The Last Hard Boy (The Hard Boys 3)

There was something different about today though. He saw the nerves on her face and he had to wonder what was going on.

“Andy, baby,” he said.

She came toward the doorway. “What is it?”

He patted the bed beside him. He wasn’t beneath the covers.

Andy moved closer, taking the seat beside him.

He took hold of her hands, kissing her knuckles. “Do you want to tell me what is going on?”

“Nothing’s going on. Everything is fine. Please, do not worry about it.”

“Andy,” he said. “Tell me.”

“It’s not anything, okay? Nothing for you to be worried about.” She stood, and he saw her hands open and close.

“I er, I’m late.”

“Late?”

“For my … period. I’m late, and I know it has only been a couple of weeks, but I’m trying not to freak out.”

“You think you’re pregnant?” he asked.

She winced. “I don’t know. I’m taking the pill and normally my body is like clockwork, but the pill is not one hundred percent effective. You know?”

“Do you … want to go and get a pregnancy test?”

“I don’t want to leave you.”

“Then let’s go on a little trip,” he said. His heart raced.

He wasn’t upset at the prospect of her being pregnant, far from it. If she was pregnant, it would give him a big reason to propose to her.

Do you want to propose when she thinks you’re only doing it for the baby?

There had been so many moments in the past week alone when he could have asked her.

“You want to come with me?”

“I’m going to be the father. I think it’s only fair that I get to know what we’ve done.” Did that sound supportive?

He didn’t know anymore.

Shit.

Fuck.

This wasn’t how he imagined the start of his proposal. He wanted to go back to five minutes ago when he could have blurted out his question to her.

Now, he didn’t feel it was appropriate.

“Yes, of course. We will just head out to the pharmacy now.”

She left the bedroom and came back with his jacket. “Here we go.” She helped him into the jacket. The truth was, he could take care of himself. Even the doctor had told him he didn’t need a caregiver, to which he’d told him not to say anything unless Andy specifically asked.

Andy never asked.

Minutes later, he was in the car, but this time, she didn’t go so slow. They were at the pharmacy within minutes, but they parked outside, and Andy made no move to get out.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m fine.” She had a firm grip on the steering wheel, and he got the sense that she was far from fine.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

“I just realized that when I go in there, the whole town will know by the end of the day. They know we’re dating, Rome.”

He smiled. “You’re worried about a bit of town gossip?”

“No, it’s … what will your parents think?”

“They’ll call and ask if we have some good news to share. Do you want me to go in and get the test?”

“No. No. I can do this. I will do this.” She climbed out of the car, and he watched her go, wanting more than anything to be there, to show his support.

From the car, he watched as she looked through the shelves, picking out one test. He waited as she went to the counter, paid, and returned to the car.

She handed him the package, and then they were heading back to the house. Andy didn’t live too far.

Rome glanced at the time and made a prediction that he’d get a phone call or a visit from his mother within the next hour.

Andy helped him out of the car, and once they were inside, she told him to stay put as she made her way upstairs. This time, he wasn’t going to sit on his ass and wait. He did have to go on his ass to make it upstairs, but he got up to the floor, and with his crutches, he moved toward the bathroom, where Andy was leaning against the counter.

She spun around as he pushed the door open.

“Rome, you’re supposed to be resting.”

“Don’t be pissed at me, but I don’t actually need a nursemaid. I’m healthy. Just got a broken leg, which is already on the mend. I need to be here with you.” He stepped into the bathroom. “What do we do?” he asked.

“We wait.”

“I want you to marry me,” he said.

“Rome, we don’t even know what the test says.”

“I don’t care about the test.” He reached into his pants pocket. Before he’d gotten to the car, he’d removed the engagement ring from the small box and put the ring in his pocket. He’d kept it on him since his father had handed it to him in the hospital. Holding it out to her, he smiled. “I am in love with you, Andy Evergreen. I don’t care about the test. I’m not asking you to marry me because you’re pregnant. I’m not doing the right thing here.”