Page 72 of Unmasked Anarchy

She launches into the spiel—I can keep it, but I don’t have to.There’s time to decide, there are safe ways, there are counselors.

“What about DNA?”

The words come out as a hoarse whisper and Kael flinches, but he doesn’t say anything.Her eyes widen for a second, then she glances sideways at Kael, then back to me.“If you want, there are tests we can do during the pregnancy to determine paternity,” she says.

My mouth is a desert.“How early can you tell?”

“There are noninvasive prenatal tests as early as nine weeks.We take a blood sample from you and from the potential fathers.It’s very accurate.Would you like information about that?”

I nod again, holding the ultrasound photo, my fingers numb.

She says someone will be in to talk about it and leaves.Just like that, the room is empty except for Kael and the ticking of the blood pressure machine.I can’t stand the silence so I fill it.

“I didn’t know,” I whisper.“I don’t know what to do.”

He reaches out to me, big fingers curling around mine.“You don’t have to do anything yet.Or ever, if you don’t want to.”

I want to say it’s not about want.

“If it’s yours?”I manage to grind out.

His eyes flash.“You know I want you, Sable.That baby is part of that.”

He isn’t saying if it’s his, or if it’s not.He is simply saying if it’s part of me, it’s part of him.

“What if it’s Gage’s baby, Kael?That’s going to be a problem, you know it will.He won’t just walk away.”

“Wouldn’t expect him to,” Kael mutters.“We’ll cross that road when we come to it.For now, let’s just wrap our minds around this, yeah?”

He releases me and steps back.“I gotta run, I’ll be back later.”

Then just like that, he’s gone.

He leaves and I know it’s because he is struggling with what he just heard.I don’t blame him, but it hurts all the same.

I stare down at the picture, and I cry.

God dammit.

I can’t lose him when I just got him.

I can’t.

~*~*~*~*~