by Maya Banks
“Yes, I know,” she whispered.
She heard A.J shuffle back into the kitchen, and she turned in relief, thankful he was interrupting the tension. Her heart sank when she met with his expression. It was odd. He looked like he’d just eaten her attempt at meatloaf.
He stared at her with a deer-in-the-headlights look. Something akin to horror and confusion.
“What’s your problem, A.J.?” Matt called out.
He continued to stare at Toni as he walked slowly over. He held his hand out, and Toni’s stomach lurched, her heart jumping into her throat.
In his outstretched palm lay the early pregnancy test she’d taken the day before. The two lines were faded, but still very indicative of a positive result.
“What is this, Toni?” he finally asked.
Toni froze, but anger quickly surfaced in an effort to cover her dismay. “What the hell were you doing going through my trashcan?” She snatched the stick from him and clenched it in her fist.
A.J. blinked in surprise. “I wasn’t digging in it. I dropped my watch and had to fish it out. I couldn’t help but see the test.”
Matt whose mouth was permanently rounded in an O of shock finally snapped his jaw shut. “Holy shit, Toni. Are you…are you pregnant?”
Simon took her hand in his much larger one and gently pried the test from her fingers. Matt and A.J. crowded around him as he examined it.
“What does two lines mean?” Matt demanded.
“It means she’s pregnant,” Simon said quietly, leveling a stare at Toni.
“Jesus! Why didn’t you tell us, Toni?” Matt asked.
“Is this why you’re moving out?” Simon asked, lifting her chin with his fingers in a gentle gesture that nearly had her in tears.
She nodded miserably.
“What the hell are you talking about?” A.J. demanded. “Who’s moving out?”
“No one is,” Matt growled.
“Who the hell knocked you up, Toni?” A.J asked. “Tell me so I can go kick his ass.”
“Was it that geek who took you out a couple of months ago?” Matt asked.
Toni looked in bewilderment as the questions came from all directions. Then she did the only thing she knew would shut them up. She burst into tears.
Warm, strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her against the solid wall of a well-muscled chest. “You guys shut the hell up,” Simon ordered. “You’re upsetting her. We won’t ever get any answers if you continue to interrogate her.”
“Jesus, Matt, you made her cry,” A.J. said in disgust.
“Me? I wasn’t the one asking who knocked her up.”
“Quiet!” Simon roared.
Toni closed her eyes and inhaled the comforting scent of Simon’s T-shirt. God, he was strong, and everything that was wonderful about a man. She said a silent prayer he wouldn’t let her go. Not just yet.
A gentle hand stroked her hair, which caused her tears to flow even harder. “Come here, sweetheart,” Simon said, easing her off the stool and toward the living room.
He settled her on the couch and enfolded her in his arms. “Now, suppose you tell us what’s going on.”
She hiccupped and looked down. Matt and A.J crowded around the couch, looks of concern and confusion marring their handsome faces.
“You don’t have to say who it is,” he prompted.
“The hell she doesn’t,” A.J. began.
Simon silenced him with a look and turned back to Toni. “How about you start with why you want to move out, and why you didn’t want to tell us.”
“I wanted to move out because I didn’t want you to know,” she murmured.
“Why not?”
She looked at Simon in astonishment. “Why, so you could all badger me about who the father is? I’d rather forget the whole thing if you don’t mind.”
His expression became hard. “Did he hurt you, Toni?”
She gulped. This was not a conversation she wanted to be having. She glanced up at Mike and A.J. who looked like they were ready to go out and commit murder.
“Look. I made a mistake. I’d really rather not discuss it.”
“Fair enough, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to move out.” He cupped her chin and rubbed his thumb over her cheek. “You need us more now than ever. Moving into a place by yourself doesn’t make sense. We’d all worry about you, and while it may be annoying, we all want to take care of you.”
“Toni, I’m sorry I found the test. Well, I’m not sorry I found it. I just wish you would have told us,” A.J. said.
“Have you been to the doctor yet?” Matt asked.
“No. I only found out yesterday.”
“How far along are you, do you know?” A.J. asked.
Oh she knew exactly how far along she was. But she wasn’t about to tell them that or how she knew. “I don’t know exactly, but I figure maybe two months or so. Look guys, I’m not in the mood to do this right now. I have a headache.”
“Take some Tylenol,” Matt advised. “Oh, wait, you can’t. Or can you?” He suddenly slapped his hand to his forehead. “Shit! I offered you a beer while ago.”
Despite the seriousness of the situation, she laughed. “But I didn’t accept it, silly. Listen. The best thing you can do for me is to chill out
and quit acting like I sprouted a third head. This isn’t at all how I wanted this to go down.”
“No, you didn’t intend to tell us at all,” Simon spoke up beside her.
She turned her head to him, surprised to see a hint of hurt in his eyes. “That isn’t true.”
“It’s what you said.”
“Yes, but I wanted time to adjust to things on my own. Obviously I wouldn’t have been able to keep it from you forever. I was just…scared.”
Once again she found herself in his embrace. “We’ve looked out for you since you were a little kid, Toni. We all care a lot about you. You don’t have to be afraid.”
“He’s right,” A.J. said with a nod.
“So what’s next?” Simon asked, stroking her hair comfortingly.
She sighed and pulled slightly away. “I suppose I need to make an appointment to see the doctor. Get a blood test. I mean there is a small possibility the first test is wrong.”
“Do you want one of us to go with you?” A.J. asked.
She smiled. “No, I think I can handle it. Besides you guys start a twenty-four tomorrow.”