Against All Odds - Angel's Story: Against All Odds (Destiny Series Book 4) (36 page)

“You might just be late from all the stress you’ve been going through. It happens.”

“That’s what I’m hoping. I don’t think I’m ready to become a parent.”

“What are you going to do if you are?”

“I’m not getting rid of it. No fucking way. No matter what Chase says, I couldn’t live with myself if I did that.”

“Aren’t you on the pill?”

“Yes, but I stopped taking it for a few days after the Riley incident, so there’s a chance. A big chance. Oh fuck,” I say as tears rise to my eyes. Saying it out loud makes it so much more real.

“Jesus, babe,” Dana says as she moves to my side of the booth, wrapping me in her arms. “Do you want me to come to the doctor with you?”

“No. I’m just going to wait a little longer and pray that they come.”

“What about a home test? It’ll ease your mind.”

“I guess I could do that.” I feel sick in the stomach. I’m sure I’ll deal with it if I’m pregnant. I won’t really have a choice. It’s Chase’s reaction that worries me. Oh, and my dad. He’ll flip his lid.

“Stay here,” Dana says. “I’ll go down to the pharmacy and get one.”

“Thank you.” Even though I’m not sure I want to know, the not knowing is killing me.

“Whatever happens, I’m here. Just remember that.” She squeezes me tight before getting up. I guess in a few minutes, I’m going to know either way.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Chase

A few days have passed since Pops came home. Angel and I have been staying here when we’re not at Uni. Neither one of us want to leave him alone until he’s back on his feet again. He can only get around with the aid of crutches at the moment.

“Hey, beautiful,” I say to Angel as I slide my hands around her waist from behind.

“Hey,” she replies in a deflated tone. There’s something off with her. She’s been quiet for the past few days. Not herself. Maybe it’s just the stress of everything that’s been going on lately, maybe it’s something else. Either way, I intend to find out.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, resting my chin on her shoulder.

“Nothing,” she shrugs.

“You haven’t been yourself the past few days. I know something’s bothering you. Talk to me, sweet-cheeks.”

“I need to get this in the oven,” she says pulling away from me.

“It can wait.” I take the roasting pan out of her hands and turn her in my arms. “Talk to me,” I demand. I need to know what the fuck is going on. I’m worried about her. Not knowing what’s going on inside that pretty little head of hers has me thinking all kinds of crazy shit.

Me and my stupid insecurities.

“Later, okay. The roast will take three hours to cook. I need to get it on now.”

“A few minutes isn’t going to make much of a difference.”

“I have an appointment at 4:00 p.m. I need to get this in the oven so I can have a quick shower before I leave.” She turns away from me and picks up the pan. Fuck she can be frustratingly stubborn sometimes.

“You have an appointment? Where?” This is the first I’ve heard about it.

“Just a check-up at the doctors. Nothing important.”

“A check-up? Are you sick or something?” I ask concerned.

“No,” she snaps, screwing up her face. “People have check-ups all the time, Chase.” Wow. She’s never used that attitude with me before. I don’t like it. Not one fucking bit.

I stand and watch her place the roast in the oven. Of course my eyes roam down to her luscious arse when she bends. Looking at her
sweet-cheeks
will never get old.

She stands up straight closing the oven door. “I’m going to have a shower,” she says without even looking in my direction. What? I don’t fucking think so.

“Hey,” I say as I reach for her arm.

“What?” she exhales, her eyes meeting mine.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” she says pulling her arm out of my grip and walking out of the room.
What the fuck?
I stand there in shock, staring at her retreating back. Fisting my hands in my hair, I let out a frustrated and damn well pissed off breath. If she thinks I’m going to let this go, she’s seriously fucking mistaken.

Marching down the hall a few minutes later, I open the bathroom door. She’s already in the shower, so I undress. Whether she likes it or not, I’m going to get to the bottom of this. Pulling back the shower curtain, I’m taken a back when I see her head leaning up against the tiles. Her shoulders move up and down slightly as she cries. Fuck me.

