Page 9 of His Bittersweet Regret

As my best friend held me together for the second time that day, I wondered if I should tell Marsh’s family – his parents specifically – that they were going to be grandparents. Then, I figured that was his news to break to them. I had my own family to tell.

That announcement wouldn’t amount to much. They had moved to the west coast during my sophomore year in college and hadn’t looked back. Sure, my mom and dad called and texted periodically, but they were off living their retirement dream. It’s not like they would drop everything to come hold my hand through this. As the thought crossed my mind, it left just as quickly. I would wait to tell them.

“Beth?”

“Yeah, sweetie?”

“Please, don’t tell anyone I’m pregnant. I just can’t handle anyone else knowing right now.”

“My lips are sealed.”

“Thank you.”

“Never thank me for having your back. It’s what good friends do. Now, what about my momma? I think she should know because she would want to be there for you since your family’s out in Oregon now.”

The non-committal humming noise I made was met with a bout of tickles. “You know my momma won’t tell a soul, especially once she hears what happened.”

“I know. Can we wait a few days to tell Momma Vi?”

“Of course. This is your party and we’ll do it your way.”

“This party sucks.”

“It won’t suck forever, sweetie. One day soon, you’re going to hold that sweet little baby in your arms and it will be like cuddling the best thing in the world. The best thing you’ve ever created.”

“I’ll be doing it alone.”

“Says who? You’ll have me and my momma by your side.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

“It won’t be what you always envisioned, no. We’ll make the best of it, I promise.”

6

Marsh

“Fuck man! Stop the moping, already. If we knew you were going to be like this, we never would have convinced you to leave her.”

“You didn’t see her that day, Brix. She was shattered. Absolutely fucking shattered.”

“Who cares?”

“I fucking do!” I shouted at my brother. “I fucking care. Something you assholes have never gotten through your skulls. I might think we need to explore other avenues, but I never stopped loving Opal. I just don’t want to end up like Mom and Dad one day.”

“Dude, you’re a fucking idiot,” Ryker said as he strolled by us to get a soda out of the fridge.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean, Ry?”

“It means what I said. Opal is the best person in the world. If I was old enough, I’d step in and marry her, since you don’t want her anymore.” He then gave me a look that dared me to argue. When I didn’t take the bait, he smirked and shrugged his shoulders like he didn’t have a care in the world. “She won’t be available by the time I turn eighteen, so I guess it doesn’t matter what I would do.”

“What do you mean?”

“Did you forget that your girlfriend – sorry, ex-girlfriend – is hot as fuck? She’s so tiny and,” he made a lude gesture like he was squishing his dirty little paws into her ass or her tits, or whatever. “So damn fuckable. Plus, she can sing and play that guitar like no one’s business. Her latest song on her channel is something else.” His playfully, angsty demeanor changed then. His face drooped before his eyes met mine.

“Do yourself a favor and don’t listen to it. She cut me to pieces with that song and I wasn’t the dumb fuck who left her.”

Ryker grabbed his drink and headed back out of the room before turning around one more time and looking me in the eye. “Have you told Mom what an asshole you were to Opal yet?” He didn’t wait around for the answer, then again, he didn’t need to. The bombs my seventeen-year-old little brother dropped, landed exactly where they were meant to, right in my fucking heart.

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