When Constellations Form (Light in the Dark Book 4) Page 7

  I need a shower. Desperately.

  The problem is all our shit is in boxes.

  “Fuck my life,” I mutter.

  Thankfully, I was meticulous in my labeling of the boxes so it doesn’t take me long to locate the one with our shampoos and body washes. I carry the box into the bathroom and set it on the counter so I can unload it. I go ahead and put all the contents of the box away—one down, a million to go.

  I break down the box and set it in the room.

  I need something clean to change into, so I start opening the boxes with all our clothes. I settle on a pair of jean shorts and a tank top with lots of straps. I figure we’re going to be working today, so I’ll probably get hot.

  Xander still hasn’t stirred in the bed, so I leave him to sleep while I shower.

  I find the box with our towels and washcloths first and unpack them, setting one of each out, before putting the others away.

  Once I shower and my hair and body are clean I feel almost human.

  I dry off and brush my hair, gathering it up into a damp messy bun.

  Xander pads into the bathroom, rubbing his eyes. His hair sticks up around his head and he stifles a yawn.

  “Morning,” he says, bending to kiss me.

  “Ew, your breath stinks,” I groan.

  He grabs my waist and pulls me closer. “So does yours,” he intones, and plants a loud kiss on my lips, which I dramatically wipe off with the back of my hand.

  “You’re gross.”

  He winks. “You love me.”

  I shake my head while he goes to pee.

  “Where’d you put our suitcases? I didn’t see them in our room.”

  “They’re in the laundry room. Don’t worry, I didn’t put anything in the washer.”

  He knows me too well.

  “I’ll go start them.”

  “I’m going to shower,” he tells me while he washes his hands. “Then I’ll go pick us up some breakfast. So let me know what you want.”

  My stomach rumbles at the thought of food. “Will you judge me if I say I want McDonald’s?”

  He laughs. “You and McDonald’s. I’ll get you whatever you want, you know that.”

  “I want a sausage McGriddle and an Oreo McFlurry.”

  His brows furrow. “A McFlurry? For breakfast?”

  “That’s what I want.” I frown.

  He shrugs. “Okay.”

  “Thank you.”

  I flounce from the bathroom and downstairs to start the laundry.

  Once the laundry is running I decide to start unpacking more boxes. I start with the kitchen, figuring that room will take the longest.

  I’m thankful Jace and Nova were here for the movers and delivery people—since most of our furniture is brand new. It’s obvious they directed them on where to place the furniture. Otherwise it would’ve just been placed haphazardly. As it is, everything is pretty much in place. There are a few things I’ll probably ask Xander to rearrange but better a few things than everything.

  I’m putting the forks, knives, and spoons away in the drawer organizer when Xander comes down freshly showered and changed.

  “Still want a McGriddle and a McFlurry?” he asks, laying his hands on the island counter and leaning across to me.

  I nod. “Yeah, that’s what I want.”

  “All right, I’ll be back soon. Jace and Nova are going to come by at some point today to drop Prue off so if they show up while I’m gone don’t freak out—since they can come right in.”

  He leans across the counter and kisses me before he leaves.

  “Don’t forget my McFlurry,” I call after him, and I hear him laugh before the door to the garage closes.

  I finish organizing the utensils, and then start putting away the pots and pans.

  By the time Xander gets back with our food I’ve made quite a dent in unpacking everything for the kitchen. I can tell Xander is impressed when he takes in all the empty boxes.

  Xander sets the bag of food on our new kitchen table, along with my McFlurry.

  I rub my hand along the table before sitting down. “We owe Jace and Nova big for this.”

  Xander nods in agreement.

  If it weren’t for them, none of our furniture would be here. Most everything—except for our bedroom set—is brand new. Since we were living in the rental with my brother, most things weren’t ours.

  “I can’t imagine if we’d gotten back and had no furniture.” I laugh at the thought.

  He pulls the food out of the bag and hands me my sandwich.

  “I’ll go grocery shopping today so that we actually have food in the house.”

