“Are you really going to stand over me while I pee on a stick in a public women’s bathroom, James? Seriously?” Whispering harshly, I suddenly wished we hadn’t left James’ cabin. I’d pick pouring over photos any day if it meant I didn’t have to share a gender specific bathroom with him. Glaring at him as he leaned on the door to the stall, I grimaced as discomfort caused my bladder to stop working.

“Yes.” Such a simple answer- such a wrong answer.

“What do you think I’ll do? Lie? I would never lie to you about something like this, James. Have a little faith and let me pee in peace!” Nervousness threaded my veins and leaked into my voice, and James sighed heavily. Holding the pregnancy test tightly in one hand, I clenched my other into a fist as the urge to punch him nearly overwhelmed me.

“Fine, I’ll wait outside the stall. Caroline- this is serious. Do you understand how worried I am? We’ve talked about a lot of shit, but not this. How do you even consider if we’re not toge-“

“Oh my God, will you get out, James! If you’re worried so much, let me pee so I can prove to you I’m not pregnant!” My voice echoed around the bathroom, and I glared at James as he hesitantly shuffled out of the cramped stall. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and focused as I held the stick between my legs. “The water from the lake probably threw me off- I’m telling you, you’re worrying for nothing.”

“Just piss on the fucking thing already, Caroline.” Someone’s grumpy. Forcing myself to relax, I clenched my abdomen and pushed until I could make my bladder function properly. Peering into the toilet bowl, I made sure to hit the right part before setting the test on its box. Quickly relieving myself fully, I wiped and flushed with just enough time to rake my hand through my hair.

Carefully exiting the stall with the test, I set it on the far end of the sink before going to the other side to wash my hands. This grocery store didn’t have the best bathrooms, but at least it was out of the way enough that James didn’t have to suffer on the rest of the half hour drive back to my house. Drying my hands sloppily, I turned to find him staring at the test like he was waiting for it to sprout ears and a tail.

“James, will you relax? Everything will be fine- it’ll come back negative, and I’ll get my period tomorrow or something. Why are you so hell bent on this?” We’d avoided it all day, but I wanted an answer that was better than ‘it happened to my brother’. I wasn’t even sure there was anything of the kind, but I planted myself firmly between James and the test to block his view. “Tell me what’s going on. You’re acting like a lunatic.”

“… Hannah’s baby-“ Cutting himself off, James tossed his head and rolled his shoulders with a sharp breath, and I crossed my arms over my chest. “It could’ve been mine. Nick, Hannah, and I unknowingly ate pot brownies laced with hard drugs. I- I’m not hell bent… I just- I know how it feels to not know.”

Goosebumps washed my skin, and my jaw nearly hit the dirty bathroom floor at what James revealed. Falling limp to my sides, my hands twitched as I tried to grasp the sharp turn the conversation had taken.

But he wasn’t done, and I could barely follow.

“It’s the whole reason I did everything I did with Frank- I ran away, Caroline. If you are pregnant, I don’t want to find out two months later like I did with Hannah.” Ducking my head to stare at the floor, I struggled to breathe past the hard lump that formed in my throat. This was a ripe mess, and I didn’t have any idea what to do.

I was nearly 30 years old- kids had rarely entered my mind, and I’d certainly never considered a serious relationship. I always thought I was destined to live out my life with my dad as my best man.

“… Are you going to run again, James?” My heart snapped in two at the fact that not only did James do something so incredibly dishonorable, but he also put himself through something much worse for it. Everything that happened with Frank was entirely due to the fact that he was a coward for just a second. My low, blank question filled the bathroom heavily, and his boots came into my field of vision before he wrapped his strong arms around me. His hug didn’t feel the same- it was desperate and pleading, and I hated it.

“No- no. I won’t. I promise. I just- I need to know, Caroline.” Mumbling against the crown of my head, James squeezed my torso tightly before I found the strength to lift my arms and push him away. Shuffling over to the test, I held my breath as my heart threatened to smash through my ribs.

I didn’t even have to get that close to see the result, and I clenched my hands into tight fists. Coming up behind me, James automatically wrapped his arm around my waist even as he choked. The word was clear as day, and he pressed his palm against my midsection while I forced my mind to keep puttering on slowly.

“… I’m going to fucking castrate you, you son-of-a-bitch.” The words felt foreign as they slid off my tongue, low and threatening, and I grabbed James’ hand to fling it off me. “What are we going to do! Huh? What!”

“Caroline-“ Chasing my shrieking, James’ call sent the air rushing from my lungs, and I gasped for breath before he managed to get a hold of me again. “Stop- stop freaking out. We got this.”

