in my chest. I held my breath, wondering which result I was hoping for most. Negative… or positive? A baby brother or sister for my little girl? And this time, a baby that I shared with Will… My thoughts were running wild and all of them were frightening.

He said he wanted to be a father… but he was only thinking in terms of helping me with Violet. Hell, that all by itself would be more than enough to scare most men away. But a baby we shared… He would have as much right to that child as I did. And if things didn’t work out between us, if he never made a real commitment to us… I let out my breath and tried to relax.

No go. I turned on the water faucet and listened to a thin trickle of water stream down the drain and willed myself to let it happen. Whatever the result, at least I would know. And I had to know for sure. I’d lose my mind if I had to wait one more minute… Decisions could be made later on, if there were even any to be made…

I felt my knees soften and heaved a big, relaxing sigh. I felt my tiny stream just starting to come…

“Hey, Angie…? You home… Anybody here?” Mattie yelled, letting the front door bang loudly shut behind her.