Page 51 of Beyond Enemy Vows

Yay, but also

God himself couldn't keep me from you. See you soon.

I slide my phone back into my pocket and think,If he even thinks of touching her, I'll bury him with my bare hands.

15

CALLI

It's been four days since that stupid app pinged me with the words,

You're in full flow. Be kind to yourself.

Except, I'm not. No flow. No nothing. And I'm not being kind to myself, either.

I've been spiraling.

It could be stress. It could be nerves. But it also could be the one thing I can't even bring myself to say out loud. Every time I try to think the word pregnant, my mind blanks out like it's been hit with a power outage. And so instead, I've chosen to live in the smart realm of not-knowing, in a limbo of panic and denial.

I know it's bad, but ugh. Like what the hell. I dodged Keira for two days and she threatened to tell all my brothers on me if I didn't respond. I can't FaceTime her. She knows me too well. The last time I tried to hide something big from her, like when I lost my virginity, she knew something was up in the first thirty seconds of seeing me.

She's too good, but I know If anyone could help me figure this out without judgment, it would be Keira.

But not yet.

Also, I've been a bit snappy at everyone lately. Even the barista at my favorite coffee shop who added whipped cream to my latte felt some of it.

Mind you, it was whipped cream I normally love but now makes me nauseous.

Just like the smell of my brother's cologne. And the salmon my chef prepared yesterday.

I know I can't live in this void of not knowing. I'm going to have to figure this out.

A knock at my bedroom door makes me jump.

"Just a minute!"

I get out of bed and open my door.

Katerina stands there looking annoyingly fresh and put-together in white linen pants and a blue blouse, holding her baby.

"Pack a bag," she says without preamble.

I shake my head. "What?"

"Pack a bag," she repeats, smiling, already moving past me into my room. "Nothing fancy. Casual clothes, one nice outfit for dinner."

"What are you talking about?"

"Ares and I are flying to Athens for a few days. He's got business, we've got wine to drink, and some exploring to do."

"Wait, what? I can't. I've got... I've got things going on," I protest weakly. "Training, and?—"

"Training can wait," she says, perfectly mimicking Ares's authoritative tone. "Come on, Calli. The nanny's coming too, so we'll have a little girl time. Food, sunshine, history. And if you're lucky, a Greek man to flirt with."

She winks.

"Gosh," I say, trying to look like I'm considering it. "I just have some things to do."