When Roses Collide

Chapter Forty-One

Harley stayed in Bo's arms, enjoying the feeling of peace like she had hundreds of times since she was a little girl. Anytime something had frightened her, whether it be a snake, spider of bully, she would run to him and the moment he swung her up into his immense arms, she knew nothing was ever going to get her. Whatever the problem, she knew she was untouchable and safe if she was with Bo and right now, she needed a big dose of that secure feeling.

Bo's blunt question kept echoing in her mind over and over again. Are you using contraception? Her heart fluttered in her chest and she swallowed hard against the uneasy feeling building. They hadn't been. Not the first time and not just a few minutes ago in the bathroom. Woo-boy...neither of them had given it a second thought. Could she be pregnant? Unconsciously, her hand slid to her stomach. Surely not. Not this soon. Her eyes jumped guiltily to Bo's, shocked when she realized he'd been watching her.

"What's the matter, baby girl?" he asked, one of his brows arching up towards his durag.

"I'm..." Harley stalled out, looking away from those searching hazel eyes of his. Oh God! What could she possibly say to him? I had the most amazing sex with a man I hardly know, but love beyond reason and I didn't use the common sense most teenagers possessed and now I think I might be pregnant? She grimaced. That would go over like a fart in church, especially now. They had barely made amends only a few minutes ago. News like that would guarantee Travis ended up in an unmarked grave.

Bo cocked his head at her, patiently waiting for some kind of answer and she panicked. There was no way in hell he was going to be satisfied with a "nothing" type response.

"I'm hungry," she finally blurted out, giving him a feeble smile.

Chuckling, he lifted her gently out of his lap and stood up. "Go sit down and relax. If the boys ever stop fighting long enough, supper should be ready pretty soon." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her small squeeze as he walked her over to the glider she had been sitting in.

But Harley didn't want to sit and not because of the pain in her hip. Her mind was whirling a mile a minute and there was no way she was going to be able to relax. What she needed was a moment to think. To process things...away from Bo's keen eyes.

"Is there anything else on the menu tonight besides meat?" she asked, pulling away from him slightly.

He frowned. "We have steaks, what else do we need?"

"Just what I thought. I'm going to go whip up a salad and pop some potatoes in the microwave." Giving him a quick pat on his shoulder, she practically ran for the screen door and hurried inside.

Once she was in the kitchen, she sighed with relief and leaned heavily against the counter. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm down. Her hand wandered back down to sit over her belly. Could there already be a baby in there? She frowned at her stomach. Was she ready for the possibility of having a child? Was Travis? Shit...what about Bo? Taking a chance, she tiptoed to the living room window and peered out. Bo was in the middle of breaking up yet another squabble between the boys at the grill. His arms crossed over his chest as he barked orders. As stanch as ever.

Sighing, she turned away and walked back to the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, she started pulling out the makings for a salad. If she was pregnant, Bo would freak. No...he would kill Travis...then he would freak. Shaking her head, she focused on cutting up tomatoes while mentally calculating just how many days it had been since she finished her last period.

Scraping the diced tomatoes into a bowl, she decided she was probably safe. After all, she had always heard it was alright to have unprotected sex up to seven days after a period. She paused, the lettuce she had been ripping momentarily forgotten. Or was it you could still get pregnant up to seven days after a period? Shit! She just didn't know. With unnecessary force, Harley ripped chunks of the tender green leaves off the head of lettuce and slammed it into the bowl.