The Boot (Book 1)

Chapter Thirty-Four

A/N: Shorter chapter, sorry! But this is the finale aaaa! Don't worry, I will be making a sequel to this storyline, so this isn't the last you'll see of the story. I always hate when I finish reading a fanfic and there isn't another book continuing the storyline, so I can't do that to you guys. Make sure to follow and stay tuned for the first chapter of "The Boot" part 2!

LUCY

We cross through the front door, finally bringing our daughter into our home. As much as I want to relish in the moment, my nerves creep up on me again, although I'm not entirely sure why. "Can you please hold her?" I transfer Sasha to Tim, not giving him a chance to respond as I hurry to the nearest bathroom to once again empty the contents of my stomach.

"Lucy, are you sure you're okay?" Tim asks, leaning against the door frame as he rocks a sleeping Sasha in his arms. The sight warms my heart.

"Yeah, it's probably just nerves or something I ate. You can go ahead to the nursery. I'll meet you up there once I'm finished in here."

Tim reluctantly leaves and I can hear his footsteps get quieter. Once I'm sure that the coast is clear, I pull out my phone and open up a new tab in my web browser. I don't think this is nerves anymore. But I really, desperately hope that this is something I ate or a stomach bug, and not what my gut was telling me.

It has hardly even been two months since I've given birth. Surely I can't get pregnant so soon afterward, right? Surely, my body realizes that it needs a break after giving birth. My first search is 'how soon after giving birth can you get pregnant?'

"An individual can get pregnant again as soon as four weeks after delivery, even if the individual is in fact breastfeeding," I read the results quietly to myself. I do the math in my head, and thinking back to the last time Tim and I had unprotected sex, which was a few days after the one-month mark. We hadn't even thought to use a condom that time, because we both assumed that you couldn't get pregnant again that early.

I need to relax. There's still a very real possibility that this is just a stomach bug and I'm not actually pregnant. But of course, there's only one way to find out. As much as I wanted to ignore it, I knew that I needed to find out for sure.

I go upstairs to the nursery to find Tim sitting in the plush rocking chair in the corner, rocking back and forth with Sasha in his arms. He looks up and smiles. "Hey, you feeling better?"

I can't tell him the truth. Not yet, at least. Not until I know for sure. There's no use in the both of us freaking out, especially when there is still a chance that I'm not even pregnant.

"Yeah," I nod. "I just realized that I need to stop by the store. Do you want anything while I'm out?"

"Do you really have to go right now? Sasha just came home,"

"Yes, baby, I'm sorry. But it's really important. I'll try to hurry, though, okay?"

"What do you need to pick up?" he asks.

I freeze, trying to think of a convincing enough lie to tell him. "I- uh... there are some postpartum vitamins I forgot to pick up from the pharmacy."

Are postpartum vitamins a thing? I have no idea. But clearly, it's a believable enough lie for him to let me off the hook.

He nods. "I don't need anything. Just hurry back, please. I miss you already."

"I will," I kiss him and leave the house.

I drive as quickly as I can while remaining under the speed limit to the drugstore. With shaking hands, I grab a box of digital pregnancy tests and make my way to the checkout. I pay in cash so that way the charge won't show up on Tim and I's joint bank account.

I arrive back home shortly after and tell Tim that I'm just going to use the bathroom real quick. I sneak the tests in there with me, locking the door so that he can't walk in on me while I'm doing this. I open the box and take two tests out. One being positive could just be a fluke. It's far less likely for both tests to be wrong.

I pee on the tips, place the caps back on, and set the tests on the counter. I set a timer on my phone and time feels like it couldn't be going slower. Finally, the time is up. I take a deep breath and look at the tests, which both read the same exact thing in big bold letters. PREGNANT.

Oh boy. Here we go again.