Struggling this time was futile; James was ready for me, and I had no choice but to suffer his heat and rough words in my ear. Burying my face in his chest, I wasn’t sure what to feel as the implications of a positive test hit me hard. I was equal parts everything but shock, and I couldn’t even cry to release a tiny portion of the violent maelstrom that swirled inside me.

“If you- you better marry me. I’m not doing this by myself. I swear- and you’re getting a vasectomy!” Wasn’t I the one telling him hours ago not to make hasty decisions? Fuck it. “And you have to tell my dad in person.”

“Can we not talk about this in a public restroom at a fucking grocery story, Caroline?” Scowling at James, I squeezed my eyes shut to take a shuddering breath, and he sighed heavily against my hair. “We’ll figure it out… but not here. Let’s go back to your place, and we can talk about this before your dad gets back.”

James tossed the test in the trash, and he led me out of the bathroom with a tight grip on my bicep. His body against my side wasn’t as domineering as it was guiding, and I dragged my feet as we passed the registers.

“I’m not happy about this, James. I’m not happy at all.” Grumbling on the way outside, I crossed my arms over my chest with a huff. Squeezing my bicep gently, James grunted at my declaration but otherwise kept his mouth shut.

Like he should. Asshole.

Epilogue: James

Seven months later

“Caroline, leave the damn photographer alone so she can do her job.” My demand rang across the hall when I caught sight of Caroline harassing the woman again, and she shot me a look filled with unapologetic guilt. Striding over to her, my steps were unheard under the music that blasted through speakers and vibrated the hardwood floor. Laughing and talking assaulted my ears, but my eyes could only see Caroline; everyone else around her was just a blur.

Wrapping my arms around her big belly, I tugged her away from the photographer only to receive a grateful smile. The poor woman had suffered Caroline’s anal retention about pictures for nearly an hour; any time I took my eyes away, she found a way to get back to the only person in the room holding a professional camera.

“You need to leave her alone, Caroline. What’s the point of her being here if you’re not in any of the pictures?” Mumbling in Caroline’s ear, I rubbed her large bump with both my palms, and she huffed indignantly. Her hair was down, wild, and I buried my face in it even as the sequins of her dress snagged my shirt cuffs. “How’s my babies doing, huh? Are they glad we finally got to this point?”

“They made me throw up all the lasagna I ate.” The pure depression in Caroline’s voice pulled a laugh from me, and I squeezed her as firmly as I dared. She’d been so excited for the food, but now she couldn’t even eat it. Ducking my head, I pressed my lips to her cheek before slowly turning her to get on my knees.

Twins. Five months had passed, and I still couldn’t believe it. Resting my forehead on the soft silk of Caroline’s dress, I smiled when I felt a small foot push against me. Long, nimble fingers ran through my once styled hair, and my eyelids sunk as I took the time to relish this moment.

“Be good boys for Mom. It’s our wedding day, and she worked so hard.” My smile grew into a grin at my own plea, and I took a deep breath before pushing myself to my feet.

Caroline might’ve not liked the fact that we had an unplanned pregnancy, but it didn’t take her long to warm up to the idea. Especially after I told her I’d be more than willing to marry her. Sheila had known exactly what was going on the second we walked through the door, and we were lucky she was able to keep her mouth shut about it until we figured out what to do.

“My dad and your dad look like they’re having fun with each other, James.” Blinking, I glanced around at Caroline’s amused declaration for a few seconds before catching sight of our fathers. They were sitting, all alone, at a corner table knocking back glass after glass of Champaign. Reaching absently to rub my thigh, I pursed my lips together at how drunkenly happy they both were.

It was hard to believe that Caroline’s father let me marry her after he shot me in the arm for getting her pregnant.

“Forget them. Let’s go dance.” Tugging my wife onto the dance floor, I held her to me to feel kicks and pushes against my abdomen. The past few months had been a whirlwind; Caroline hadn’t even met my brothers or my mother until today. I was sure it would be a disaster, but it was actually the opposite.

“I know this isn’t exactly what you expected, Caroline.” Ain’t that the truth. Caroline’s few friends were here, but both of us could tell they only came for the free food and bar. My parents and my brothers were here, as well as my CO, but that was where the guest list was supposed to stop.

Nick had brought Hannah, and Hannah had told Risha about it- and then things just got out of control. Now, the event that was supposed to be less than a dozen people had twice that. Caroline had initially thrown a monster fit, but she didn’t want my brother and his business associates to dislike her.

Her annoyance and discomfort with the whole thing still showed in her slight frown, and she sighed heavily before shaking her head.

“It couldn’t be helped, I guess. At least they were considerate. Plus, I really kinda wanted the gifts…” Snorting a laugh at that, I dipped to capture her lips in a fierce kiss. We hadn’t had sex in almost a month; the doctor had warned that twins often came early, and sex could induce labor.

But I had never found Caroline sexier than she was in this moment.