Page 38 of Cooper

“I was hoping that you’d say that.” She smiles. Eyes shining bright. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“So, both tests were positive?”

A ‘v’ forms between my brows. “Both?”

“Well, everyone knows that the first one can be a false positive. All my girlfriends always took two tests. Hell, even my sister Julia took two tests. Both were negative.” She starts to ramble. I think she’s excited for me. I can’t help but smile. It seems like this is the first female friend I’ve had since I moved here. “Okay, I’m going on break in five minutes. I’ll head up the street and get you another test. Not to worry. We’ll get this settled once and for all.”

I hate to admit it that I like her maternal instinct. God knows my mother never had it. Thank God I had my high school teacher, Mrs. Linebeck, to help me through my periods, because my mother never gave me an ounce of guidance. Even when I was pregnant and had Bean, she showed up a couple of hours later, no gift, no hug. Sure, she gushed a little over Bean, but I can count on my fingers how many times she watched her, how many times she held her. I’ve never had anyone in my life that doted over her the way that Cooper and Colton do. Even though I’m not actually pregnant, I’m pretending I am, and loving it.

So I let Liz do the maternal thing with a smile. “Okay. Thanks. You’re a good friend.”

“But you’ve got to promise me that you’ll let me babysit.”

“As often as you like.”

She purses her lips together into a smile. “Okay, I’ve got to get this table over here settled, and I’ll go on break.”

I nod as Cooper walks out of the back office and gives me a kiss. “I’ll see you later, darlin’. I’ll go grab Bean from Nate’s and take her home to bed. Sorry about all this.”

“It’s okay, Cooper. I appreciate you making the trip. And Bean loves Nate. She won’t mind that you brought her over there, as long as Nate doesn’t mind.”

“Na, he was just watching television. He actually smiled when he answered the door. Looked like he was grateful for the company. I think the kid gets lonely when his mama works late hours.”

“What about his father?”

“I’m not sure where he is. He works late hours, too, from what I understand. The kid’s alone a lot. And he doesn’t have any siblings.”

“I’d like to meet him.”

“Sure, I’ll ask if he wants to come around this weekend. In fact, we can invite a bunch of people over if you like. Have a little pre-Christmas party or something.”

“Sure. I’ve got to get back to work. I’m covering while Liz goes on break.” I say, leaving out the part where Liz is going to get me a pregnancy test to confirm my fake pregnancy. I hate breaking her heart like that, but I didn’t know what else to do. As sick as this sounds, I can even tell her that I’d feel better going to the doctor to confirm that it’s negative. Once this test that she brings me turns negative, that is. I don’t mind playing along, acting like I’m pregnant. If it puts that much of a smile on her face and gets me out of more awkward conversations about things I can’t talk about relating to my past, I’m in.

“Okay, darlin’. I love you.” He says, kissing me.

“Love you, too.” I kiss him back.

I watch him leave as I tend to a few tables, forgetting for a moment that my life has gotten so complicated, but at the same time, so much simpler. The love part is the simple part. I’m surrounded by people who love me and Bean or who care for us a lot. Much more so than we’ve ever had. Just Blake alone cares for me more than any of the friends I’ve ever had did. And Liz, just that little bit of care that she’s showing me means the world. That’s probably why I love my little Bean so much. Because she and I were all we’ve ever really had. Especially since the divorce. A weird lull comes as some patrons leave and no more show up, but it’s perfect timing, since Liz returns and seems eager for her and I to go to the ladies’ room.

Blake is unscathed as the two of us go into the washroom. I feel my face heat as she opens up the bag and hands me the box. “Now, remember, this is just to confirm.” She says levelly. “Chances are that the first one was positive and this one will be, too. But when I took the test with Nate, the first one was negative. When my period still didn’t make an appearance a week later, I did another one.”

“How come you didn’t just go to the doctor for confirmation?” I ask, buying time. I feel silly.

“Oh, hell, honey, I was a child. Scared out of my mind. I had Nate before I finished high school.” She explains. “I had no idea what I was doing. I’m not even sure I knew what I was doing to conceive the kid, but there it was, plain as day, two clear lines on a stick.”

“Well, even if this is negative, I’m still going to go to the doctor, just to make sure.” I tell her, not wanting to wipe that excited smile off her face.

“Okay, you go on ahead, and I’ll stay here. It’s quiet out there and Blake will come knock on the door if it gets crazy out there, so don’t worry.”

I nod. “Okay.” I go into the stall and do my business, emerging a minute later, with the stick firmly in my hand, feigning that I’m nervous. It breaks my heart and at the same time, it lifts me up, that she’s so excited for me. But only me and my conscience know the truth, and I don’t want to burst her bubble. It’s so seldom that I make people smile. That’s why it’s such a gift being around Cooper. The moment he sees me, he smiles. And it’s contagious.

“It should only take a minute.” Liz says, inspecting the stick, as if it may be faulty.

“Oh, how much do I owe you?” I ask her, routing through my apron, with tip money inside it.

She waves. “It’s on me. Hell, I haven’t been this excited since Nate won a ‘Student of the Month’ award. I can’t wait to have a little one running around.”

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