  I unwrap my sandwich and hold it up. “This is real food.” I take a huge bite, driving home my point.

  He shakes his head. “Maybe to you, but not to me.”

  “Well—” I cover my mouth with my hand “—since I hate grocery shopping I’m willing to let you handle that while I continue to unpack.”

  He chuckles. “Now it sounds like you’re trying to get rid of me.”

  I smirk. “Never.”

  “I’ll help for an hour or two before I head to the store,” he says, wadding up the wrapper from his sandwich and throwing it in the paper bag. “We should be able to put a dent in the unpacking in that time.”

  “It helps that we don’t have much yet—like little knick-knacks.”

  He grins. “I’m sure you’re excited to change that fact.”

  “Oh, you know it. Any excuse to shop.” I don’t even try to defend myself anymore. I’m aware I have a serious addiction to shopping. I still have rooms to shop for in the house—like the dining room and formal living room. We were more concerned about the family room and kitchen, as far as getting anything new.

  I finish my sandwich and grab my McFlurry.

  “Mmm,” I say, swirling my tongue around the spoon. “It’s as good as I remembered.”

  Xander busts out laughing. “As good as you remembered?” he repeats, wadding up the trash. “It’s only been like a week since you had one. Two, max.”

  I shrug. “It could’ve changed,” I defend.

  He shakes his head. “You’re insane.”

  “You married me,” I remind him.

  “And I married a psycho.”

  “Hey,” I snap.

  He chuckles. “A very cute—” I glare. “Sexy,” he amends, “smart, psycho.”

  “If I’m psycho that means I could kill you and no one would ever be able to trace it back to me, so you better be nice to me.” I raise my chin in the air.

  “I’ll try my best not to piss you off.” He taps his finger to my nose as he passes, and I playfully go to bite his finger, but he’s too quick and skirts away. “Finish your ice cream and I’ll work on this.” He points to the plates and glasses I have lined up on the counter to be put away in the glass cabinets above the sink.

  I kick my legs up on the table and watch him while I eat my ice cream.

  With his back to me he lifts the plates up into the cabinet, his shirt stretching taut across his muscles and I hum in appreciation. He looks over his shoulder at me with a smirk.

  “Watching me work, sweetheart?”

  “Yeah.” I swirl my tongue around the spoon. “Enjoying my ice cream with a view. The perks of married life.”

  He laughs. “I hope you always feel that way.”

  “I might get bored eventually, but that’s what sex tapes are for.”

  He chokes on a laugh. “I shouldn’t be surprised by the things that come out of your mouth anymore, and yet I still am.”

  “I’m pretty sure keeping you on your toes was in our vows, if it wasn’t it was an unspoken one.”

  He shakes his head. “Is that so?”

  “Oh, yeah. I’m sorry you missed it.”

  He turns back and starts lining up the glasses beside the plate.

  I finish my ice cream and gather up the trash and then realize we don’t have a trashcan yet.

  “You should add g
etting a trashcan to your to-do list when you get the groceries.” I set the trash on the counter for now.

  Xander finishes with the glasses and turns around. “Something tells me this list is going to be a mile long before the day is over.”

  I shrug. “The beauty of being homeowners. It’s always something.” I lean my hip against the counter. “You think you can handle the kitchen? I’ll go back upstairs and start on our clothes. I think that’s going to take the longest. We have a lot of stuff.”

  He raises a brow. “We?”

  I lift my hands in surrender. “Okay, it’s me that has a lot of stuff.”

  “Yeah, I’m good here,” he assures me.

  I leave him and head upstairs. I grab my phone from the table by the bed and play some music, refusing to work in silence.

  I grab the nearest box and rip it open and then begin laying the items out on the floor. I decide to unpack all the boxes and then start putting everything away, figuring it’ll be easier to work if I can see everything.

  After a while, Xander comes up to tell me he’s leaving.

  “I’ll be back soon,” he says, leaning against the door to our room.

