Aqua - Christmas in New York City (Aqua Romance Travel Series) by Amanda S. Jones Read Free Book Online Page B

and children were a major focal point.
    As a teen, Harry didn’t appreciate these traditions. He’d rather ski in the Dolomites with torches at midnight like his cousins in northern Italy did. Instead he welcomed Christmas by going to mass with his parents, and taking in the annual Concerto di Natale at the Basilica. It was an invitation-only event and because his mother was well-connected they went every year, much to his protest.  
    As much as he said it didn’t matter whether they had children, he would be happier sharing the traditions with their own children rather than just the two of them. They had laughed about the mismatched cultures that would coexist once they merged into one household. Was it selfish of Casey to not give him this dream?
The Test
    CASEY HELD the stopwatch in one hand and stuck the stick’s absorbent end into her urine stream. After five seconds, she pulled it out and placed the testing stick on the counter with the result window facing upwards. She leaned over the toilet with her elbows on her bare thighs and looked at her watch.  
    The second hand moved slowly so she stared at the stick for a while, then buttoned up her jeans, and glanced back at her watch. Only one minute had passed. She had to wait another four.  
    She could go outside and do something to distract herself, but it would mean facing Harry. She sat back down on the toilet and waited.

    HARRY PRESSED his ear to the bathroom door. The last thing he heard was Cassandra washing her hands, then the crackling of what he assumed was her removing the testing stick from its wrapper. Since then, nothing.
    He waited patiently as he figured she needed time but as the silence continued, he got worried. “Cassandra, are you okay?”
    “Yes.”
    “Can I talk you through it?”
    “It’s already done.”
    “How many minutes?”
    “Just a few.”
    “Come out and we can wait together.”
    “Give me a minute.”
    A minute? The time will be up! “Take your time. I’ll wait in the sitting area.” He stepped onto the rooftop terrace and took in the view of Manhattan. They might miss the holiday performance they had tickets to but with the potential news, Harry didn’t care whether they went at all, even if it meant hosting grumbly Foster at the condo. Perhaps with such exciting news, the man would smile for a change.  
    What confounded him was Cassandra. He couldn’t tell if she was just nervous or unhappy about the turn of events. The entire evening during their dinner with his father, she seemed absentminded and not engaged in the conversation. When his father went to the washroom, Harry prompted her and she told him.
    “I’ve missed my period.”
    “How many days?”
    “Three.”
    Harry just beamed.
    “I want to take a pregnancy test.”
    “Shouldn’t you wait a week?”
    “I can’t. I need to know.”
    “Me too.”
    She had discreetly pulled the package from her purse and read through the manufacturer’s instructions under the table.  
    “Aren’t most home urine tests the same?” Harry asked anxiously.
    “They can vary. The way you collect the urine, the time you need to urinate, the symbols.”
    “You’ve done this before?”
    She shook her head. “Helped a friend once.”
    They had left dinner thereafter, and went back to the privacy of their home. Now Harry kept pacing from the outdoor terrace, back into the sitting area on the second floor, then leaning over the railing to look through the floor to ceiling windows that encompassed their view. It was all uplifting to him; a world he could introduce to his child. He sank into the couch in front of the wood-burning fireplace and waited.

    CASEY WALKED into the room and sat down next to him with a long sigh. He put his arm around her and pulled her close. “Thanks for coming out.”
    “Didn’t want you to think I fell down the toilet.” She flashed a fake smile. How could she not? It was their life and she needed to share all of it with him. Besides, she