“Then, I guess we’ll talk in five days,” she spat.
“If it’s mine—” Jonnas started.
“If it’s yours,” she cut in, “we’ll talk.” She was one hundred percent certain that they’d be having that conversation in five days, but she was done defending herself to Jonnas. She was done with him, basically calling her a liar. And she was done trying to figure out how the hell she was going to co-parent with a man who didn’t seem to trust her. That worked for her, though, because she didn’t trust him either.
He studied her for a long moment. “You don’t trust me.”
“No,” she said honestly. “But I want to believe that you’ll be true to your word. I guess I’m just sick of you not believing me, but this test will help prove that I’m telling the truth, and then we can deal with the rest—as long as you don’t disappear.”
Something flickered in his eyes. “I won’t disappear.” She nodded, not ready to believe him, but a part of her needed to.
As she turned toward her car, one hand drifted to her stomach as though she was already trying to protect her unborn baby. The question was—who or what did she think she needed to protect him or her from? Dani knew one thing—whatever happened next, this baby was already changing everything. The verdict was still up in the air if things were changing for better or worse, but she’d figure that out soon enough.
Jonnas
Jonnas hated waiting. He paced the length of his office for what had to be the hundredth time that morning, his tie loosened and his coffee cold on the desk behind him. Five days—it had only been five fucking days since the test at Mercy Hospital, but it felt like five years. Every time his phone buzzed, his stomach tightened. Every time a nurse knocked on his office door, he half expected it to be Dani standing there with tears in her eyes and the final verdict in her hand.
He’d always thought he was good under pressure. Years of running a hospital taught him how to stay calm while everyone else panicked. But this had him wound so damn tight he felt like he might snap. A sharp knock sounded at his door, and Elias walked in without waiting for permission, setting him on edge.
“You look like shit,” Elias announced.
“Thanks,” Jonnas muttered.
Elias dropped into the chair across from him. “I’m betting that you haven’t stopped pacing since I left here this morning.”
“Didn’t realize you were keeping track,” he said.
“You’re wearing a groove into the carpet,” Elias said.
Jonnas scrubbed a hand over his face and sat down, finally, leaning back in his chair. “I’m fine.”
“Bullshit,” Elias said. Jonnas glared at him, but Elias just shrugged. “You’re freaking out.”
“I’m not freaking out,” Jonnas said.
“You alphabetized your desk pens,” he said.
Jonnas looked down at the perfectly lined-up pens and cursed under his breath. “Fuck.”
“Exactly,” Elias said, as though he proved his point.
Silence stretched between them for a moment before Elias leaned forward. “So what’s really going on in that head of yours?”
Jonnas exhaled slowly. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“That’s new,” Elias drawled.
“Shut up,” Jonnas grumbled. Elias smirked but let him continue. Jonnas stared out the window overlooking the parking lot. “I keep thinking about her showing up here with that pregnancy test.” His jaw flexed. “She looked terrified, man.”
“She is terrified,” Elias said.
“Yeah.” Guilt twisted hard in his chest. “And I made it worse.” Elias didn’t argue with him there. “I accused her of lying.”
“You asked questions,” Elias countered. “Any man would.”
“I treated her like she was trying to trap me,” Jonnas reminded.
Elias sighed. “You were blindsided.”