  “Can you bring me back a Starbucks drink?” I ask, brightening like a dog about to get a treat.

  He shakes his head. “I didn’t want to be gone forever.”

  “Please,” I beg, holding my hands below my chin. “I’ll be forever in your debt.”

  He sighs, but I know it’s done in an effort to cover his laugh. “Fine,” he agrees. “But you owe me.”

  “I’ll make it worth your while. I know tricks.” I wink and smile widely.

  He chokes on a laugh. “Tricks, huh?”

  “Oh, yeah,” I say breathily. “They’ll blow your mind.”

  He smiles and backs away. “Looking forward to it.”

  I hear him bound down the steps and it isn’t long until the security system dings, alerting me that the door has been opened.

  I hum along to the song while I work on putting away some of Xander’s things in the dresser. We have a large enough closet for the both of us, but he says he prefers his things in the dresser, so who am I to deny him what he wants?

  Okay, let’s be real, he probably doesn’t like how my clothes and shoes take over everything. It’s not my fault they have a mind of their own and like to form an avalanche.

  My phone vibrates and I stop what I’m doing to look at the text.

  Nova: We’re bringing Prue home. Do you need anything before we come?

  Me: Thank you! We’re good!

  It doesn’t take me long to finish putting all of Xander’s stuff away in the dresser and then I decide to go back to the bathroom to start organizing there. I know it’s going to take me forever to put my stuff away, so I need a change of scenery before I tackle that beast, even if it is the bathroom.

  Luckily, our bathroom is beautiful. The floors and counters are a shiny white marble that gleams when the sun hits it. There’s a walk-in shower, a huge bathtub, plenty of counter space, and a separate area for the toilet.

  There are a couple of boxes I haven’t opened full of bathroom stuff, so I do that and sit on the floor so I can organize everything into little piles so it’ll be easier to put away.

  I start with the rest of the towels. They’ve gotten jostled in the boxes so I end up having to refold them and the cloths. But I refuse to put them away haphazardly.

  While I work, I think about how I want to decorate—different colors I want to incorporate, among other things.

  I get the towels in order and then decide to start on our medicine kinds of things.

  The door alarm system beeps, and a moment later, Nova calls out, “Hey! We’re here!”

  “I’m up here!” I call back.

  I hear Prue’s collar shake as she goes running through the house toward the sound of my voice.

  I stand and hurry to meet her. She’s quick, though, and bounds into the bedroom. I bend down and open my arms and she jumps onto me.

  “Prue!” I shriek. “I’ve missed you, girl.” I hug her to me as she licks my face.

  I hear Nova on the steps and look up to her entering the room. “I think she missed you,” Nova comments.

  “I’d say so. She’s going to freak when she sees Xander. He’s her favorite.” I rub her face and kiss her nose. “It’s okay, he’s my favorite too.” I laugh when she licks my nose. “How was she?”

  “She was a perfect angel. We loved having her.”

  “You guys need a dog,”

  She snorts. “Jace can handle a dog for a week, but I don’t think I can convince him for longer.”

  “Aw, come on, he’s such a softy when it comes to you. He’d so give in.”

  It’s true too. He acts all broody and tough, but one bat of Nova’s lashes and the guy turns to mush. It’s really quite comical.

  Nova shrugs. “We’ll see. Do you want any help while we’re here?”

  “You mean Jace isn’t about to drag you back to your love den to ravish you?”

  A stain creeps up from Nova’s neck to her cheeks. “No,” she squeaks.

  “Well, if you guys want to help it’d be much appreciated. Xander was working in the kitchen before he had to go to the grocery store. Apparently, food that’s not McDonald’s is a necessity but I honestly don’t see the problem.” I sigh with a shrug. “I’m sure it’d be easy for Jace to do something there and you could help me with this.” I point back to the bathroom, where she can see the mess through the open door.

  “All right, I’ll go tell him.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be thrilled.”

