Sam raised an eyebrow. “Being happy isn’t a crime, Raina. You don’t have to pretend like it’s no big deal. Whether you’re ready for it or not, I think you’ve found your soul mate.”

“You know why we got married, Sam.” Raina stabbed her fork into what was left of her eggs.

“I know what you told me and I also know that you feel more for him than that. We’ve been friends too long for you to fool me. I wasn’t sure about him in the beginning, but I’ve seen the way he treats you. The way he looks at you. For what it’s worth, you’ve got my blessing.” With that, he kissed her on the forehead and went back downstairs.

Raina decided to put her earbuds in and listen to music while cleaning up the kitchen. After the embarrassing dancing incident, she was leery of playing her music out loud anymore. She was just lucky Nick hadn’t thought to videotape her.

After everything was pristine, she went upstairs and flopped down on her bed.

It was time to see what other popular culture she’d missed out on. She scrolled through the list of movies available to rent. She’d already watched a lot of them but was hoping to find something different this time. There were several horror flicks available, but she figured they might not be the best choices. She was supposed to be relaxing, after all.

Finally she gave up and clicked on an old romantic comedy she’d already seen. She laughed along with all the hijinks and sighed at all the sappy romantic spots. It was completely unrealistic but it was the perfect diversion for a lazy afternoon.

She woke a few hours later, slightly disoriented and with an urgent need to use the bathroom.

“It’s no wonder with all this water I’m drinking. I feel like all I do is take vitamins, sleep, and pee.”

Still a bit sleepy, she stumbled into the bathroom and sat on the toilet. When she looked down, she blinked twice before standing and yanking her shorts back up. She went to the sink and took a few deep breaths, trying to hold back tears. It took a few minutes of deep breathing before she felt calm enough to move.

Then she reached beneath the counter and pulled out the box of tampons sitting next to her hairdryer.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

NICK PULLED INTO the driveway and grabbed his briefcase. He was running late and had little time to think of what to make for dinner. Raina had been pretty tired lately and he wondered if she was pregnant already.

Just the thought brought a smile to his face. It was hard to believe, but he was more than ready to be a father. He couldn’t wait to see Raina swell up with his child.

He opened the door and stopped when he saw Sam standing there. It was still a little weird to have another dude living with them, but he’d come to appreciate that Sam was there to look out for Raina when he couldn’t. “Hey. Everything okay?”

Sam shook his head. “No. Raina needs you.”

Nick dropped his stuff at the base of the stairs. “Oh, did she ask for me?”

“She doesn’t know how to ask for help when she needs it. That’s why I’m telling you. She needs you.”

“Okay,” Nick said. Sam seemed to be a good guy but he’d never seemed all that interested in chatting with Nick before. For him to approach him now was incredibly odd. He glanced behind Sam. “Where is she, anyway?”

Sam pointed up the stairs. “In the nursery. Ripping all the decorations down.”

“What? She spent days putting them up.” Nick turned and took the stairs two at a time. He pushed the nursery room door open and peered around the frame hesitantly.

Raina stood on a small footstool, stretching up to reach the teddy-bear appliques on the wall. She peeled one off, then balled it up and dropped it on the floor. She got down, moved the footstool a little to the right, and then repeated the process. A small pile of crumpled liners lay at her feet already.

“Raina? What are you doing, sweets?”

She paused at the sound of his voice and then ripped another teddy bear down. “I’m taking all this crap down.”

Nick walked farther into the room. “Why? We’ll need it soon. Or did you decide you don’t like it anymore? We can choose another theme.”

“I got my period today, Nick. I’m not pregnant.” She yanked off another decoration. “I’m never going to be pregnant.”

His heart sank. Then he ached inside as he watched her stroke a finger over the teddy bear she was holding before she balled it up.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I know how much you were hoping this time was the charm. I was, too.”

She looked at him then, her eyes bright with tears. “I know you were. I understand if you want to get a divorce. I understand—”

Nick crossed the room and snatched her off the stool. “Don’t ever say that. Ever.”

“Nick, it’s time for us to face facts. I’m probably not going to get pregnant. It was a long shot anyway.”

“You don’t know that. This is only the third month we’ve tried. We just have to be patient. It takes time.”

She shoved away from him. “Don’t you tell me it takes time. People always say that like they have some crystal ball. It’s easy to say that when you don’t know how it feels to be disappointed over and over again. It’s easy to say that when it’s not your fault!”

She pushed away and went back to her step stool, tearing the last teddy bear down with a curse. Then she grabbed the edge of the border lining the ceiling and yanked. There was a loud, ripping sound as it detached from the wall.