Light (The Shadows Series) (10 page)

He rolls onto his side, taking me with him, and slowly pulls himself out and I’m immediately filled with dread. I don’t want him to leave, I want to stay right here in his arms. My stomach starts to knot and I roll onto my back. Nope. Not now. I take a couple of deep breaths in through my nose, and close my eyes. I can smell Theron wrapped around me. I take comfort in it; relaxing my mind, I drift to sleep.

“Eve. Come on, beautiful, I need you to wake up. You’ve got me worried, baby.”

Theron brushes his hand over my face, tucking my hair behind my ears. I start to sit up and then nausea hits me. Hard. My feet are tangled in the sheets, and I’m trying to kick them loose. I end up almost falling out of the bed, but I catch myself on the nightstand, as I make a run for the bathroom.

“Eve! Eve!” I can hear Theron yelling for me, but it is hard to answer with my head in the toilet. “Babe. What’s going on?”

I am sitting next to the toilet laying with the side of my face on the seat. Do not judge me. It feels great, and I’m currently not puking. Theron opens a drawer, and then I feel his hands run through my hair. He starts combing my hair, pulling it back into a ponytail. It’s such a simple gesture, but it means more than he knows. I love him so much.

“Is this why you had Evan come get you? You should have called me.”

“I’m sorry, babe. I wasn’t feeling well after lunch. Kayla and I got some sandwiches and when we got back to the store, I wasn’t feeling right. It has just gotten worse throughout the day.”

“Why didn’t you say something? We shouldn’t have done that when you got home. I can’t imagine how badly that had to have shaken up your stomach. Tell me if you aren’t feeling well. I’ll take care of you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Let me get you some clothes, and I’ll send Evan out for some soup.” He gently places a kiss on my forehead, and walks out of the bathroom. I gather my strength and stand in front of the sink. Catching my reflection in the mirror as I wash my face, I notice how pale I am. Guilt is staring at me from the corner of the room with its arms crossed over its chest. I know I should tell him, but I don’t think when I’m getting sick is such a good time. Later. I’ll tell him later. Theron stands in the doorway with clothes in his arms. “Come here. I’ll help you.”

Theron walks me over to the bed and helps me slip into some of his sweats and a t-shirt. Exhaustion starts to take over me and I scoot back onto the pillows. He sits beside me, brushing his fingers across my forehead. “Beautiful, I want to run something by you before I say anything to Evan.” I don’t want to talk, so I give him a small nod of my head. “Evan doesn’t have anywhere to go right now. He lived with Isa, but he doesn’t want to stay in the house. It’s too painful for him. So, I was thinking, since Gram left everything to me, then I could say where everything goes. Right?” My brows furrow with confusion. Where is he going with this? “What if you and I move into the big house, and I sign this one over to Evan. It would give us each our own space.”

“But, I don’t want my own space. I want my space to be with your space.”

Theron lets out a soft chuckle, turning onto his side, and pulls me to him. “That’s what I mean, babe. You and I in the big house and we will give Evan his space. If you want, you could redecorate.”

“No…I mean, no I don’t want to decorate. I love that house. I just have one question.”

“What’s that?”

“Can I live in the library?”

I feel his body vibrate against mine, as he lets out a deep, loud laugh. “As long as you’re with me, I don’t care.” The smile on Theron’s face is ear to ear. I think I just won the lottery. I’m glad I could make him smile, even though I know it will fade. Grasping my hand, he brings it to his lips, kissing it softly. “Evan should be here with your soup soon.”

“Babe, why did you wake me?”

“You were moaning in your sleep and your hair was soaked from sweat. I got nervous that something was wrong.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“You have to stop apologizing all the time. I’m going to go see if Evan’s here. I’ll be right back.”

I got nervous that I would feel alone again when he left the room, but I was okay. I knew he would be back. I need to get better control over my emotions. When they are in check, I feel so much better. I close my eyes and breathe in Theron’s scent, lingering on the pillow.

It’s so hot in here. I’m sweating. I sit up and pull the sheets off me. There’s a bowl of soup, a spoon, and a glass of water sitting on the nightstand. I take a sip of the water and I can feel it slide down into my stomach. I wait a few seconds, but nothing happens. I decide to make a go with the soup. The first bite is warm and it rushes down my throat. Oh. My. God. This is so good. I have no problem eating the entire bowl.

“Was it good?” Looking up, I notice Theron sitting at the end of the bed. I didn’t even notice him come into the room.

“So good.”

“I thought as much. I’ve never seen anyone eat soup so fast in my life. Are you feeling better?”

“A bit.”

“Kayla and your mom called. You didn’t answer your phone, so your mom called mine. She was really, worried about you. I told her you were fine and that I had you tucked into bed with some soup. She wants you to call her back.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“No need for thanks, it’s what I’m here for. I have some papers I have to go through for a little bit. Is it okay if I go over to Isa’s office, or do you want me here with you?”

“I’m just going to lay in bed, so go ahead and go to the office…I completely forgot about your meetings today. How did they go?” Once again, I was selfish and focused totally on me. I feel awful about not remembering his meetings.

“I got every signature that I need. Now, I just have to file everything and set up a meeting with the board as a whole. That’s when I’ll announce the purchase of Rowe Inc. There’s a good chance, I’m going to be swamped for a bit, but I promise it won’t always be like this. I’m going to head the company, but I’m going to stand back and let the board do most of the work. They’ve been doing it long enough they don’t need me. I have a couple of changes that I’m going to make, but that’s it.”

