Page 119 of The Merger

See? It’s fine.

I flip to the final page, relief settling on my shoulders. Nothing looks wrong. I actually look pretty damn healthy.

The name of the laboratory is printed across the top, along with the name of the pregnancy test. My name, age, sex, and an assigned number are below that. There are random letters, numbers, and a chart that I suppose makes sense to medical professionals. Nothing is alarming until I scan the middle of the page and see the word in all red caps: POSITIVE.

My world stops spinning.

I drop my phone and sink to the floor, my back dragging down the side of the bed. My hands cover my mouth as I try not to hyperventilate.

You have to breathe, Carys.

“I’m pregnant,” I say, barely getting the words out. “Oh, my God.”

My body trembles as my mind expands, working overtime in an attempt to think this through. But just as I take a breath, Gannon’s footfalls echo from the stairs.

I have to tell Gannon.

My face flushes as I recall our prior conversation about pregnancy.

“Tatum told me she was pregnant. I was stunned. Horrified at first, if I’m being honest.

When you build something without a foundation, it’s bound to fall.

If she hadn’t gotten pregnant, we would never have married.”

He’s going to hate me. He’s going to hate me just like he hated her.

What if he thinks I did this on purpose—like I’m another Tatum and using this to lock him in?

I gag, clasping my palm over my mouth to catch the vomit if it comes up.

“I can’t do this,” I whisper. “I can’t figure this out and have him angry with me.” I whimper, looking at the ceiling. “Please, God, don’t let Gannon be mad at me.”

Panic spreads slowly through my veins at the thought of losing him.

“I’m going to lose the best thing that ever happened to me,” I say, sniffling back tears.

I spent my whole adult life terrified of having children because I didn’t want to be forever attached to a man. I didn’t want to give someone that much of me. Now I’m terrified of losing a man that I would give my body and soul to in a moment.

I just wish I would’ve been strong enough to admit this earlier. Twenty-four hours ago would’ve been great. If I tell him that now, he’ll think I’m only saying it because of the baby.

The baby.

I think I’m going to faint.

“This is so unfair,” I say, dipping my head between my knees and crying. The tears are hot and flow like rivers down my cheeks. I’d give anything to have the floor open up and swallow me whole.

“Hey,” Gannon says, making me jump. My face snaps to his. “What’s going on?”

He’s standing in sweatpants with bare feet and no shirt, his hair a mess from lying around in bed with me most of the day. His eyes search mine for clues. The only clue I can give him is that I’m about to wreck our worlds.

“I didn’t do this on purpose,” I say, struggling to get the words out through the emotion clogging my throat. “Please believe me.”

“You didn’t do what on purpose?”

He drops to the floor, reaching for me to pull me onto his lap. I fight against it, an abnormal reaction that he picks up on immediately. He pulls his hands away with a wary look on his handsome face.

“Please tell me what’s wrong,” he says calmly.