“Sure,” I say, smiling. “That was my devious plan. Get you in the store so you can buy me clothes.”
She quirks an eyebrow. “I thought it might be.”
I shake my head. “I’m going to grab that toothbrush.”
I meander away from her, watching her dig through the other racks of clothing. As quickly as I can, I grab a toothbrush. I don’t even look at it; the kind doesn’t matter—it’s just a prop.
Shooting another glance down the aisle to locate her whereabouts, I catch a glimpse of her back as she eyes the jewelry display. She’s always loved the natural stone necklaces and bracelets they have here.
Slipping behind the aisle, I make my way to the feminine products section, scanning quickly for the pregnancy tests. I find them on the bottom shelf. Scanning them quickly, I pluck the first one that catches my eye.
99.9% accurate, it reads in the bright-yellow starburst. That’ll do.
There’s no sight of my mom as I sneak my way to checkout with my contraband in hand. She’s probably grabbing her shampoo, so I have to be fast.
I slide my items on the checkout, standing on my toes to hunt for the pharmacist assistant, who’s usually right there and waiting. Rocking back and forth on my feet, I lean as far across the counter as I dare.
Thankfully, she looks up from whatever prescription she must have been filling.
“Be there in just a second, dear,” she says as she finishes up counting.
I look again over my shoulder, eyes wide, as I try to locate my mother. My fingertips tap the side of the counter as I try to dispel my impatience.
The woman sets aside the prescription and walks over to the register with a smile.
“Ah, Autumn. I thought that was you,” she says as she gets closer.
“Yep,” I say, trying not to bounce up and down. I shove the items across the counter to her.
She grabs the toothbrush first, scanning it. My insides are screaming at her to hurry up. Relief floods through me as she reaches for the pregnancy test. Thankfully, the woman doesn’t say a word. She just quirks an eyebrow and presses her lips into a thin line.
The register dings loudly as she scans it and sets it aside. I hold my breath as she reaches for a bag.
“Is that a pregnancy test?” Mom says from directly over my shoulder.
Chapter 10
Put to the Test
I twist around, meeting my mom’s expectant gaze. Her eyes sparkle with a strange glow that makes the green flecks in her irises pulsate. How have I never noticed that before now? She holds my stare, but after a moment, the corner of her mouth twitches into a half-smile. In the simple gesture, my lips part for me to say something, but I end up snapping them shut.
“You don’t need that test. I could tell from the moment you walked into the house,” Mom says, setting her shampoo on the counter behind me as she turns to the pharmacy clerk. “Hi, Terri. How’s your mom doing?”
“Good, Mrs. Blackwood,” Terri says, tipping her chin. “Want me to ring these all up together?”
“Yep, sounds good,” Mom says, ushering me aside with a swipe of her arm.
I stand there, staring at her as she takes charge with the sale and manages everything else in complete stride. Me, on the other hand… Can a person forget how to think?
Blinking away my shock, I take another step back from the counter. I practically bump into the small display of sunglasses as I give Mom room to pay for everything because I lost all sense to stop her.
After a few more quiet words with Terri, she turns back to me. “Ready to head home?”
I nod, still unable to form words just yet. One word rattles around inside my head.
Pregnant.
I follow Mom outside, barely aware of my surroundings, let alone how to put one foot in front of the other.
Mom pulls me aside when we hit the sidewalk. “He really loves you, you know. It’s pretty evident in the way he kissed you before we left.”
I stare back at her, nodding. “Yeah.”
“Do you love him?” she asks, tilting her head to the side and taking in my every movement.
My shoulders release and I exhale. “More than anything.”
Her face softens and she chuckles under her breath. “That’ll change when the little one arrives. Not that you’ll love him any less, mind you. But your capacity to love just gets so much bigger. Bigger than you ever thought possible. In fact, so much so that it can be downright scary.”
“More scary than being hunted by fate?” I sputter. They’re the first words that come to mind, but they’re my truth at this moment.
She raises her hand, pressing her thumb against my chin. “Not quite, but damn close.”
My face must betray me because she sets the bag of stuff on the snow-covered bench outside the drugstore, then pulls me to her. After a few moments, she whispers, “We will find a way out of this. I promise you that.” I shoot her a doubtful glance and she sighs. “He’ll make a good dad, you know.”
“Yeah, if we ever get that far.” A smile flits across my face and tears well in my eyes. I pull back to wipe them away. “Are you sure? I mean about me? About this?” I ask, letting my hands fall to my abdomen.
Mom’s eyes crease and she says, “It’s one of my specialties. We might share a lot in common when it comes to death and the afterlife, sweetheart. But there’s actually a fine line between birth and death. You just have to know where to look.”
Anxiety wells up inside my chest and I swallow hard. “This is not a good time.”
“It’s never a good time, Autumn. Kids are scary shit,” she chuckles. “But you can’t fear living just because you
