Free Circles the Trilogy (Secrets and Lies) by Carla Buchanan

queasy. Probably the smoothie I had for breakfast.” I roll my eyes as I pull away and head to his en suite to remove my makeup and slip into something more comfortable. Daryn comes into the bedroom about thirty minutes later. I must’ve fallen asleep because I look up to see that he has changed clothes and he’s now staring at me. “What? Is there something wrong?”
    “No, I just want to see if you’re feeling better. I brought you a Ginger Ale for your stomach.” I smile. I’m so happy when Daryn does things like this. He can be such an ass at times, but then he can be so sweet too. I wish he could be this Daryn all of the time.
    I come to the conclusion that maybe my association with Quin has made me focus on the negative aspects of Daryn’s personality. I need to try harder to understand the pressure he is under to do well at the firm. He wants to take care of me and the least I can do is not give him an attitude when all he wants is the best for me. “You look like an angel lying there with your hair fanned out all over the pillow. Only I don’t think angels snore.”
    “Oh my goodness, Daryn. I do not snore!” I’m smiling now. He’s joking and laughing and I can’t help but feel a very guilty about kissing Quin. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have given you a hard time about the whole personal trainer thing.”
    “Honey it’s okay. But I do want to ask you something.”
    I sit up because his face has turned from smiling to concern. I feel dizzy. I probably shouldn’t have had those two mimosas with brunch. “Hold on, sweetie.” I run into the en suite and discard the contents of my stomach, including the smoothie I had for breakfast. Daryn follows me into the bathroom and helps me by holding my hair and rubbing my back. “Thank you Daryn.”
    “Sasha , I may be hard on you sometimes, but I would never abandon my sick fiancée. Do you need me to do anything else?” He hands me some tissue that I use to wipe my mouth and then I flush the toilet.
    “Yes, can you get a band for my hair out of the drawer?”
    He retrieves the band and while I pull my hair into a ponytail, he pours a little mouthwash in a small cup. Once my mouth is feeling less like a garbage can, I pad into the room and flop down on the bed, unsure of what just happened. Daryn emerges from the bathroom a minute or two later with a damp towel and places it on the back of my neck.
    “Do you think you need to schedule an ap pointment with your doctor, Sasha?”
    I give him a confused look. “What do you think is wrong with me, Daryn? This is just a stomach bug or something.” I know what he is trying to say, but I wish he would just come out and say it.
    “Sasha . You’ve been a little off lately and now you’re throwing up. I know you’ve been taking your pills, but are you sure you’re not pregnant? Please don’t think you can’t tell me because I’d be very happy. It just means that we’ll have to move the wedding up.”
    “What ?! No!” I jump up, throwing the towel to the bed and run to get my iPhone from my purse. I pull up the app that I use to track my cycle and see that I’m over a week late. With the proposal and fuss over the engagement, I hadn’t even paid attention. “No, no, no, no,” I find myself chanting.
    “It’ll be okay, honey. We’re not children. Your parents will understand. I’m sure they’re quite aware that we’re having sex. I’m a healthy thirty-five year old man who has needs. Your father knows that,” Daryn comforts me by saying. Though to me it doesn’t sound so comforting. I’m pretty sure that I’m not pregnant. I am sure that I would know if I was. Wouldn’t I?
    I start to bawl. Full-on body-shaking sobs take over my body. I bury my face in Daryn’s chest. “Daryn, I can’t be pregnant,” I say in a shaky voice. “I just can’t be! I’ve never missed a pill… Never!”
    “Don’t worry. I’ll call into your office for you in the morning and tell them that you