Page 28 of Rim Shot Rebound

“Mmhmm.” Kelsey knew Natalie had more to say than that, but she wasn’t having this conversation with Lauren in earshot. Not that she had anything at all against Lauren. She just wasn’t close enough with her yet to have this conversation.

She wasn’t even ready to have this conversation with Eric, but it needed to be done. She couldn’t sleep with him and hide this, so she either had to break things off entirely or tell him the truth. And the way she felt when he looked at her, not to mention the way she felt after last weekend with him, she knew there was really only one choice here. She just had to have faith in him. She had to have faith that he’d grown and wouldn’t make the same mistakes. Because there was no way she could go through all of that again.

“See y’all next week.” Lauren waved and headed into the grass beside her car, while Natalie and Kelsey continued down the gravel driveway.

“Sooooo,” Natalie said when they reached her car. “Did you tell him?”

“Not yet.” Kelsey bit the inside of her mouth. She wasn’t normally a worry-chewer, but she was wearing a sore spot in her mouth this week.

“Is that why you look like you’re going to barf, or is that the morning sickness?”

“The morning sickness is mostly just morning now. So yeah, I’m gonna tell him when he gets out here.”

“You’re gonna tell him you’re pregnant. Here. Now. On Robin’s front lawn.”

“That’s the plan.”

“Jeez you’re shitty at plans.” Natalie smiled and nudged Kelsey’s arm. “It’s gonna be fine.”

“I know.”

“You know he’s gonna be thrilled.”

“Yeah, that’s the problem.”

Natalie frowned and crossed her arms. “That’s a good problem to have. Stop making this harder than it is.” She nodded over Kelsey’s shoulder. “Or at least brace yourself.” She put a hand on Kelsey’s shoulder. “Good luck. You know where to find me if you need.”

“I do. Thanks.”

Natalie got in her car and drove off, and Eric’s long strides carried him across the grass through her empty spot right after. “Went pretty well, huh?”

“What?”

Eric’s brow wrinkled. “The song?”

“Oh, the song,” Kelsey said. “Yeah. Great.”

He opened the trunk of his van. “Everything okay with you?”

Kelsey took a deep breath. She’d already made the decision. She just had to tell him. “No.”

“No? What’s wrong?”

“I mean, yes. I’m okay. So far. I think.”

“So far?” He slid his bass into the back of the van and reached for the trunk door. “What’s going on, Kel?”

She took another deep breath and said, “I’m pregnant,” just as the van trunk slammed shut.

Eric flinched and stared at her wide-eyed beneath the brim of his fedora. He leaned his head forward. “What did you say?”

“I said I’m pregnant.”

He stood in shock for a second, then moved toward her, only to freeze again. He put a palm against his chest. “And it’s…”

“Yours, yes.”

As the words sank in, his eyes danced with joy and confusion. Then, the inevitable.

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