Page 87 of Faking It with Mr. Uptight

Becca threw her hands up in mock surrender. "What? What's wrong with talking about babies? I thought that's what everyone wanted."

I couldn't help but laugh at their antics. "Guys, it's fine. Becca's not wrong. I mean, yeah, I want a baby someday. Hopefully sooner rather than later."

Becca grinned, pointing her fork at me. "Well, at least with Jake, it's like a try-before-you-buy kind of deal. You already know he's an amazing dad."

Just then, my classroom door opened, and Jake poked his head in, looking adorably sheepish for interrupting our little ladies' lunch.

"Hey, sorry to barge in like this," he said, giving a little wave to the girls. "Pat's kind of freaking out, so I got someone to cover for me. I'm heading over to County General now."

I smiled, my heart melting at how sweet he was. "No worries, go be with your family. And wish Amy good luck from me! Oh, and you better send pictures when that baby makes their grand entrance, but like obviously not of Amy’s grand entrance. No woman wants to share that."

Becca and Laney snorted covering their mouths while Jake laughed and shook his head. "Will do. And hey, could you bring Hailey to the hospital after school? I haven't told her yet. Figured we should wait until the end of the day, so she's not distracted during her exams."

"Of course, consider it done. I'll let her know."

"Thanks, Molly. You're the best." And with that, he ducked out as quickly as he'd arrived.

Becca smirked, her eyes glinting with mirth. "Well, well, well. That was a whole lot of 'we' talk happening there."

I rolled my eyes, trying to fight the blush creeping up my cheeks. "Oh, hush."

"I'm just saying, you two are like a real family now. It's adorable. Who knows, maybe Hailey will start calling you Step-Mol."

I shuddered, shaking my head. "Ew, no. That's just weird."

Laney snorted, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, let's not go there."

Becca held up her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. But seriously, you guys are too cute. I never would've guessed it. Look at you, making Jake all soft and cuddly."

I laughed, shaking my head. "I didn't make him anything. He was always a sweetheart. He just didn't always show it."

Becca cackled, her eyebrows raised. "What? That doesn't even make sense."

"Does too," I argued, sticking my tongue out at her.

Laney nodded, backing me up like the true friend she was.

Becca leaned forward; her eyes wide as if she stood on the precipice of the most salacious gossip ever. "Have you two thought about moving in together yet?"

I glanced at Laney hoping she would again swoop in and save me, but she simply shrugged, her eyebrows raised. I narrowed my eyes at her and then decided to humor Becca. "I mean, sort of? But I don't want to rush things, you know?" I didn’t know why I felt the need to downplay my feelings now.

"Girl, you were practically living together already," Becca pointed out.

"Yeah, but have you ever lived with someone? When I moved in with my ex, the first few months were a nightmare. You have to adjust to all these habits and quirks they somehow managed to hide when you were just sleeping over. It's a lot. And if things went south, it would be really weird for Hailey."

Becca sighed, nodding. "Alright, fair point."

The bell rang and Becca and Laney stood, gathering their things.

"See you later, ladies," I said and waved them off.

As they left, I gathered my things, clearing off the remains of our lunch. As I cleaned up, and my next period kids trickled in, I thought about Jake and Hailey. We had settled into a comfortable routine, and Hailey was thriving. Still, the thought of taking things to the next level made my palms sweat. Was I ready? Was it too soon?

I shook the thought from my head. There was no sense in worrying. Everything would fall into place, as long as I kept a level head.

The afternoon dragged on and by the time my seventh period came around I had nearly drained my phone battery from lighting up the screen hoping to see an update from Jake. Hailey breezed into my class and grabbed me by the arm.

"Is it true? Did my dad leave school early because Aunt Amy is having the baby?"

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