  She laughs, sticking her hands in her back pockets and rocking on her feet. “He might act like an asshole ninety-percent of the time, but he actually loves all you guys and likes helping.”

  “I know, I just like to give Jacen,” I yell his full name so he’ll hear me, “a hard time.”

  “I think he hates that and loves that about you.”

  “I’m a hard pill to swallow,” I agree.

  I head back into the bathroom with Prue at my heels while Nova heads downstairs to speak with Jace.

  “Why do we have so many bottles of Advil?” I mutter to myself.

  There are five unfinished bottles. I know I’m the culprit for this, though. I always leave the bottles in the wrong place, which leads me to not find them the next time I need them, and then I end up buying another so I can start the whole vicious cycle over again.

  Prue lies down in front of the bathtub with her head on her paws, watching me. Something tells me she won’t be letting me out of her sight, for fear of getting left behind again.

  “All right,” Nova says, breezing into the room. “What do you want me to do?”

  I point to the medicine. “Finish organizing that and put it there.” I point to the closet.

  Since Nova is taking care of that, I decide to put my makeup and toiletries away. Xander and I each have our own counter and sink, with ample drawers for storage. Honestly, this house couldn’t be more perfect.

  I take my time lining up my eye shadows and color-coding my lipstick—I’m psycho, remember. I put my hair accessories in the next drawer.

  “Honestly, why do I have so much stuff?” I gripe, as I untangle my curling iron cord from my straightener.

  Nova laughs. “Because you’re a girly girl.”

  “True.”

  I’ve always embraced it, so I shouldn’t start complaining now. There’s nothing wrong with liking shoes, just as there’s nothing wrong with a girl liking the stars or fighting. To each their own.

  I open the third drawer and grab my tampons from the box.

  I set them in the drawer and go to close it, but freeze.

  “No.”

  “No? No what?” Nova stops what she’s doing, her hands frozen in mid-air like I’ve scolded her.

  I pull out the tampon box. “No, no, no no, no.” I chant. “Fuck, this can’t be happening.” I’m on the verge of t
ears now.

  “What?” Poor Nova asks, still lost.

  “My fucking period, that’s what. She’s MIA.” I inhale a deep breath while Nova’s jaw drops.

  “Where’s my phone?” I mutter, looking around on the floor for it.

  “I think it’s in the bedroom,” Nova says helpfully.

  I run from the bathroom, dropping the tampons on the floor in the process, and find my phone on the floor of the bedroom.

  I drop to my knees and turn it on, flicking to the calendar.

  I go back a month and …

  My phone drops from my hands.

  “Fuck my life.”

  “What?” Nova asks, picking up my phone and looking at the screen like it’s going to answer her question.

  “I have to go,” I mutter.

  “What?” She looks after me as I leave the room, but I can’t even offer an explanation.

  “You guys can go,” I call behind me.

  It’s not fair for them to stay and unpack all our shit while I leave, but I have to go to the store now.

  I need to get my hands on a pregnancy test.

  I round the corner downstairs and Jace jerks back, surprised by my sudden intrusion.

  “I have to go,” I tell him. “You guys don’t have to stay. Thanks for the help. Lock up on your way out.” My sentences come out short and clipped because I can barely think straight.

  I locate my keys and dash out the door.

  There’s a drug store not too far down the road.

  I push the button to open the garage door and get in my car.

  I grip the wheel and inhale a deep breath, trying to calm myself but it turns into a sob.

  What if I’m really pregnant?

  There’s a chance I’m not, but what if I am?

  I just got done telling Xander I wasn’t ready to be a mom.

  I cover my face with my hands. This should be a monumental moment in my life. A happy one. But instead, I only feel pure and utter terror.

  I couldn’t even keep a hamster alive so how was I going to take care of a baby?

  “This can’t be happening,” I mutter to myself, backing out of the driveway.

  I hope to God Jace and Nova are gone when I get back. I don’t need anyone to be a witness to my breakdown.

  I keep going over and over the dates in my head, willing them to change, but they don’t.