Page 55 of Sacrifice Bunt

She clicked off his text to the one with Hannah and Celia, giving them a heads up that she was on the way. She wasn't surprised when they both wrapped her up in their arms, hugging her for long minutes as soon as they saw her.

This was not like her. She was not emotional nor was she a hugger. She was the one who gave advice and comfort, not the one who needed it.

Had falling in love with Noah brought out something new in her? Because she wasn't so sure she liked it. Letting emotions rule over facts and figures was not easy.

“Go sit down,” Celia said. “I'll bring you a drink.”

“I don't want to drink, but I do want to drink, but I really just want,” she paused and then answered honestly, “Noah.”

“What happened?” Hannah asked, sitting down next to her. She’d given them the bare minimum when she’d texted.

“He made me fucking love him, and then I couldn't handle it. I bailed. I basically bailed on a man who made me fall in love with him and that I’m pretty sure loves me back, all because I'm cold and heartless and can't make myself have emotions.”

“First of all, none of that is true other than the fact that you love Noah and Noah loves you,” Celia said. “Noah didn’t make you fall in love with him. You fell in love with him because something in you recognized him in a way beyond friendship. And, you're in no way cold and heartless. You might not be the most emotional person, but that’s only because you keep your emotions in check because you've never needed to let them out before.”

“If this were a game show, I'd be slapping my buzzer,” Hannah said. “I'd be hitting it hard because Celia hit the nail on the head.”

Zara gave Hannah an evil look. “This is not the time for jokes or stupid sayings. Tell me what to do!” she yelled, pointing her hands to the sky.

“We've been over this,” Hannah said. “As recently as last night. We can't tell you what to do. We can guide you and advise you, but ultimately, you have to make the decision.”

“You went to see him didn't you?” Celia asked. She’d conveniently left that part out when she’d texted them for help.

She nodded. “After I left Allana's last night, all I wanted was to see Noah. I made an impromptu decision and took the first flight available to LA. I got there early this morning.” She could still recall his face when he’d answered the door to her standing there.

Amazed and happy.

“What in the hell changed between then and now?” Celia asked.

“We talked about me staying for a couple of days, and I was on board. He asked if I’d come to his game tomorrow and at that moment, it made sense to me to mention I’d like to wear an Emperor’s shirt if I was there to watch him play.”

“Whoa.” Hannah’s eyes went wide. “You never wear team shirts. Not even when it’s Heath or Edwin.”

Zara glared at her. “Exactly, but I wanted to wear one for his team. A little later, he mentioned how wearing his team shirt made him hot and that the only thing better would be if I wore his name on my shirt.” She groaned. “That one little thing was all it took to send me into a spiral. It was too much.”

“Why was it too much?” Hannah asked.

She stood up, needing to pace. “Why wasn't it too much? I don’t ever wear team logos. I literally don’t own any, and here I was offering. What’s worse is that I could picture it. I could picture myself wearing a jersey with Noah’s name and number, cheering him on, and everything inside me liked it. So why did I leave? Tell me why?”

“You pictured it?” Celia questioned. “How did it make you feel when you pictured it?”

She closed her eyes, letting herself imagine that picture again. “It felt good. Right somehow.”

“If it felt good, why did you leave?”

“What if it doesn't work out? What if a week from now, a month from now, or two months from now, I'm not enough for him? What if I annoy him, or he hates that I'm not caring enough? That I don't coo and cry over babies and puppies. That I'm blunt.” Her head was starting to hurt.

“Oh Jesus,” Hannah said. “I'm still here, and you've been all those things with me the entire time I've known you since college. I was eighteen when we met. Eighteen, Zara. And I'm almost thirty, and yet none of those things bother me. I mean, I'm really hoping that you might coo and cry over my baby when it gets here, but I don’t give a shit if you don’t.”

That had Zara looking at her friend. “Did you just say what I think you said? Are you pregnant?”

Hannah scratched her head and cringed. “Shit, do not tell Edwin that I told you this early. We are not telling people, and you just made me fucking spill my guts.”

“You're pregnant?” Celia said, happiness evident in her voice.

“Yes, I'm pregnant. I'm having a baby. Oh my God, that's the scariest thing in the world to say. Why am I having a baby? Who would have a baby? What is happening?”

“Calm down,” Zara said, sitting next to her friend again. “You're going to be a great mom.”

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