Page 51 of Andy

“I’m scared.”

“It will be okay. We’ll work through the problems and find solutions.”

“Oh God, Andy.” She wrapped her arms around him and held on tight.

After a minute, he stepped back and held her gaze. "Let's go buy the pregnancy test, and then we will know."

She nodded, not sure knowing would make her feel any better. The drive over to the pharmacy was quick, and they ran in, grabbing two tests and paying at the self-checkout. They were back home less than twenty minutes later, and she headed into the bathroom to pee on the stick. She didn’t want to think about what would happen if the test was positive.

Before she finished with the toilet, she could see two lines forming on the stick. She finished pulling up her pants and stared down at the stick, amazed that she was pregnant.

The door opened behind her and she glanced up, meeting Andy’s gaze in the mirror. No question, he knew by the look on her face. His arms came around her and he held onto her as a million thoughts crashed in her head.

She turned to face him, putting her hand on his cheek. He had started to grow back his beard, but it wasn’t as thick as it had been before.

“What do you want to do?” Mel asked.

“Maybe get drunk, get you to a doctor, feed you, and then pick out which room will be the nursery.”

Shock pulsed through her. “So you really want to keep it?”

He nodded. "I did ask you to marry me, and you said yes. So yes. I want this baby and you in my life."

“It could be a false positive.”

"If that's the case, we'll deal with it."

"You're so calm, and I'm over here freaking out."

"Well, it's your body. You're going to have to do the work. I mean, I can help out with cleaning and cooking. I can do the laundry, too, but I can't grow a baby. If I was the one who had to make it, I'd be freaking out, too."

Mel collapsed against him and let the tears fall. She'd wanted a child but honestly hadn't really thought much about how she would get one. There'd been no scheming or planning, just the general thought that having a kid one day might be nice.

There was so much she had to do. It could be a false positive. Or she could still lose the baby. How far along was she?

With her hand on Andy’s chest, she stared up at him. “So today, can we keep this between us?”

Andy nodded. “Sure. I know something like having a baby is a big deal.”

“I just don’t want to deal with questions if something is wrong.”

Andy put his fingers under his chin. “I get that. And if something is wrong, this group of friends will help, not hurt us.”

She shrugged. “I know. I just?—”

“It’s okay. We don’t have to tell them yet.”

Worry spun through her, but with Andy’s support she could get through anything. They headed back up to bed, and she fell asleep fast. Andy woke her about thirty minutes before they were set to leave.

“I packed up everything, and all you have to do is shower and get dressed,” Andy said after kissing her awake.

She stretched and moaned. “Did that really happen?”

“What?” Andy asked.

“Me eating a peanut butter and egg sandwich with cheese last night.”

Andy chuckled. “Yeah. It all happened. Even us going to the pharmacy and buying a pregnancy test.”

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