Page 34 of Come Around
I take a deep breath and follow the instructions, my heart hammering against my ribs. Two minutes to wait. Two minutesthat stretch into eternity as I perch on the edge of the bathtub while my stomach churns.
The timer on my phone chimes softly.
Time to face the truth.
I stand on wobbly legs and approach the counter with my heart in my throat. One line means no. Two lines means yes. I peer down at the small window and the world stops spinning.
Two lines. Clear as day.
I’m pregnant.
A strangled sound escapes me – half laugh, half sob. My fingers grip the counter as a surge of dizziness washes over me.
This is real. There’s a tiny life inside me. A perfect blend of me and Axel, created during nights of passion that felt more like destiny than chance.
I open the bathroom door and step back into the bedroom. Axel stands by the window, his tall frame silhouetted against the morning light. He turns immediately, his dark eyes finding mine with laser focus.
“Sami?” His voice is rough with tension.
Words fail me. Instead, I hold out the test, those two pink lines facing him. His eyes drop to the plastic stick in my hand, widening as he processes what he’s seeing. For a breathless moment, neither of us moves.
Then his face transforms. The anxiety melts away, replaced by a joy so pure and unfiltered it takes my breath away. His smile breaks across his face like sunrise over the mountains – gradual, then all at once blindingly beautiful.
“We’re having a baby?” He says it like he can’t quite believe it, though he’s the one who bought the test.
I nod, still unable to speak past the lump in my throat.
Axel crosses the room and sweeps me into his arms with enough force that my feet leave the ground. Then he spins me ina circle, and his laughter mingles with mine as the room blurs around us.
“I love you so much, Sami,” he whispers, his voice raw with emotion. “So fucking much.”
A fresh wave of tears spills over as his words sink in.
“I love you, too.” The truth of it resonates through my entire body. “I didn’t think it was possible to feel this much this quickly, but I do.”
He kisses me then, soft and sweet and full of promise. When he pulls back, his eyes are suspiciously bright.
“We’re going to be a family.” He places another gentle kiss on my forehead. “You, me, and our baby. And I’m going to take care of both of you for the rest of my life.”
We stand there holding each other, his heartbeat steady against my cheek. In this quiet moment, I feel something settle inside me – a certainty I’ve never experienced before. This whirlwind romance, this impossible connection that defied all logic and caution, has transformed into something permanent. Something real.
“What are you thinking?” Axel’s voice rumbles through his chest.
“That maybe some things don’t need time.” I place my hand over his, where it rests on my stomach. “Maybe some things just need to be right.”
He smiles against my hair. “Like the Fit Mountain curse.”
“Like the curse,” I agree, thinking of how Ruby described it – one look and a mountain man knows. “I think I finally understand what she meant.”
Outside the window, the mountains rise against the clear morning sky, solid and unchanging.
Fifteen days ago, they were just scenery to me. Now they’re home. Just like this man holding me, just like the tiny life growing inside me. Home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling. And despitethe speed of everything, I’ve never felt more at home than I do right now, in Axel’s arms, carrying his child, with a future full of love stretching out before us.
And somehow, that feels exactly right.
The End