“Angel,” I breathe as I step in behind her, pulling her into my arms. “What’s wrong?” I ask, putting my index finger under her chin, tilting her face up to meet mine. “And so help me, you better not say nothing.” My heart breaks to see her like this, but it also pisses me off to know something’s going on with her, and she won’t tell me what.

“I’m fine,” she says wiping the tears from her eyes.

“You’re not fucking fine. Talk to me. You have no idea what not knowing is doing to me. Something’s up. You haven’t been yourself for days. I have all these crazy fucking scenarios going through my mind. Please. Is it me? Have I done something to upset you?” My first thought is this has something to do with my parents, my past.

“What? No.”

“Well, what? I’m worried about you. I hate seeing you like this.”

“I’m sorry if I’ve worried you.” A sad smile graces her face, but it disappears as fast it comes. “My emotions are all over the place lately. It’s not you,” she adds cupping my face with her hand.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” she answers, leaning forward placing her lips on mine.

“Is that why you’re going to the doctors?”

“Kind of.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“No.” Her answer’s quick and abrupt, but I brush it off. If she doesn’t want me there, then I need to respect that. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hurt.

“Okay,” I say, pushing her back up against the tiles. It’s been two days since I’ve made love to my girl. I need that connection with her. I need to know we’re okay. Thankfully, this time she doesn’t push me away.

••••

Angel

My heart sinks when the doctor confirms my worst fears. After I took the home tests Dana bought two days ago, we got one positive result, and one negative. I was no better off than before. Dana set about convincing me to make an appointment with my doctor. She was right. I needed to find out one way or another.

I’m grateful she offered to come with me for moral support. I picked her up on the way. I needed her to hold my hand. I didn’t feel strong enough to do this on my own. Having Chase with me would’ve been nice, but under the circumstances, that wasn’t really an option.

Once the results were given, we both sat in the doctor’s office in stunned silence. Those words replay in my head, over and over. “Ms. Cavanagh, your bloods are back. It’s positive.”

“I’m pregnant?”

“Yes. Yes you are.”

In my heart I think I already knew the answer, but that doesn’t stop the crushing feeling that settles in my chest. Not about the baby. It’s Chase. Sure we’re young and haven’t been dating long. We still have our whole lives ahead of us. Becoming parents doesn’t mean we can’t achieve our goals, our dreams.

My hand instinctively goes over my stomach. I can’t believe I have a tiny life growing inside me. As shattered as I feel right now, I think I’m already in love. How can I not be? It’s a product of us, our love, and everything we share.

What am I going to say to Chase? I think that’s why I’ve been pulling away from him the past two days. I’m pretty sure this spells the beginning of the end for us. Of course that’s something I hope doesn’t happen. The mere thought of losing him terrifies me.

The doctor continues to babble on, but I don’t hear a word he says. I’ve tuned him out as my mind goes into overdrive. “Angel,” Dana says, shaking my arm. “The doctor just asked you a question.”

“I’m sorry, my mind drifted off.”

“I can imagine this would come as a shock to you, especially if it wasn’t planned.”

“No. No it wasn’t planned,” I whisper.

“Do you have any idea how far along you may be? When was the first day of your last period?” the doctor asks.

“No. No exact date. I think I’m a week, possibly two weeks late.”

“It’s best if we perform a quick ultrasound, then. That’ll give us a good indication.”

“Sure…okay,” I say, as numbness spreads through my whole body.

••••

Thankfully Dana offers to drive my car home. Not much is said between us. She’s probably just as shocked as I am. Resting the back of my head against the passenger seat, I stare out the window. I’m filled with dread. What am I going to tell Chase?

“Will you be okay to drive home from my place?” Dana asks, reaching across the console and placing her hand on my leg.

“I guess. It isn’t far.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. I’m not really in the right frame of mind to be behind the wheel, but I’ll manage.” I’d let her take my car home, but I have no idea what Chase is going to say when I tell him I’m expecting his child. He may ask me to leave.

