The funeral took its toll on Martin. I did everything in my power to make things easier on him, remembering how difficult life had been for me after my own mom’s death. The most important thing to me then had been to get back to work and keep busy.

About a month after moving to Caldwell, I found a job at a local non-profit organization, finally putting my Environmental Law degree to work. Mr. Condry, my employer, was working hard on a water toxicity issue in the unincorporated towns around Caldwell. Hundreds of people were sick, which was a large percentage of the population, considering there were only twenty-five hundred people in the area.

So that became our lives for a while. I spent my days trudging through wooded areas, testing all available water sources and interviewing sick residents. Martin spent his days following me, securing my surroundings, and treating me to afternoon delights whenever the mood struck us. Which was often.

Cruz had visited a couple times over the few weeks since we’d made his mom’s house ours. Martin said they didn’t feel comfortable talking about our situation over the radios or phones. Not knowing how Amara was getting his information weighed on them both. Danger lurked around every corner, creating a lot of tension between us.

I wanted to make the most of this new life, becoming the woman I’d always known I could be. I had a job helping people, and I had Martin. What more could I want? I just wished he would relax and believe that we were finally safe.

“Your father doesn’t think we’re safe, as evidenced by the large sums of cash he sends with Cruz,” Martin said, probably for the tenth time.

“Daddy isn’t here. He doesn’t see what I see.” I dropped the large stack of folders on the kitchen table, which had become my makeshift office.

“I think you’re working too hard.” Martin came to me, wiping sweat from my forehead. “You’re pale. Why are you out there taking samples? You’re a lawyer. You should be inside, at a nice, boring desk.”

“I’m fine. Besides, everyone in the office is sick. I’m trying not to catch it.” I swatted his hand away. “As much as I hate to say it, we’re gonna have to stay on bottled water a bit longer. I think it’s time I got my own car. You need to let me drive myself around. That’s the whole reason we came here. So we could get back to normal where nobody knows me.” I stared him down.

“We’re fine here. We have a well. I’ve been thinking about it already, and you can drive Rhonda. I’ll take Ma’s car around if I need anything.” He eyed me suspiciously. “This thing’s not catching, is it?”

“No, of course not. It’s in the water table. You have to drink it to get sick. The people getting it now have been drinking from the source for years.” I stopped, the words sinking in.

Martin continued shining his shoes, oblivious.

Looking at my phone app, I did some quick calculations. “Um, I need to run to the store real quick. Girl stuff.” I didn’t quite lie. I grabbed the keys and my purse and tried to get to the truck before he noticed.

It didn’t work. “You can’t go alone!” Martin yelled, running after me.

“I said girl stuff!” I rolled down the window and waved him back in the house.

“I don’t care!” Martin climbed in the truck and put on his seatbelt.

“OK, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

An hour later, we sat in the parking lot of a local mom and pop drug store, staring at two white plastic sticks and four pink lines.

“What are we gonna do?” Martin’s voice was so low I wouldn’t have understood what he’d said if I wasn’t looking right at him. Which was good, because I couldn’t hear anything over my heart beating in my ears.

“I don’t know,” I whispered back.

Martin’s face was colorless. I could only imagine what this meant for him. We had never talked about any of this. We’d just been having fun. Yeah, it was intense, and we shared a strong connection. I had no doubt about that, about how strongly he felt for me. But this. This was crazy!

And yet, I had to work so hard to stifle the smile that kept trying to dance across my face. A baby.

“Your father,” Martin whispered, still barely audible.

“Shit,” I agreed. “I’m sorry.” I don’t know why I’d said it. Even as they words came out of my mouth, I tried to swallow them back. I wasn’t sorry. I was having a baby!

Martin turned to me, still sitting in the passenger seat. He’d at least had the presence of mind to let me go in the store alone for my ‘girl stuff.’ He took my hand in his, then caressed my cheek with the other. “Don’t you dare be sorry. This isn’t what I’d planned on,” he smiled, “but then, I never could have planned for someone like you in my life.”

I teared up at the kindness in his voice and his touch. It had taken a few minutes to snap out of the shock and say something, but when he did, it was what I’d needed. He wiped the tears from my cheek and laughed. “Guess I’d better get used to that, huh?”

I stuck my tongue out at him and turned to face the front of the truck again, raising my hand to start it. Then I stopped. “Explains why my boobs were so tender last night,” I mused, partly to myself.

“Oh, God. I hope I wasn’t too rough.” He put his hand over his mouth.

“No,” I laughed. “I think you were exactly rough enough.” The memory of the earthquake he’d caused in me the night before came flooding back.

“Your father,” Martin killed the mood. “My Morality Clause.” He shook his head, lowering it into his hands.

“We won’t say anything to Daddy. But maybe this is a good time to convince him that your services are no longer needed.” I turned the key and started the truck.

“Are you good to drive?” Martin raised his head. “Want me to?”

“It’s gonna be a long nine months if you fret over me like a sexier version of Ms. Rizzo!”

“Who?” Martin screwed his eyebrows up.

“My nanny. She’s gonna be so excited! Maybe we can bring her up here to help with the baby…” I trailed off, my mind wheeling with nursery colors and pre-school applications.

Through the haze, I heard Martin saying something about my father not finding out, and waved him away. “Eventually. We’ve got time.” I smiled at him, my eyes glazing over again with preparations.