An excerpt from Triad:
Ally burst out in delighted laughter when Eric and Nick both jumped up to throw their arms around her. "Hey, take it easy. It’s not confirmed yet."
"When will you know for sure?" Eric asked.
"As soon as I can get a pregnancy test done."
Suddenly Nick was literally itching to find out. "I’ll drive to the pharmacy in Grieve and get you one," he blurted.
Ally gaped at him. "It’s thirty miles each way!"
"Would you rather wait a month for an appointment with that overpriced obstetrician in Rome?"
Eric and Ally exchanged glances, then shook their heads slowly.
Most of the time, living beside a vineyard in the rustic Tuscan countryside was the next best thing to paradise on earth. But it could be a royal pain in the ass whenever they needed something in a hurry. It took Nick close to an hour to drive to Grieve and back, jostling and bouncing over the unpaved country roads in Eric’s beloved Lamborghini Murciélago. At last he swung back into the villa’s courtyard and charged upstairs, one precious home pregnancy test clutched in his sweaty hand.
Eric and Ally sat on the overstuffed leather couch in the living room waiting for him. But when he handed the test to Ally, all she could do was stare at it, swallowing hard. "Um... maybe we should wait," she murmured. "If we do it now, it’ll be... final, and I’m not sure I could stand it if it wasn’t true this time."
"Don’t you think it’s better to know?" Eric asked quietly, giving her hand a squeeze. "If we’re about to become parents, I’d like as much time as possible to get ready."
"Oh, God..." She shut her eyes tightly, one hand flying up to cover her mouth. "I knew I shouldn’t have said anything until I was sure."
With that, Nick fell to his knees beside her, more from sheer nerves than anything else. "Ally, I drove a long way to get this for you. So go pee on the damn stick and get it over with."
She stared at him for a long moment before erupting in nervous laughter. "Okay, okay! Talk about shaming me into it!"
They followed her back to the master bedroom and waited while she disappeared into the bathroom and shut the door. Nick perched on the edge of the bed, cracking his knuckles. Eric paced so furiously, Nick was sure he’d worn a permanent trench in the carpet. They heard the crackle of foil being unwrapped, followed by a telltale tinkling, then ponderous silence.
Finally the bathroom door opened, and Ally emerged. She held the stick out so they could both see it.
The thing was blue.
"Congratulations." She beamed. "Looks like you’re gonna be daddies."