Take a Chance on Me (142 page)

She looked at herself in the mirror, splashed cold water on her face, and smoothed the hair back from her brow. She looked pale and tired. She looked shell-shocked. Well, hell. She looked pregnant But Thomas was sterile.

Emma flung open the door and held up the test stick like the Statue of Liberty's torch. "Thomas said he was sterile."

Velvet's mouth dropped open. "What?"

Emma returned to her perch on the closed toilet lid and rested her head in her hands. "He was injured playing rugby and had all these tests…" She looked up and blinked. "I don't understand."

Velvet squatted in front of her and dug her manicured nails into Emma's knees. "What are you saying?"

Emma snorted. "I'm saying I don't know what the hell is going on! I'm pregnant, Velvet! Pregnant when there's no way I should be!"

Velvet got up and began to pace the tiny bathroom. It was making Emma's headache worse.

"And he's …?"

"The only one since Aaron, yes. And I went off the pill after the divorce."

Velvet pursed her lips and stared down at Emma. "Did you see his medical records?"

"What?"

"Is there any chance he was lying to you?"

"Of course not!" As soon as the words escaped Emma's mouth her heart twisted in a cold squeeze of doubt. Yes, he'd lied in the past … but that had been different … before his heart-wrenching confession at her feet and the way he'd loved her since…

"I can't even think that way." She shook her head and stared at the absorbent strip dangling from her fingers.

"Why not?"

"Because I love him too much. It has to be some kind of fluke." Her head fell back in her hands.

"What are you going to do, Em?"

"I'm going to tell him."

"Of course—"

"And we'll figure this out together."

"How far along do you think you are?"

Emma looked up and smiled, a rush of excitement moving through her.

"Three weeks at the most."

"What are you going to do?"

"Do?" Emma got up, pressed past Velvet and headed for her desk chair. She swiveled back and forth, biting her lip.

"What are you going to do, Emma?"

She blinked back tears, not sure whether they were tears of joy or distress. "I guess I'm going to have a baby. Is that the weirdest thing, or what?"

"And what do you want him to do?"

Emma laughed a little, and Hairy jumped in her lap. He'd been asleep in the dog bed in the corner of the office, where he hung out during the day when Leelee was at school. "He's already done it," she said. "He gave me a baby."

Velvet rolled her eyes. "You know what I'm asking, Em! I'm asking you if you want him to marry you!"

Emma absently stroked Hairy's head and felt a small smile play on her face. "Actually, he asked me to marry him a few weeks ago."

Velvet's mouth hung open. "What was your answer?"

"I said yes."

"Holy shit."

"Exactly."

"Is he stopping by this afternoon?"

"At five-thirty."

Velvet stuck her hands on her narrow hips and tilted her head. "Are you okay, Em? You look completely blown away."

She laughed, somewhat hysterically. "That would be because I am blown away. A month ago I was alone.

Now I'm in love! I'm going to get married! I'm going to give birth!"

Emma launched herself from the chair and threw Hairy to the floor.