A Contract for His Runaway Bride

CHAPTER TWELVE

LINCOLNWASAWAREof Elodie’s silence on the way back to London. She kept assuring him she was feeling fine, but he wasn’t so sure. In the past, he would have been fooled by her assurances, but this time he wasn’t. She still looked pale, and she was huddled into herself as if she was in pain.

He knew from experience that a stomach virus could knock you sideways, leaving you listless and wan for days... He put his arm around her on the way to the car once they had landed in London. ‘I think we should get you to a doctor for a check-up, just to make sure you’re okay.’

Elodie pulled out of his embrace with a jerk that caught him off-guard. ‘Will you stop fussing? I told you I’m fine. I’m just tired from all the travelling.’

Her tone was sharp and impatient, but her expression didn’t match. There was a nervous flicker in her eyes and she didn’t seem to want to meet his gaze at all.

He decided against pressuring her. That was another thing he knew from experience—she didn’t take kindly to being told what to do.

The journey was mostly silent on the way to his house, but a few blocks before they got home Elodie asked if he would mind stopping while she picked up something at the local pharmacy.

‘What do you need?’

‘Just...female stuff.’ Her voice was little more than a mumble.

For a young woman who had spent years parading on catwalks in the skimpiest underwear and swimwear, Elodie could be surprising prudish about her monthly period.

Lincoln pulled into the next available parking space and turned off the engine. ‘Do you want me to go in for you?’

She reared back, as if he had suggested he walk into the pharmacy buck naked. ‘No. I’ll go. I won’t be long.’

She scurried out of the car before he could open the door for her and shut it behind her.

Lincoln waited on the footpath, holding the door open for her when she returned a couple of minutes later. She was carrying a paper bag in her hand and her head was down, her cheeks filled with more colour than he had seen in them for hours. She slipped into the seat and flashed him a thank you smile that didn’t make the full distance to her eyes.

Lincoln resumed the driver’s seat and continued on the journey home. He parked outside his house and turned off the engine. ‘I guess I should be feeling relieved you need those.’ He glanced at the package she was holding.

‘What?’ She looked at him blankly, her forehead still knitted with a frown.

‘Tampons and pads.’

‘Oh...right...yes...’

He flicked her another glance, but she was looking out of the side window. ‘Elodie?’

‘What?’

Her voice was little more than a croak, and she still didn’t look his way. But he noticed how tight her grip was on the package she was holding—the paper bag was crackling as if she was crushing crisps.

‘You don’t have to be shy about having your period. I did grow up with a sister, you know.’

The paper bag went silent and she turned to look at him. ‘I’m not having my period.’

There was a strange quality to her voice...an empty, hollow sound that sent a ghostly shiver across the back of his neck.

‘This is a pregnancy test.’

Lincoln stared at her with his mouth open, his heart beating like a drum set on some weird staccato rhythm. He could barely think about having a baby without a wave of panic coursing through him. He was to be a father?

He hadn’t considered the possibility for years. Seven years, in fact. He had once wanted a family like the one he had grown up in, but Elodie jilting him had made him reset his goals. When she hadn’t shown up at the church that day, everything had changed for him. He hadn’t been able to imagine wanting a family with anyone else. He had taught himself to be content with the thought of being an uncle to his siblings’ children rather than long for a dream he had lost and couldn’t get back.

But if Elodie was carrying his child...

‘You think you might be pregnant?’

‘I’m not sure...’ She swallowed and continued, ‘I’ve got some symptoms. I’ve had some bouts of nausea and I’m late.’

‘How late?’

‘A few days...almost a week.’

Lincoln looked at the package in her hands. ‘We’d better go in and do the test. The sooner we know, the sooner we can plan what to do.’

He got out of the car and came around to her side, opening the door for her. She alighted from the car and looked up at him with a frown.

‘What do you mean “plan”?’

He closed the door with a snap and took her by the elbow. ‘A pregnancy would change everything. We’d have to shift the goalposts on our marriage. We’d have to take out the six-months clause and make it permanent.’

Elodie tugged out of his hold. ‘Will you stop railroading me, for God’s sake? I don’t even know if I’m pregnant. We’ve been using condoms all the time.’

There was a beat or two of silence. Lincoln could hear his heart thumping and his stomach dropped. ‘Is there a possibility it’s someone else’s?’

Her face blanched of colour and she pushed past him to go to the front door. Lincoln let out a curse and followed her. He opened the door and she stalked inside and made her way straight up the stairs.

‘Elodie, you know I had to ask you that, right?’ Even to his ears, his voice sounded hoarse.

She turned on the fourth stair to look at him. ‘I know you did, but can we just wait until we see what the test says?’