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.Weweren t trying, but obviously, we weren t not trying.IfI ve calculated right, we ll be a family of six next I ve calculated right, we ll be a family of six nextJanuary, right about the time the inn has its firstanniversary. Can I tell Hope? I m going to see her later, but I llswear the vow of silence if you want. I ll let you know once I ve taken the test.You can tellher right after I tell Beckett. Vow of silence until.This is such good news.Good,happy news, she added with another huge hug forClare. I m not going to stop by to see the demo beforeI go.I don t want to risk it.I talk to no one.I ll be backin a couple hours.Oh boy! Think, oh girl. Clare laughed. I know it s silly, butGod, I d love to have a girl this time. Thinking pink. She gave Clare a last hug. I ll beback as soon as I can. Thanks.Wait, it s pouring.Let me get you anumbrella. It s okay.I ve got one in the car. She ran out, wassoaked through before she got behind the wheel.But she grinned all the way out of town.* * *OWEN LEFT THE crew to the demo, did a quick passthrough the bakery project.Mostly on schedule, he through the bakery project.Mostly on schedule, henoted, and with Ry at one helm, Beckett at the other, hewas free to drive into Hagerstown for materials, knockoff some personal errands and the ones his brothershad added to his list.He didn t much mind the multiple stops morematerials meant more progress.He didn t much minddriving in the rain.It could ve been the snow currentlyhammering the northern part of the county and up intoPennsylvania.He d had enough of snow, enough of winter, so he dtake the rain.He hoped Avery hadn t ignored the umbrella, as heknew she d be doing just what he was doing.Multiplestops, multiple parking lots and dashes into stores,crossing off chores.Too bad they couldn t have gone together, but thestops didn t match up well enough to make it practical.Ifthe weather guys were right, they were in for a full dayof rain, a full night of it.He remembered Avery hadscheduled herself to work, and to close.He could grabdinner at Vesta after work, use her apartment to finishup paperwork while she was downstairs.Stay at her place.He had to remind himself not to assume, but damn it,he d reached the point he wanted to assume.He wantedher to do the same.Why shouldn t they? Why wouldn t they? But he Why shouldn t they? Why wouldn t they? But hecouldn t shake the certainty that she d braked on thatparticular step and wasn t quite willing to take the next.Then again, he had to admit the step they d stoppedon was pretty comfortable.He swung off for hardware, put an order in forlumber, picked up paint, then carpet samples for theover-the-bakery apartments.He streamed through his list, making a circuit, makinghis last stop the drugstore.He clicked through his ownitems, added Ryder s shaving cream, Beckett s Motrin,tossed in a couple of fresh sets of playing cards tosupplement the naked women cards he d already boughtfor Beck s poker night bachelor party.He started to turn down the next aisle, and spottedAvery.It gave his heart a quick lift, to see her like this,unexpectedly and made him shake his head when henoticed her damp hair.She hadn t used the umbrella after all.He thought he d ease down to her, come up behindgrab her.Imagined her reaction the jolt, the squeak,the surprise, then the laugh.She was concentrating so hard, he thought, amused,trying to figure out which.pregnancy test to buy.Jesus Christ.It was his last clear thought as he watched her takeone off the shelf, give it another long study, front and one off the shelf, give it another long study, front andback, then add it to her basket.He stood exactly where he was, rooted to the floor asshe strolled away down the aisle, turned the next corner.A home pregnancy test? But she took.He used.How could.?Avery pregnant? How could she be pregnant? Well, heknew how, but she d never said anything.Never gavethe slightest hint she thought maybe.She just picked up the am-I-or-aren t-I kit and addedit in with her shower gel and shampoo and mouthwash.Just another item on the list?He wanted to go after her, ask her what the hell.Not the time or place, he told himself.Not the rightframe of mind since he couldn t decide what his frame ofmind was, exactly.He stared down at the things in his own basket,couldn t think what to do, couldn t think at all.Numb, alittle shaky in the knees, he set the basket aside, and leftwithout buying a thing.* * *HE WENT BACK to the new job site, put his back into thedemolition.It was hard to beat tearing out walls as atension reliever.He hauled out hunks of drywall, lengths tension reliever.He hauled out hunks of drywall, lengthsof splintered framing, personally busted up an oldcounter.And still felt shaky, frustrated, and tense as a wireabout to snap.Avery.Pregnant.How long did one of those tests take? How accuratewere they?He wished he d taken the time to look up the answers,give himself at least that much solid ground.First, if she d bought a pregnancy test, she had reasonto think she might be pregnant.Women didn t buy thatkind of thing on a whim.Did they? Why would they?People bought Band-Aids before they cut themselves,but didn t buy pregnancy test kits before they thoughtthey were pregnant.So since she had reason to think she was, why hadn tshe mentioned it? Just say: Owen, there s a possibility Icould be pregnant, so I m going to buy a pregnancy testand find out.She had to be freaked out.Except she hadn t lookedfreaked-out.She d looked calm, he remembered.She d even smileda little as she d added it to her basket.Did she want to be pregnant?Thought she might be, liked the idea.She d decided Thought she might be, liked the idea.She d decidednot to say anything until she knew one way or the other.If she wasn t, he supposed she d planned not to mentionit at all.And that didn t seem right, no, that didn t sitwell with him.If she was pregnant, he imagined she d let him knowwhenever she wanted to let him know.Not telling himthe maybe left him in the dark or would have withoutthat mutual trip to the CVS so she got to choose if andwhen.That didn t sit well, not one bit.When you factored in what her mother had done,shouldn t she, of all people, know the father (Jesus,maybe he was going to be a father) had a right toknow? There were two people involved in this, not justAvery.They weren t casual sex pals or an impulsive one-two- or three-night stand.They were.He wasn t absolutely sure now that he considered it,but they were in more than a casual, get laid now andagain relationship.Whatever they were, trust and honesty had to be keyelements.She hadn t trusted him enough to tell him about hermother s visit until he d put her back to the wall, heremembered.Instead, she d holed up, walled off, shuthim out.If she thought she could pull that on something likethis, she was in for a major attitude adjustment. this, she was in for a major attitude adjustment. Son of a bitch! He heaved broken plywood into theDumpster. Okay. Beckett came up behind him. You haven tworked off whatever it is, so spill it. You want me to spill it? In a rare show of temper,Owen kicked the Dumpster. I ll spill it.Avery spregnant. Holy shit. Glancing around as one of the crew cameout, Beckett waved the man off before taking Owen bythe arm and pulling him under the overhang and out ofthe rain. When did you find out? Today.This morning.And you know how I foundout? You know how because she doesn t fucking tellme? I found out because I walked into the goddamnCVS, and there she is, picking up one of thosepregnancy tests. Christ, Owen
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