Page 34 of Crew

“All right.” I tapped out an order from a place we both liked. We had become so in sync that I didn’t even need to ask him what he wanted me to order for him.

He leaned his head back and let out a sigh. “Off days are nice.”

“You’re not the one who’s been playing like shit. I should still be at the field practicing.”

His gaze flicked over to me. “It’s only because you’ve been in your head.”

“Still feels like I’m just sitting here waiting to get bad news I didn’t ask for.”

He turned to face me fully. “I know that’s what it feels like, but no matter what happens, you’ll deal with it.”

I nodded once, because I wasn’t sure what else to do.

Then my phone vibrated.

I reached for it, expecting some random notification or an update on our lunch order, but the email preview made my stomach drop.

Lab Results - Stratton, Crew

I stared at the screen, my pulse hammering in my ears. My chest felt too tight, like I couldn’t get enough air.

Singleton shifted next to me. “What is it?”

I swallowed, my throat dry. “It’s the results.”

“You don’t have to look right now if you’re not ready.” He squeezed my thigh.

I let out a shaky breath. “Yeah, I do.”

The email was short, nothing more than a link to a secure portal. I clicked on it, my hands unsteady as I fumbled to type in my login. My password wasn’t accepted the first time, or the second. I forced myself to slow down and focus, until finally, the page loaded.

Paternity Test Results: Exclusion.

I read it twice, then a third time, my brain catching up in slow motion.

Not the father.

Not mine.

The pressure that had been building for nine days lifted and I thought I was going to pass out. The phone slipped onto the couch beside me as my head fell back against the cushions and I blew out a sigh of relief.

It was over.

“Well?” he urged.

“I’m not the father.”

He moved closer, his hand resting lightly on my chest. “That’s the news you wanted. Why aren’t you jumping for joy?”

My gaze was still locked on the ceiling as I tried to wrap my head around the news. “I think I’m in shock or something.”

He smiled and then leaned in, brushing his lips over my jaw. “I get it. But we don’t have to think about it anymore, right?”

“Never again.”

“Good,” he murmured, his hands sliding up my sides, fingers tracing the contours of my ribs. “Then let’s make tonight about something else.”

A slow smirk tugged at my lips. “Got something in mind?”