No matter how hard Tom tried to focus on the documents in front of him, his conversation with his mother kept coming back to him.
The pregnancy kit had to be Lucy's, right? It wouldn't make sense for her to have such a personal item belonging to someone else, would it?
If it was hers and she was pregnant, as the kit had said, he needed to get her to open up to him about it so they could resolve it as soon as possible.
If she was going to have a medical abortion or whatever was more suited to her, he needed to be with her through it. He couldn't just travel and leave her to handle things on her own.
As much as he loved Lucy and wanted nothing more than to marry her and have children with her, he couldn't be selfish right now and think about himself or how his heart kept racing at the thought of the possibility of a life growing in Lucy's abdomen.
He couldn't expect her to keep the baby if truly she was pregnant. He knew Lucy well enough to know she wouldn't be able to handle being pregnant right now. That would be too much of an unplanned and unexpected change, and it would rock her world.
He picked up his phone as he contemplated calling her to ask her about it, but changed his mind, thinking that this wasn't the sort of conversation to have over the phone.
He glanced at the wall clock in his office to see if he had enough time before the next meeting to stop by her office but turned to the door instead when it opened, and Harry walked in, "Tom!"
The cheerful smile on Harry's face disappeared, "Did something happen?" he asked when he saw the worry lines on Tom's face.
"I'm glad you're back. It's almost time for the next meeting, but I need to talk to Lucy before I leave...."
"Then go to her. I will take care of it," Harry said without hesitation.
"How did your meeting with Sara go?" Tom asked as he rose from his seat.
"I will tell you about it later. You don't have much time left before you leave on your trip," Harry said as he glanced at his wristwatch.
"Thanks," Tom said once again as he hurried past Harry and headed for Lucy's office.
Once he got to the office, her teammates were startled to see him and rose immediately, but he ignored them as he walked straight into her office.
"Tom!" Lucy called in surprise as she rose, flashing him an uncertain smile while wondering what he was doing in her office.
"Do you have a minute to talk?" he asked as he stopped in front of her desk.
"Sure. I could have come to your office had you called," Lucy said as she walked around her desk to meet him.
"It's fine. I wanted to get out of my office anyway," Tom said awkwardly as he looked at her.
"Are you ready to leave now? I heard Evelyn brought your suitcase."
"I will be leaving soon. Can we step out of here?" Tom asked, and Lucy picked up her phone from the desk before responding.
"Where are we going?"
"Let's talk in the car?" Tom suggested, and once Lucy gave him a nod, he led her out of the office.
Neither of them said a word to the other as they took the elevator back to his office and from there to his private parking lot.
Once they had both gotten into the car, Tom turned to Lucy, "Are you alright?" Tom asked as he observed her.
Lucy smiled, "Yeah. Sure. You?"
"I'm okay. Is there something you need to tell me?" Tom asked, and her brows pulled together.
"Something like what?"
"Anything you think I need to know before traveling? Or maybe something you plan to do in my absence?" Tom asked, thinking if she was deliberately keeping it from him, then she probably was planning to get rid of the pregnancy in his absence.
Did Sonia tell Bryan about it or let it slip to Tom that she was moving out in his absence? Lucy mused with a sigh.
"I figured it was best not to mention it to you since I didn't want things to be any more awkward between us than they already are," Lucy said quietly.
"So you thought keeping it away from me was the best?" Tom asked calmly, struggling not to be mad at her for thinking of making such a decision without informing him. To say he was disappointed in her was an understatement. He was both hurt and disappointed.
Lucy nodded, "Yes. I thought it was the best. Lately, it seems like everything I say seems to be wrong, so pardon me for not wanting to tell you about it before going ahead with it. Besides, when I asked you about it today, you insisted…."
"Asked me about what?" Tom asked with a frown, wondering what she was talking about.
"About moving out. Didn't you say you wanted me to leave?" Lucy asked, beginning to feel annoyed by Tom's questions.
"I'm not sure I understand what you're talking about," Tom said, and Lucy took a deep breath.
"I'm moving back to my apartment while you are away. So, I won't be at your house when you get back," Lucy said, and Tom felt his heart skip.
"I thought we agreed you would move after our parents leave?" Tom asked, and Lucy shook her head.
"No, you said so, not me. I don't want to have to stay in that bedroom alone in your absence, only to move out immediately after you get back. I'd rather leave while you're away. It's easier that way," Lucy said, and Tom sighed.
He could see reason with what she said, but that wasn't exactly what he was here to know.
"Are you pregnant?" Tom asked before he could change his mind, and Lucy frowned.
"Pregnant? Am I supposed to be? Why would I be pregnant?" She asked in confusion.
"You're not pregnant?" Tom asked, equally confused by her confusion, and Lucy took a deep breath to calm herself.
"Why would you think that I'm pregnant? Were you trying to get me pregnant or something?" She asked, struggling between confusion and irritation at the question.
"What about the positive pregnancy test strip in the closet?" Tom asked, and Lucy's gray eyes iced over.
"Were you snooping through my stuff?" She asked coolly.
"I wasn't snooping, and that is not the point…."
"That is exactly the point! And if you must know, it isn't mine!"
"The test strip isn't yours? Whose is it? And why was it in your handbag?" Tom asked in confusion.
