The other test has a plus sign too, which seals the deal, but why didn’t Courtney say anything to me? She didn’t seem any different, but then again, we only got to sleep together for a few hours before she left for work. I pull my phone out of my pocket and send her a message.
D: Hey, sweetheart! How’s your day going?
C: Hey, baby! It’s going good! I miss you though :( Jayden has been talking nonstop about the party ALL day! It’s actually pretty hilarious. He’s like a superfan of Kayla now.
D: That’s great. Anything else going on? You feel okay?
C: Yeah, I’m fine. Why?
D: Just making sure. I gotta head to work. Love you!
C: Love you, too!
Hm…well that didn’t help me any. She hasn’t been acting sick or anything from what I’ve noticed, but maybe it’s too early in her pregnancy for that. Shit, I don’t know. As soon as I get to work, I head to Logan’s office and knock on his door.
“Yeah?” he shouts.
“Hey, can I come in?” I peek my head inside.
“Yeah, man. Come sit.” He points a finger to the chair across his desk. “How’s it going?”
“Good. How are things here?”
“Meh. They’re fine. I spoke to the head detective on your case in Vegas. They think they’ll have enough footage to help build your case. They found the bartender, but he’s not talking.”
“So, how does that help us?”
“They’ll interrogate him, tell him what we know, show him the footage and tell him what charges he faces—he’ll talk,” he says confidently. “He lawyered up, which tells me right away he’s guilty of helping her, so unless he’s willing to do jail time for her, he’ll make a deal and give us all the information we need.”
“Wow, that’s great. Sounds like it might actually come together.”
“Yeah, I’m certain it will. These things just take time and the waiting process sucks, but I have no doubt we’ll get them both.”
“Well, good, I could use a distraction right now.”
“Why, what’s going on? Trouble in paradise?” He smirks. “Not that Courtney isn’t a delight to be around.”
I laugh, brushing my fingers through my hair and flashing an apologetic smile. “Yeah, she can be rough around the edges when she’s after something—like secrets.”
“I thought she was going to back me in a corner and threaten my balls until she got what she wanted out of me.” He shifts in his seat just thinking about it, and I snicker at the way his eyes widen.
“I might just know something about her and she doesn’t know I know,” I try and explain, although I know it’s not coming across the way I’m meaning to. “I found something out and now I don’t know what to do about it.”
“Well, what is it?”
I cross my leg over my knee and my jaw tenses. “I found a pregnancy test in the trash this morning.”
“Oh, shit. What’d it say?”
“It had a big plus sign on it, so I’m thinking it’s positive. They both did.”
“There were two?” His high-pitched voice has me sinking lower into my chair. “Fuck, man. So, I guess congratulations are in order? Unless you’re not happy about it?” he asks, checking my mood. It’s been on my mind since the moment I saw it, but I haven’t really processed my feelings about it. I need Courtney’s confirmation to really believe it, I think.
“I think I am. Shocked, mostly. I want to tell her I know, but when I texted her earlier, she acted totally normal. I don’t know why she wouldn’t tell me something like this.”
“Oh, man, you can’t tell her you know.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because chicks are weird when it comes to finding out they’re pregnant. They want to put on this whole grand pregnancy gesture display. They buy a onesie or bib with the words DADDY on it and make a special dinner with hints like serving baby carrots and baby back ribs and then balloons fall from the ceiling in neutral colors and there’s basically a parade happening in your living room before she finally spills the news.”
“Jesus.” I release a deep breath. “Well, if that’s the case, then maybe I’ll wait until she’s ready to tell me, but it’s not going to be easy pretending I don’t know.”
“Probably helps when you work opposite hours during the week, at least,” he offers, and I nod in agreement.
“Yeah, but it’s going to be eating at me until then. I wish I had an idea when a day shift was opening.”
“I think Whinburgh’s headed out soon. I just got an invitation for his retirement party,” Logan tells me.
“Really? Maybe I should stop in and speak to the chief before he heads out.”
“Good luck. He’s been in a mood lately.”
Great.
I run into the chief on my way out and give him the CliffsNotes version of the situation and why I’m eager to find out if my request for days will be decided soon or not. He assures me he’ll know within the week and I thank him for considering me. I need this now more than ever.