Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 47191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 189(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 189(@250wpm)___ 157(@300wpm)
Chapter 22
Lily
I may have grumbled the entire time I stomped to our bathroom after drinking two full glasses of water to get my bladder to agree with what I’m having to do, but I’m not really aggravated. I’m freaking ecstatic. I don’t think anything could get me down, well, except maybe if these tests come back negative.
“Lily, don’t keep me waiting.” Beau is putting the groceries away, but apparently, he’d rather mother-hen me instead.
“Oh my gosh, the food will sour, and I’m trying to pee. Go away, Beau Byrd, go away!” I’m laughing the entire time as I rip open each pregnancy test, three by the way, because Beau wasn’t wrong. We needed to make sure, and who knows, one could give a false positive.
“I’m going, but don’t keep me waiting.”
“Too bad. They take three to five minutes till they’re able to be read!” I holler back. Once I have all the tests ready, I do what the instructions say, and there is absolutely nothing pretty about trying to pee on a stick, holding it for so long, stopping and repeating it three times. If Beau had demanded to be in here, it would have never happened. I would have made him wait until I got an appointment with the doctor’s office.
I finish, placing the caps on the tests, laying them on the counter, then take care of everything else before heading out to grab Beau so he can come wait with me.
“Beau.” I’m walking down the hall. He’s standing with his back against the counter, phone held up to his ear, forehead crinkled as if he’s deep in thought. I take him in. Even though he looks like something is deeply unsettling him, he’s still a force to be reckoned with. Flannel shirt on top of a white T-shirt, dark jeans, worn from many wears and washes, and a pair of boots. Even when I tell him he should take them off before entering the house that I just cleaned, there are a lot of things he’ll do for me, but taking his shoes off at the door in the middle of the day is not one of them.
“Yeah, thanks for letting me know, Graham.” Those words knock me out of my reverie.
“Is everything okay?” I ask the moment I see Beau putting his phone on the counter.
“Yeah, come here though, please.” His voice is raw, as if he’s choking up.
“Okay, but you’re scaring me, Beau.” My feet move until I’m standing right in front of him.
“You don’t have to be scared, not anymore. Graham just got off the phone with another police station. Seems they apprehended Chad on another warrant, one that was way worse than what Graham had him out on him. Seems you weren’t the first or even the second, maybe not even the third. He’s left a trail of restraining orders, and there’s a woman who went missing. The evidence is leading back to him.” Beau’s arms are around me, mine around his waist, and my head is where it normally is—right over his heart. Hearing it beat gives me a semblance of peace.
“Oh God, is there anything we can do to help?” My heart is literally aching for the other women, especially the one who’s missing.
“No, Graham has all the evidence from you. The only thing we can do is sit and wait. I’m really hoping they won’t have to bring you in for a deposition of some kind, but it may come to that.” Beau holds me a little longer until my cell phone that I left in the bathroom keeps going off.
“Are you ready to go see what all three tests say?” I’m trying to break the heaviness for the both of us. I know I’ll be saying an extra prayer for the other women involved in what has happened. I wish they all had a man like Beau to protect them. He’s definitely one of the good ones.
“Yeah, let’s go see them.” We walk together, his arm wrapped around my shoulder, mine where it usually is. We reach the entrance to the bathroom in what seems like seconds.
“Ready?” Beau grins.
“With you, always.” I breathe in, then let it out.
“You look,” I tell him at the last minute, closing my eyes.
“Alright, I’ll look and then tell you,” Beau states, but his hand finds mine. Mine are sweaty, but he doesn’t seem to care.
“Look at me, honey.” I open one eye.
“Both eyes, Lil.” I open them, and his eyes are what I’m met with. He’s hunched down, so we’re at eye level.
“They’re negative, aren’t they?”
“No, honey, and even if they were, we’d just keep trying. But, Lil, they’re all positive. You’re pregnant, baby.” Tears are running down my cheeks, and Beau is trying to wipe them away as they continue to fall.
“Oh my God! We’re having a baby. I love you, Beau!” I jump into Beau’s arms, so excited and thankful that we’re creating a life together.