“What kind of changes?”

Theron takes the bowl out of my hands, and I lay back down on the pillows. “For starters, there will be no more buying companies and then selling them off piece by piece to the highest bidder. If we can’t make the company work for us, or we won’t earn a profit with them under us, then we won’t buy it. I’m not ruining other people’s lives for my monetary gain. I’m not sure of any other changes yet, but I know I will start with that one.” He pulls the sheet up loosely around me. Placing a kiss on the tip of my nose he whispers, “I love you, beautiful. Your phone is on the table if you want to call your mom. If not, it’s okay. I’ll let her know you’re sleeping.”

A smile spreads across my face, warming me from head to toe. “I love you, too.” Watching him walk away, I wait until I hear the front door shut, before I pick up my phone. I decide to call my mom first.

“Evelyn, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m alright. Theron got me some soup.”

“I take it you told him.”

Shit. She’s not going to like my response. “Not exactly.”

“Evelyn! You need to tell him. This isn’t just about you anymore.”

She’s right and I feel like shit. I wipe the few tears that have escaped off my cheeks, as I listen to her yell at me over the phone. “I know, mom. I’m sorry. I just—”

“Eve, please don’t cry. I don’t understand why you’re so scared. He loves you. If you don’t tell him soon, there’s a good chance this is going to blow up in your face.”

“I know. I was thinking I could go to the doctor first, you know. Then I could show him one of those ultrasound things when I tell him.”

“Eve, be honest with yourself. Don’t you think he would want to be there?”

I don’t answer her question, of course he would want to be there. I want him there. Why is this so hard to do? “Look, mom, I got to go. I’ll call you later.” Without waiting for her reply, I end the call. I might as well call Kayla, while I’m at it. She must have been waiting because she picks up on the second ring.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better. I was able to hold down some soup. I need some advice. Please, be nice.”

“On? Have you told him anything?”

“No. I don’t know how. I was thinking of making an appointment and having him come with me.”

“Hold that thought.”

“Why? Do you have a better idea?”

“Yes, I do. I am sending my aunt a text. You remember my Aunt Helen, right?”

“Yeah. She’s the one that lives in Chicago. The doctor your mom always brags about.”

“Yep, and not just any doctor. She is the exact kind of doctor that you need. She’s an obstetrician. Tomorrow, I’ll pick you up and we will drive over to her office. You can do your pee in a cup test and she can give you all those lovely pamphlets they hand out to pregnant moms. Then you have an official result, right?”

“Yes, but I don’t get why that’s going to help.”

“While we are there, you can schedule your first ultra sound. That way, Theron won’t miss it and you will have the physical proof you are so desperately wanting.”

“Kayla, I love you so much right now.”

“I know. When are you going to tell him about the notes?”

“Can we just focus on one thing at a time? Evan said he will look into it. Can we just drop the notes for a little bit? My plate is full.”

“Okay, sweetie. Don’t get upset. It’s probably not good for the baby, Eve.”

“Yeah?”

“Eve, you are having a baby! Oh my, God. This is so awesome! I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be excited with you all stressed out, but I am.”

Kayla is squealing into the phone. All I can picture is her bouncing around her place like a little pixie who has had way too much caffeine. “It’s okay. I’m excited, too.”

“You are?”

“Just a little. Listen, I’ll see you in the morning. I’m going to try to get some sleep before my dinner comes up.”

“Gross. Some things I just don’t need to know. Night, sweetie.”

I end the call with Kayla, and set my alarm for tomorrow morning. She didn’t say what time, but I know her. She is going to want to go first thing in the morning. I am not sure what I’m going to tell Theron, but I’m sure I’ll think of something by morning.

“
Are you sure you feel up to shopping today?”

“I am. I feel so much better.”

“I don’t know if it’s such a good idea. Just be careful, okay?”

“Okay. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

I keep replaying my conversation with Theron this morning repeatedly. My shoulders are still heavy with guilt from lying to him, and now that all familiar knot is starting to grow in my stomach. Of course, that could be from all of the water Kayla had me drink before we got here. She wanted to make sure I would have ‘reserves’ for the bathroom. I tried arguing, but it was a lost cause.

Kayla is sitting beside me, flipping through some tabloid magazine. I don’t know why reading lies about other people excites her, but to each their own. I have tried crossing and uncrossing my legs, absolutely nothing is helping, and now I’ve resulted to knee bouncing. If I pee in this chair, I am blaming Kayla.

“Miss Davidson?”

I look over at Kayla when the nurse calls my name. She squeezes my hand and offers me a smile with a side of pity. Grabbing my purse, I follow the nurse. She leads me to a room, and I take a seat on the exam table.

“Dr. Knox will be in here shortly. We were lucky to be able and squeeze you in today. Our schedule is full, but she insisted. So, here we are.”

Condescending bitch. Whoa. I’ve known this lady for a whole thirty seconds, and I already hate her. Taking a deep breath, I try to calm my nerves. It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks, I’m just here for a pregnancy test.

“Have you had any pregnancies or health issues in the past?”

“No. This is my first.” I’m not sure if she senses my nervousness, or if maybe I was just jumping the gun a little bit earlier, but her demeanor seems to change at my response.

“Well, this is exciting then, isn’t it? I’m going to have you take this cup with you down the hall and into the bathroom. I need you to urinate in the cup. Make sure you secure the lid, and then just set it on the metal ledge in the wall with the sliding door. While we wait for your results, I’ll go ahead and get your weight and blood pressure. Okay?”