Chapter Thirteen

Gwen stared at the three pregnancy tests that she had lined up on her bathroom counter. Two were showing only one line and the other clearly said, “Not pregnant.” She felt a pang of disappointment even though she had no desire for a baby right now. Something about seeing the negative tests just seemed so final. She was already feeling a little dejected—or maybe the better word would be rejected—after not hearing from Dominic since he’d left two days earlier. It was now Thursday night, which meant after work tomorrow, she was planning to drive the two hours to visit her sister.

She wasn’t sure why, but somehow she’d seen this whole thing going differently a week ago. She imagined herself taking a pregnancy test, and then collapsing on the couch with relief when it was negative. Dominic would open a bottle of wine and they’d relax together, happy to have dodged a bullet. Then they’d have hot, crazy sex—with no condom mishap—before moving into a regular relationship.

Instead, Dominic had been out of town and hadn’t called her once. She was left to take a test alone and have the celebratory glass of wine solo, as well. She pondered calling him to let him know the good news, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Actually, she didn’t even care about the wine anymore. So, after a quick shower, Gwen was in bed by nine o’clock. As she curled her arms around the pillow that still smelled of Dominic’s musky scent, Gwen knew she had to accept the fact that he would likely leave her life before the smell of his cologne faded from her feather pillow.

*   *   *

As Gwen drove down her sister’s street, she took a few deep breaths to pull herself together. The last twenty-four hours had been an emotional roller coaster. With the negative pregnancy test, the arrival of her period to drive the point home this morning, and Dominic’s continued radio silence, she was well on her way to an epic pity party. She had decided last night to tell him the news when he returned, but she had since changed her mind. So, when she pulled her car to a stop, she grabbed her cell phone from her purse and quickly brought up his name. Instead of calling, she decided to send a text. It was more impersonal, and it seemed that their relationship had declined to just that level over the course of this week.

So, without any fanfare she typed, “Took test—not pregnant.” Her fingers hovered over the keys for another moment. It felt wrong to send such an abrupt message, but what was she supposed to say? Do you like me? Check yes or no. Where are you? Why haven’t you called? Yeah, those were just a few of the questions that she’d like to have answered. Instead, she quickly hit the SEND button, then proceeded to sit in the car in front of her sister’s house for an additional ten minutes, waiting for a reply.

She was getting her overnight bag from the backseat when her phone chimed. “Good deal . . . Thanks for letting me know.” Following the one sentence reply was a smiley face. In an uncharacteristic display of temper, Gwen took her phone and threw it against the oak tree in her sister’s yard where it promptly separated into a few extra pieces.

“Okay, who’s the man this time?” asked Wendy dryly as she stood staring at Gwen from the front steps.

Gwen wanted to throw herself at the tree next. Not only had she given her sister something to relentlessly question her about, but she’d also destroyed a phone that would eat a chunk out of her checking account to replace. Maybe it was childish, but she blamed both of those things on Dominic. What an ass. “It’s nothing,” Gwen mumbled as she walked past Wendy and into the house.

Before she could make an escape to the spare room that she normally used when visiting, Wendy took her arm and steered her toward the kitchen. Motioning toward a barstool, she said, “Sit,” to which Gwen promptly complied. Her sister tended to treat Gwen like one of her students, and she’d long ago gotten used to taking orders from her. As Wendy’s husband, Peter, had said more than once, it was easier to go along with the program where Wendy was concerned. After buzzing around her well-organized kitchen for another few minutes, her sister settled onto the stool across from her with two cups of coffee. Gwen took a sip from the mug placed in front of her and waited for the inquisition to begin. “So, what’s with the tantrum in the yard?”

Fiddling with the handle of her cup, Gwen said, “It was hardly a tantrum. I was just blowing off some steam after a hectic day at the office.”

Wendy lifted the busted iPhone from the counter. “These things cost about eight hundred bucks to replace, so I hope it was worth it.”

Gwen winced, thinking the price was even worse than she had imagined. She’d paid only a couple hundred dollars when she’d taken out the plan last year. “It’s just—things aren’t going too well with this guy I’ve been seeing.”

Wendy rolled her eyes and huffed inelegantly. “When are things ever going well on that front, Gwenie? You keep picking the same losers over and over again and then expect a different outcome. Honey, when are you going to learn from your mistakes?”

Instead of being pissed off at her sister’s words, Gwen found herself tearing up. Dammit, the last thing she wanted was for Wendy to see her sobbing over some guy again. But Dominic had been different. Maybe they hadn’t officially known each other long, but she’d been drawn to him from the first moment she’d seen him. Love at first sight might seem far-fetched and cliché, but that was how she felt when she was with him. “This wasn’t the same, Wendy,” she choked out on a sob. “I care about Dominic and he—I thought he felt the same. I mean, even though it started with the pregnancy thing, we really clicked. He was so—”