"That is NOT your business! I think moving back to my apartment is probably best for us both since I can no longer have my privacy in your house. In all the time I spent under your roof, I never touched anything that wasn't mine or that wasn't given to me, and neither did I go snooping around your stuff, so I see no reason why you had to go through my handbag without my permission," Lucy said angrily as she reached for the door, but Tom held her back.
"Are you sure you want to leave in the middle of a conversation again? Just before I travel?" He asked patiently, and Lucy shut her eyes and counted to five to calm herself before facing him.
"Although I don't think this should be a reason for argument between us, I didn't snoop through your stuff. I wouldn't do that, no matter how curious I am. If you say you're not pregnant, I will take your word for it. I just wanted to be sure everything was okay with you before leaving. I'm sorry I found out about the stuff in your handbag, and I'm sorry I asked who owns it. It's not my business…."
"Tom…."
"That was the reason I wanted to talk to you. You can return to your office. I will let you know when I arrive," Tom said calmly and started reaching for the door, but this time Lucy stopped him.
"Can we stop fighting and arguing over every little thing? Please?" She asked, feeling exhausted.
"I'm not the one fighting with you, Lu."
"I know. I'm sorry. I overreacted once again. I'm very sorry. I know I shouldn't have responded that way," Lucy said apologetically, but Tom said nothing as he listened to her.
"I don't know what I'm doing. I'm always saying and doing all the wrong things. I'm sorry, Tom. I'm not deliberately doing any of this, I swear. I don't know why I keep having the wrong reaction…."
"There is no right or wrong reaction to anything," Tom cut in before she could finish.
"But I don't want to keep being on edge with you and fighting you over everything. I'm scared. I'm anxious. I'm worried. I don't know what to do about any of this," Lucy said, fighting back her tears.
Tom was tempted to reach out and comfort her, but he stopped himself, knowing that would only distract them from the issue on ground.
"I have no idea why you are on edge with me, Lu. I understand that this is your first romantic relationship, and I know you're probably still struggling with a lot of things. I know it must not be easy on you, but I would appreciate it if you didn't walk out in the middle of a conversation with me. I really do not like it, and I'm not saying this just because you're my girlfriend," Tom said calmly.
"I'm sorry. It won't repeat itself," Lucy said, and Tom sighed as he reached for her face and used his thumb to brush off the single tear drop on her cheek.
"My mom saw your handbag hiding somewhere in the closet while she was packing my bag, and she asked me about it, assuming I knew about your pregnancy," Tom explained.
"Oh, no!" Lucy exclaimed softly.
"Yeah. I'm not telling you this because I'm trying to prove I didn't snoop through your stuff. I'm telling you this because she thinks you are pregnant, so you might want to clear the air with her. I will talk to her," Tom assured her.
"I'm sorry," she murmured.
"It's fine. And you should know that I have no problem with you snooping through my stuff. I'm an open book with you, Lucy. I'm all in. It's okay if you don't want me going through your stuff or if you don't trust me enough to confide in me about other stuff going on around you."
"It's not that. I do trust you…."
"No, you don't. You still doubt my intentions and actions. But I won't fight you over that. I'm waiting for you, Lu. I hope you get over everything that is holding you back soon," Tom said as he took her hand and raised it to his lips.
"Thank you," Lucy said, her lips trembling.
He brushed his knuckles over her cheekbone, "You're just moving back to your apartment, not breaking up, right?" Tom asked softly, looking into her eyes.
"I don't want to break up," Lucy said quietly.
"Good. Me too. So why don't we put all of this behind us?" Tom asked, and Lucy smiled, her first genuine smile, Tom noted with relief.
"Can we really do that?" She asked hopefully.
"Sure. Now we can kiss and make up, and then maybe a make up sex will convince you that we've put it behind us. I'm sure that will convince me, I don't know about you. If I had known I would be traveling and you would be moving out before my return, I would have spent the whole of last night making love to you," Tom said with a wink as he ran his hand down her arm.
Lucy giggled, "About meeting you in the middle…."
"For real, Lu, I need you to take your time to think about it. Get therapy. I will go with you to see your therapist at every of your appointment if you want me to. Let's revisit this subject as we agreed to do next year. By then, you would have gotten therapy, and I will be sure your decision is not trauma-based," Tom said, and Lucy's brows pulled together.
"But what if my decision doesn't change?" She asked, and Tom smiled confidently.
"What if it does? We don't know anything for sure, Lu. I love you today, Lu. That's all that matters. I love you today."
"I love you too today, or should it be, I love you today too?" Lucy asked, and they both laughed at how it sounded.
"Can you promise me for real this time that you won't bring up this conversation about marriage and kids until the specified time, unless you're bringing it up to propose to me?" Tom asked, and Lucy sighed softly before bobbing her head.
"I promise not to ever bring it up until it's time for us to talk about it next year unless I'm bringing it up to propose to you," Lucy said, and Tom grinned.
"Good. So, how about that make up kiss I talked about?" Tom asked with a puckered lip, and Lucy pressed her lips to his.
She was over the moon with joy that Tom was back to normal and he wasn't going to be traveling while on bad terms with her.
"Can I convince you to let me make love to you right here? I read somewhere that make up sex is good for the mind," Tom asked as his hands deftly moved to cup her boobs.
"Or maybe we can sneak back into your office and do it there instead? Is it soundproof? Your office?" Lucy asked, her voice riding on a moan when Tom located her nipple despite her blouse and bra.
"It sure is. Let's go."
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