Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 84203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
“You can,” I murmur into her ear. “You can for Ellie. She comes first. Maybe one day...” I trail off, stopping myself, not wanting to give either of us false hope.
“Thank you for loving me,” she says softly, kissing my neck. “For not giving up on me and tearing down my walls. Before you, I didn’t know what it felt like to be in love, but you showed me more love in these past few months than I’ve felt in my entire life.”
“Loving you is as easy as breathing,” I tell her, not for the first time.
We stay like this for several minutes, and then, because we don’t want the moment to end, I put my shirt on her and carry her to our bathroom where we shower together. We stand under the water until it turns cold and then for a little while after that.
When we can’t delay the inevitable any longer, I tell her I’m going to touch base with my contact, and she tells me she’s going to check on Ellie.
I’m on the phone when Sienna tears into my office, horror etched in her features. “She’s gone,” she stammers. “Ellie’s gone.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
SIENNA
It’s been over three days since Ellie walked out the door. During which time I’ve gone from hating myself for being too consumed by Micah to notice her leaving, to being pissed at my sister because she’s not a damn baby and knows better, to hating myself for being pissed at her because being pissed at her won’t bring her home.
Micah and his team of men were able to confirm she went to see Eleazar. The cameras showed her leaving the penthouse, going down the elevator, and stepping outside the building, and Micah’s contact at the PD was able to get her on camera getting into a taxi that dropped her off at Eleazar’s front gate.
Micah has reached out to Eleazar, but he’s not responding, and his guard on duty said he’s not accepting any visitors. He had her phone tracked, but it was a dead end, so it’s probably been destroyed. Eleazar might be a piece of shit, but his family didn’t get to where they are by being dumb.
“Here, try to swallow a bit of ginger ale,” Donna says, rubbing my back. I’m currently situated with my body wrapped around the porcelain bowl wondering how I’m still throwing up when there’s no way there’s anything left in my body.
“Thank you,” I tell her, sitting back against the cool tile wall. “The stress of Ellie missing is really getting to me.”
Donna purses her lips, and I can see it in her features that she’s about to say something I’m not going to like. “Do you think it’s possible that your sickness isn’t due to stress?”
“Like what?” I ask, sipping the warm drink.
“Like, maybe...you’re pregnant.”
Without even having to think about it, I say, “No, I’m on birth control. Maybe I have a flu bug or something, though.”
She nods but doesn’t look convinced. She’s been with me the past three days, holding my hair back, patting my neck with cool washcloths, all while Micah works around the clock to find Ellie.
“Okay, well, I brought this.” She pulls a pregnancy test out of her purse and sets it on the counter.
“I’m not—”
“I know,” she says, “but just in case, it’s here if you want to take it.” She pulls me into her arms and hugs me tightly. “Micah is going to get Ellie back. I just know it. There’s nothing that boy wants that he doesn’t get when he’s motivated.” I chuckle at that, knowing what she’s saying to be true.
“I’m going to the store to pick up some things and then I’ll be back later with dinner. Do you need anything?”
“No, thank you.”
“Okay, rest. I know it’s easier said than done, but your sister needs you healthy.”
After she leaves, I stare at the test on the counter, wondering if there’s any truth to what she said. I think back to the last time I got my period. It was a few months ago, before I got on birth control, but my periods have never been regular, so I didn’t think anything of it.
Is it possible? I guess there’s only one way to find out.
PREGNANT
The bold capital letters fill the screen on not one, not two, but three tests. I’m pregnant. I did everything I was supposed to do and still ended up pregnant.
I stare at myself in the mirror, my hand going to my still flat belly. There’s a baby in there. I can’t see it or feel it. But it’s in there. A baby that Micah and I created. A baby who will need love and attention, who will need to be nurtured and cared for. There’s so much that can go wrong. A million ways we can mess up this baby’s life.