Cherrie Lynn - Take Me On

Candace sat at his desk, her head in both hands and her hair sticking crazily through her fingers. Her damp eyes stared straight ahead, not acknowledging Gabby’s presence. Brian stood against the wall, inked arms crossed, looking as if he were gnawing the inside of his cheek.

“How are we doing in here?” Gabby asked, trying to sound as if she hadn’t just gone through an emotional trauma of her own.

“We’re okay,” Candace said dully.

“Dizziness? Nausea? Pain?”

“Nausea. That’s about it.” Join the club, honey. “Macy left to go get me a pregnancy test. She said she couldn’t stand it. She has to know.”

Gabby had an extra they could’ve used, but she figured that might raise some eyebrows. “I take it you don’t want to?” She chuckled. “Hey, at least you might rule it out.”

“You don’t think I will, though, do you?”

She wanted to laugh and say something like we Rosses are extremely fertile and potent creatures , but that might make them wonder.

“I don’t know, hon. Anything’s possible.”

“I keep telling her she should be happy about this,” Brian said, speaking up for the first time. “Whatever happens, it’s gonna be okay.”

That was surprising, coming from him. Especially now when he looked a little green. “He’s right, you know,” she said to Candace.

“I know. It’s just not ideal timing.”

“Well, they say if you wait for the ideal time, you’ll never do it.” It was the same thing she’d been telling herself since seeing that plus sign. Sure, she’d dreamed about it, but realistically, when would she ever have planned to have kids? After med school? Then she’d be a doctor with a crazy schedule. Married to another doctor with a crazy schedule, if she and Mark had worked out.

Plans. There was no place for them in her life anymore, it seemed. They never panned out, and the best things happened to her when she allowed herself to deviate from them. She hadn’t planned to spend a night of ecstasy with Ian when she first met him. Now he’d made her a mother.

Holy shit, a mother . There had been times when she treated sweet little babies in the nursery and positively ached to have one of her own to hold and smell and cuddle. Maybe she was hormonal, but she wanted to burst into tears with knowing that was soon to come for her, and maybe even for Candace. She’d have someone to go through this craziness with her.

Ian wanted to go through it with her too. That was…unexpected. But nice. She wondered what he would think if he knew the main thing that had been running through her mind while she faced him was that she wanted to maul him where he stood. Despite the high emotions, despite his story—or maybe because of it—she’d wanted him again with an intensity that shocked her. She wanted to take that pain he’d tried so valiantly to hide and eradicate it completely. Shower him with…love.

Jesus, she couldn’t go there. Not yet. But she wondered what he was doing right now, what he was thinking—

Macy rushed into the room with her boyfriend at her heels, rattling a white plastic drug store bag. “Got it! Or them. I got several.”

“The staff at Walgreens is thinking I’m the stud of the world,” Ghost said.

“Yeah, tell them about your winking and flirting with the girl at the counter while I’m paying for a bunch of pregnancy tests,” Macy said, rolling her eyes. “Can’t take you anywhere.”

“It was a joke! I couldn’t resist. Damn, she looked at me like I was a cretin. Y’all should have seen it.”

“Oh, I know. It was freaking hilarious. Just wait until it’s our turn. We’ll see how funny you are then.” She smacked Ghost on the arm and looked at her friend. “Ready to pee on a stick?”

“No.”

“Am I going to have to make you?”

“This I’d like to see,” Ghost said. “Wait, no…not that. I don’t wanna see that.”

“Candace,” Gabby scolded gently. “Go get it over with.”

Candace stood and rounded the desk, taking the bag from Macy on her way to the door.

“Do it and come back out,” Macy said, following her while practically bouncing on her toes. “We’ll wait on the results with you.”

Brian shot forward then, putting himself between Candace and her friend. “I’ll wait with her. You guys go back up front.”

Macy planted her hands on her hips. “Excuse me—”

“Come on, babe,” Ghost said, putting his arm around Macy’s shoulders and steering her toward the door. “This is between them.”

“But—”

“Sorry, Macy,” Candace said. “I just want to be with him. I’ll let you know in a few minutes.”

Macy looked crestfallen but allowed Ghost to guide her out without comment. Gabby followed them, glancing back to see Brian kiss Candace’s forehead before she went into the bathroom and shut the door. Once Brian was alone, though, leaning against the wall in pretty much the same position he’d taken in his office, she went back to him. He glanced up at her as she approached.

“This is scary as hell,” he said.

Didn’t she know it. “You said it, though, little brother. It’s going to be okay.”

“What happened to ‘little shit’?”

“It’s on hold temporarily.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I know it’s gonna be okay.”

“Imagine how happy Mom will be.”

“Oh, she’ll be over the fuckin’ moon.”

She’ll be over Pluto. Little do you know she’ll have two babies to snuggle at roughly the same time.

“Imagine how un happy Candace’s mom will be,” he said.

Gabby waved her hand dismissively. “Come on. This is almost worth it for that alone.”

That got a laugh out of him. “Right? Do you know how many lectures I’ve sat through about not knocking her up?”

“Tell her you can’t help it, you’re just that potent. That’ll shut her up.”

“Yeah. I’d love to see the look on her face.”

“Did you even take precautions?”

He shrugged. “She was on the pill. But she came down with strep throat a few weeks back and took antibiotics. I remember her saying something about us needing to be more careful, but I guess we weren’t. Looks like it may have caught up with us.”

“Yeah. That probably did it.”

The bathroom door opened, and Candace emerged, holding the little white stick in her hand. She stopped short when she saw Gabby. “I’ll go back up front,” Gabby said quickly, taking a step away.

“No, you can stay,” Candace said. The corner of her mouth lifted in a crooked smile. “The directions said we should wait five minutes, but I don’t think we need them. Unless this second pink line might go away in five minutes.” She held the little display up to Brian. “We’re pregnant.”

“Oh baby,” he breathed, encircling her with his arms and lifting her feet off the floor. She buried her face in his neck and sniffled.

And that was what Gabriella had wanted. Someone she loved, someone who loved her back, someone she trusted. Someone to take her in his arms and comfort her. Let her know with hardly any words it was all going to be okay.

But Ian had done that, hadn’t he? He’d tried. “Okay, I’m getting misty,” she said, giving Brian’s arm a pat. “I’ll leave you two alone.”

“I’m taking her home,” he said over Candace’s shoulder. “Tell Macy she’ll call her later.”

Probably a good idea. The second Gabby emerged from the hallway, Macy practically mobbed her. “Do you know? Did she tell you?”

“They’re going home. She’ll call you later.”

Macy huffed. “Well, it’s obviously positive, then.”

“Maybe, maybe not.” She looked past Macy to Ian, who lounged over by his station, not a single thing about his demeanor giving her an indication he suffered any emotional turmoil himself. “I’m going,” Gabby said, mostly to him, though Macy stood directly in front of her. “See you guys later.”