Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 347

Chapter 347

I don’t know how long I lay there on the hotel bed, staring at the ceiling and trying to process all the possibilities spinning through my head. It could be pregnancy. It could be anxiety. It could be the treatment hormones wreaking havoc on my system. It could be everything, or nothing at all.

The beep of the hotel key card snapped me out of my thoughts. Zoey burst in like a hurricane, carrying a pharmacy bag and wearing that conspiratorial smile I knew all too well.

Mission accomplished!” she announced.

“You went out like that? In pajamas?”

“Oh…” She looked down at herself, like she was only just noticing. “That explains the weird looks,” she said, dumping the contents of the bag onto the bed.

Three different pregnancy test boxes landed on the comforter. I stared at them, then at Zoey, who had an expression that was equal parts amused and nostalgic.

“Three tests, Zoey? Seriously?”

“Of course,” she said, lining the boxes up in a perfectly straight row. “How could I not?”

And that’s when it hit me. Her smile. The three tests. The careful way she arranged them. She was deliberately recreating the moment when I’d been the one standing beside her as she found out she was pregnant with Matt.

I started to laugh.

“You’re doing this on purpose.’

“Doing what?” she asked, with a fake innocence that fooled absolutely no one.

“Recreating the scene. The three tests, the dramatic presentation. You remember exactly how I did it back then.”

Zoey couldn’t keep a straight face and laughed too.

“I might not remember the exact words, but I remember how it felt. How you turned something terrifying into something… manageable.”

She picked up the first test, studying the box.

“This one’s the basic one. It works. No drama, no nonsense.”

She grabbed the second.

“This one’s digital. Because sometimes you need the words spelled out for you to actually believe it.”

Then she lifted the third with a flourish that made me burst out laughing.

“And this one is the… what did you call it again? The Rolls-Royce of pregnancy tests?”

“You remember!” I exclaimed, laughing so hard I almost cried. “You actually remember that ridiculous expression.”

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“How could I forget? You were so proud of that analogy,” Zoey said, laughing with me. “And it worked, didn’t it? It calmed me down instantly.”

“And it’s working again,” I admitt

feeling my anxiety ease with the familiarity of the moment. “It’s weird

how you managed to get the tone exactly right.”

“I learned from the best,” she said softly, looking at me with affection. “You always knew how to calm me down when I

as spiraling.””

heavy, emotional silence settled between us. We were both thinking about that moment two years earlier, when I’d rushed out to buy tests for her, trying to be the responsible, composed younger sister.

“It’s crazy,” I murmured, “how life came full circle.”

“It’s beautiful,” Zoey corrected softly. “It means we’ve always been there for each other. And we always will be.”

I looked at the three tests, my chest tight with a mix of gratitude and nerves.

“We’ll wait until tomorrow morning,” Zoey said, placing the tests on the nightstand. “First pee of the day is always more concentrated. More reliable.”

“Good idea,” I agreed, even though I already knew sleep wasn’t going to come easily.

We lay down, but just as expected, neither of us fell asleep right away. The room was dark, yet I could feel that Zoey was still awake too, staring at the ceiling.

“Zoey?” I whispered after a few minutes.

“Yeah?”

“What if it doesn’t work this time?”

There was a pause. I could feel her carefully choosing the right words-trying to calm me without brushing off my fear.

“It will,” she finally said, with a confidence that caught me off guard.

“But what if it doesn’t?” I pushed. “The doctor said it’s only a forty to fifty percent chance. What if I’m one of the people it doesn’t work for the first time?”

“Then you try again,” she said simply. “And again, if you have to.”

“But it’s so much money. So much emotional strain…”

“Annie,” Zoey interrupted gently, “you can handle it. Financially. Emotionally. You’re young, stable. It’s not like this is your one and only shot in life.”

“I know,” I murmured. “It’s just hard not to get my hopes up.’

“Of course it is. But look at everything you and Nate have already been through together. All the obstacles. If it doesn’t work now, you’ll find another way. You always do.”

The certainty in her voice soothed me.

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“You really?”

“I’m sure, And if needed, I’ll keep buying pregnancy tests. Until it works,” she added, making me laugh.

“Three tests a month for the

st of my life?”

“If that’s what it takes. You deserve to be parents, Annie. And you will be-one way or another.”

Little by little, exhaustion finally beat out anxiety, and we drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up with that familiar pressure in my bladder. I checked the time. It was almost seven

a.m.

“Zoey,” I whispered, shaking her shoulder. “I’m awake. I’m ready.”

Her eyes opened instantly, as if she hadn’t slept deeply either.

“Now?”

“Now.”

We jumped out of bed like two mischievous kids about to do something forbidden. Zoey grabbed the tests from the nightstand and followed me into the bathroom.

“You’re really just going to stand there and watch?” I asked, holding one of the boxes.

“Annie, I’ve seen you throw up from a hangover, cry during a margarine commercial, and get diarrhea after eating sketchy sushi. I think peeing on a stick won’t be the most awkward thing I’ve ever witnessed.”

I laughed nervously.

“Fair point.”

I opened the package, my hands slightly shaky. The instructions were simple: pee on the stick, wait three minutes.

“Ready?” Zoey asked.

“As ready as anyone can be for this.”

I followed the instructions and placed the tests on the sink.

“Three minutes,” I announced, checking my watch. “Like making instant noodles.”

We stood there staring at the test like it was a bomb about to go off. The seconds crawled by, each tick of the clock echoing in the bathroom silence.

“How long has it been?” I asked.

“A minute and a half.”

“It feels like forever.”

“I know. Time just stops.”

P

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“This is the longest instant noodle of my life.”

A few more seconds passed. My heart was pounding so loudly I was sure Zoey could hear it.

“I can’t look,” I suddenly said, turning my back to the sink. “I really can’t.”

“Annie…”

“Is the time up?”

I heard Zoey pick up one of the tests.

“So?” I asked, still facing away, my voice coming out higher than normal.

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