“It’s going to be okay, babe,” she says, squeezing my thigh. “It’ll all work out in the end. I promise.”

“I don’t want to get rid of it, Dana,” I can hear the panic in my voice as I speak. “What if he tells me to get rid of it?”

“I don’t think he’d say that. If he did, I’d be very disappointed in him. He loves you. Sure he’s going to be shocked. I’m shocked, so I can only imagine how you both feel. It’ll work itself out, I promise. No matter what happens, just remember I’m here. You’ll always have me.”

“Thanks,” I say, placing my hand on top of hers. “Thank you for being with me today. You have no idea how much I needed you.”

When we pull up outside her place, I reach over and hug her. I kind of wish I could go back to my house. I think I need more time to process this, but I can’t do that. Chase is expecting me. Putting off the inevitable isn’t going to change things. It’s not like I can hide a pregnancy from him for the next eight months. I need to put on my big girl panties and tell him. He may not like what I have to say, but this baby is part of him too, so he needs to know.

“Call me if you need anything, okay,” Dana says when she exits the car. “I love you. For the record, you’re going to make a fantastic mum.”

“I love you too,” I tell her, a small smile tugging at my lips. “And thank you.”

“I’m going to make a kick arse Aunt too,” she squeals, making me giggle. There’s a touch of excitement within me, but it’s clouded by the dread of telling Chase.

My butterflies intensify when I pull into the driveway. I take a few deep breaths before reaching over to grab my handbag off the passenger seat. Pulling it towards me, I see the small screen shot the doctor gave me from the ultrasound. It brings a smile to my face as I reach in and grab it. I can’t believe I’m going to be a mother.

I’m roughly five weeks along. The baby is so tiny you could barely make it out on the screen. It was like a tiny dot. Bringing the image towards my face, I place a small kiss on the picture. “Hope your daddy’s going to love you as much as I do,” I say, clutching it to my chest.

When I exit the car, I slide the photo into the pocket of my jeans. I feel sick. I can hear the boys talking in the garage when I walk down the side of the house. This is something I can’t say in front of Pops, so I take the coward’s way out, heading inside. I need to check the roast anyway. 

I turn the roast and veggies in the pan before popping it back in the oven. Grabbing my bag off the table, I make my way to Chase’s bedroom. Plopping my arse on his bed, I clutch my bag on my lap. I have no idea how I’m going to break this to him. I go through the words in my head. Everything sounds so lame. What a mess I’m in.

The first tear falls, but I quickly wipe it away. Another one soon follows before the floodgates well and truly open up. Dropping my bag on the floor, I bury my face in Chase’s pillow and start to sob.

I’m not sure how long I lay there for, but it’s a while. When I hear the bedroom door open, I quickly sit up and wipe my eyes. Jesus, he’s not meant to see me like this.

“You’re home,” he says surprised. “I was just coming in here to get my phone to ring you.” When he gets a good look at me, his face drops. “Fuck, have you been crying?” he asks, swiftly coming to me.

He pulls me off the bed and into his arms. This causes a fresh lot of tears to fall. “What the hell?” he says pulling back from me. “Jesus, what’s going on?” His eyes frantically search my face looking for answers. I wish he could tell just by looking at me, so I wouldn’t have to say the words.

“You better sit,” I say, wiping my eyes. He sits on the bed pulling me onto his lap.

“Talk.” I’m silent. I can’t find the words. “Angel, please. I’m freaking the fuck out here. I need to know what’s going on.”

“I’m pregnant,” I blurt out. The colour drains from his face then his body goes rigid. He sits in silence for a few seconds; it feels like an eternity.
Say something please.
He lifts me off his lap and stands.

“What?” he snaps, fisting his hands in his hair. “You can’t be.” My gaze drops to the floor. I can’t bear to look at him. The tone in his voice is enough to tell me he’s not happy. “Well I am. The doctor just confirmed it,” I whisper.