Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 86335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
We wait while Ana breastfeeds her daughter, and then the three of us and Emilia pile into the bathroom. But before any of us can get a look at the results, Emilia kicks her foot out, wanting to be let down, and the three pregnancy tests go flying off the counter and onto the floor.
“Emilia,” Ana scolds her daughter with zero heat in her voice. “Give me a second so I can give her back to Diana.”
She leaves the room, and Kira and I stare down at the tests still on the floor. One is facing up and reads NOT PREGNANT. Another one reads PREGNANT, and my heart sinks.
Kira flips the last one over since it fell screen down, and it reads PREGNANT.
“Oh shit,” I whisper at the same time she snorts out a laugh.
“So?” Ryder asks, leaning against the doorframe. “How did it go?”
“Well, two of us are pregnant,” Kira says with a smirk.
“Two?” Ryder lifts a brow. “Who all took a pregnancy test?”
“We all took one to support Paige,” Ana says, walking back into the room with Julian since this is apparently a group activity.
“I was just telling Ryder that two of them are positive,” Kira says, “but because Emilia knocked them off the counter, we don’t know who’s pregnant.”
“It’d better not be you,” Julian says with a chuckle to his wife.
“It’s definitely not me,” Ana says with an eye roll. “You had a vasectomy.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t get pregnant.” There’s laughter in Julian’s tone, but Ana glares.
“Are you trying to say I’d cheat on you?”
“No!” Julian pulls her into his arms. “I’m trying to say maybe my sperm is so strong that it made it through and still managed to knock you up.”
Ryder laughs, and Julian says, “What are you laughing at? One of those positive tests could be Kira’s.”
“I sure as fuck hope so,” Ryder says with love shining in his eyes at his wife, which reminds me that if one of the positive tests is mine, I don’t have a loving husband to do this with.
I’m on my own, and unless I find Nate by some miracle, I’ll be raising this baby alone.
“I have more tests,” Ana announces. “And this time, we’ll write our names on them.”
She grabs a Sharpie, and after we write our names on our tests, we take turns going pee again—which isn’t easy since we all just went.
Six minutes later, Ana’s test reads NOT PREGNANT, Kira’s reads PREGNANT, and mine, of course, reads PREGNANT.
Kira screeches in excitement while Ryder hugs her, telling her how excited he is. And Ana walks over to me, still staring at my positive test.
“What are you going to do?” she asks softly, rubbing her hand up and down my arm.
“I don’t know.” The words cause a dam to break deep inside me, and as Ana pulls me into her arms, I cry harder than I’ve ever cried.
I want this baby. I already love him or her. But I don’t want to do it on my own. I’ve always wanted a family, but in my head, it included a doting husband who loves me. Not me as a single mom, raising a baby alone.
“I know, right now, it sucks,” Kira says, reining in her excitement to be a friend. “But I did it on my own, and, yes, it was hard, but I promise you, your baby will not be loved any less. Not only will they have you, but they’ll have all of us as well. And”—her hand goes to her belly—“we’ll be pregnant together. Based on the dates, we’re only a month apart.”
“Thank you.” I give Kira and then Ana a hug. “I really appreciate you both. And I’m so happy for you, Kira.”
“Send me the pictures you have,” Julian says. “Let’s see if we can find this guy.”
He grabs his laptop, and I email him the two pictures I have—one from the top of the Tower Bridge and the other in Bath, each of us holding a scone to our mouths. I deleted them when I got home, but then in a moment of weakness, I restored them. Now, I’m thankful I did because if I don’t find him, I have nothing of him but these two pictures to show our son or daughter one day so they know who their father is even if they can never meet him.
Julian spends the next hour trying to get a match. Several pop up of similar-looking guys, but each one he shows me isn’t Nate.
Since the book club discussion was interrupted and the mood has been ruined, we agree to have it another day. We all munch on the food while the kids play, and after we eat, I tell everyone I’m going to head home.
“Are you sure?” Ana asks. “You could stay here. We have a guest room.”