Page 40 of One-Star Romance

“Yes, tell me something interesting.”

“Um…”

“Anything. Please. I don’t care what it is—”

It came out in a rush. “Rob and I made out in the lake.”

Gabby shrieked. “I knew it! Well, not about the lake, but I thought I sensed a vibe—” She cut herself off. “Wait, did he make you cry? What did he do, and do I need to kill him? I like Rob fine, I don’t want to hurt him, but I will.”

“He and I are just…I don’t know. He’s a dick, but you should let him live.”

“I want all the details—”

Natalie looked away as she tried to figure out how to even begin. Her eyes fell on the test between them. “Gabby,” she said, and pointed.

A hushed moment as they took it in. Tears beaded in Gabby’s eyes. “Holy shit. I’m having a baby.”

“You’re having a baby.” They both spoke in whispers. Somehow the news felt so big that all they could do was whisper in the face of it. Like walking into a cathedral, reverent. Natalie squeezed Gabby tight, holding on to a body that was already changing in ways she couldn’t comprehend. “I can’t wait for there to be even more of you in the world for me to love.”

“Aunt Natalie,” Gabby said into her shoulder. Then she sat back. “Do you think…? I’m not going to lose myself, am I?”

“No,” Natalie said, though it was more of a hope than a certainty. Because as happy as she was now—practically full to bursting—the joy was bittersweet. Their friendship had survived marriage, but things were different than they had been, diminished. A baby, well…they’d soon be living in two different realities. Natalie literally could not imagine having a child right now. Even if things continued to go well with Jeff and they decided to take that step, it would be years away. And what was it that Gabby had said in the car at one point during her stressed-out monologue? Not that you can ever really understand until you’re in it.

“I hope Angus isn’t sad or disappointed,” Gabby was saying now. “He’s just starting this new job, we’d talked about taking all these trips—”

A clatter sounded outside the bedroom—the screen doors opening, someone tripping through them. “I think they’re back,” Natalie said, “and he’d better not be disappointed.”

“Yeah. It’s his swimmers that did this.”

An unpleasant image of Angus’s swimmers in her head, Natalie followed Gabby out into the living room, where Rob and Angus were finishing drying off. Rob caught Natalie’s eye, then looked away, then looked back again as if trying to interpret her expression.

“Angus?” Gabby asked. “Could we talk for a minute?”

He was bending over and toweling off his hair, but he whipped back up to standing at those words. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay?” Then he registered the pregnancy test, still in Gabby’s hand. “What is…?” he began, his mouth sagging open. He took in Gabby’s hopeful, overwhelmed face. He blinked rapidly as he processed the situation. Then, “We’re having a baby?” he asked, whispering just like Gabby and Natalie had.

Gabby nodded, and at that confirmation, Angus turned incandescent, beginning at once to grin and to sob. “Oh, wow!” he said through his happy tears. “Oh, wow.” He ran forward and swept Gabby into a kiss, then picked her up, spinning her around as the two of them began to laugh, an uncontrollable burst of feeling between them.

Suddenly Angus froze and set her down, his face full of terror. “Should I not have done that?”

“What, picked me up?”

“Yeah. Was it dangerous for the baby?”

“I don’t think a bit of twirling is going to hurt it.”

“Thank God,” he said, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Whew, almost gave myself a heart attack there!” He kissed her again, then leaned down to her stomach. “I never want to hurt you, little buddy.”

It was extremely corny, but Nat felt a tingle in her throat anyway. She started to back away, thinking that maybe the two of them needed a moment alone. Then Angus looked up, zeroing in on her and Rob. “Godparents!” he said.

Gabby laughed. “Honey, they’re not Catholic.”

“Oh right. Godparents in spirit, then.” He stepped away from Gabby for a moment and caught both Natalie’s and Rob’s hands, pulling them in for a group hug, all four of them locked together.

The feeling of Rob’s body smushed against hers was nearly unbearable. Her relationship with Gabby was about to change. But in that moment, despite everything that had happened that weekend and everything that was to come, Natalie looked at Rob and smiled. He swallowed, smiling back at her, and in unison, both of them wiped their eyes.

Part Four

APRIL 2018

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