Page 40 of The Story We Wrote

Theo tensed and I had a bad feeling about what she was about to say.

“I’m just going to rip the bandaid off. I, uh, I’m pregnant,” Theo said.

Holy. Shit.Goosebumps formed on my arms.

In my mind, I’d planned for death. I thought Theo was coming home because her mom, the only person she truly had left, was sick. A baby was much easier for me to digest.

“Okay. Good thing or bad thing?” Penny asked, trying to gauge how to react. It was a weird line when someone tells you they’re pregnant. I never knew how to feel.

“At first, a very bad thing. Mental breakdown bad thing,” Theo said. “But now that I’ve had time to process it, I feel good about it.” She reached down and placed a hand on her belly.

“How long have you known?” I asked. The times I’d been with Theo since she returned played back in my mind.

“Since the weekend I came back to Faircloud. Right now, I’m six weeks.” Theo smiled slightly while talking about the baby. I couldn’t help but smile too. She seemed happy.

“Do we know the father?” Penny was asking all the hard-hitting questions, which took a lot of the pressure off me.

“No,” Theo said. “It was a random guy I met while traveling in Italy. I don’t even know where he’s originally from. He doesn’t know about the baby, and I don’t plan on ever trying to find him. I don’t need drama or rejection. I can do this by myself.” That was Theo in a nutshell. She didn’t need anyone else to save her or help her when things got tough.

“You’re not alone, Theo. You have us. I’m going to spoil this baby rotten. Auntie A can’t wait to meet them,” I said, tears beginning to prick my eyes. Theo was going to make a great mom. She was a badass bitch who was going to raise a badass kid.

Penny sniffled next to me. “Wow, I’m so happy for you.” She took the napkin and dabbed the inside of her eyes. Even Theo was getting emotional, her eyes turning a shade of light pink.

What did I miss? I thought about The Tequila Cowboy, the bonfire, and even tonight. Not once did she actually order alcohol. I knew we all got a shot at the bar, but she must’ve ditched it when we weren’t looking.

Carmen came with our food mid-cry. We probably looked like a train wreck. She didn’t bat an eye and acted like it was a normal night for her. I bet a lot of women cried over tacos and margaritas.

When she walked away, I continued the conversation. “When do you find out the gender? I know nothing about pregnancy, so I’m clueless.”

“What about an ultrasound? Did you go yet, can we see it?” Penny asked.

Theo laughed to herself; she knew what she was getting into by telling us. The questions wouldn’t stop. “I have my first ultrasound scheduled for next week. I won’t find out the gender until around 18-20 weeks, so I have a way to go.”

“Oh my, I hope it’s a little girl.” Penny clapped her hands in excitement. “We can play dress up and have tea parties. When she gets older, we can all go for manicures.”

Theo’s face lit up; I hadn’t seen her smile like that in a long time. This baby was going to be great for her. Through her style and personality, Theo may appear rough around the edges, but she loves with her whole heart. Once you brought down her walls, you were set with a true friend for life. This baby was chipping away at her tough exterior little by little. I couldn’t help thinking that her dad would be so proud.

We ate and daydreamed about the new addition to our friend group. We talked about names and nursery colors. Getting a group of girls together with margaritas was the fastest way to discuss things and get them figured out. I demanded a copy of the ultrasound so I could hang it on my fridge. Penny begged andbegged to get to go with her, but Theo gently turned down the offer because she needed to do it by herself.

Leaving the restaurant, I felt amazing. I took what advice Theo and Penny gave me and decided I was going to run with it. I was going to let myself enjoy my time with Boone and not put so many restrictions on the friendship. If it all turned out bad in the end, I knew I had a soft place to fall with my best friends.

Eighteen

Aspen

When I asked Boone if he’d be down to go to the rodeo as a group, he didn’t even hesitate to say yes. Mac and Rhodes also came with, which meant our plan had been a success. We all piled into Boone’s truck. The girls sat in the cab with Boone while the other two guys rode in the truck bed.

One thing about me was I loved Faircloud’s amateur rodeos. Not only was it fun to watch locals participate in events, but the food was always amazing. There was food truck after food truck lining the grounds where the outdoor rodeo took place. They brought in overhead lights, which were bright and fluorescent, to illuminate the whole space as the night sky rolled in. My favorite events were barrel racing and steer wrestling. I’d laugh watching people try their best to wrestle an angry steer; they always put up a fight.

Tonight, I wore a long, capped sleeve dress in a beautiful shade of green with brown cowboy boots and a cream colored cowboy hat. Ironically, my hat looked identical to Boone’s, which I kind of liked. Penny wore a thin-strap tank top andflared jeans that had star patches all over them. Theo wore a cute pair of jean overalls, black of course, with a bandeau top. Her hair was done in twisted pigtail braids, and she was decked out in jewelry. Rodeos were also an excuse to dress up a little bit. Even the guys came cleaned up. I nearly passed out when I saw Boone in a pearl snap shirt.

We walked in pairs; I was with Boone, Penny with Mac, and Theo with Rhodes. I didn’t tell Boone it was a ‘triple date,” but in my head, I told myself it was. Boone leaned closer to my ear to whisper, “You look gorgeous by the way.” I felt giddy, like I was back in high school going on a date with the popular boy. Teenage Aspen would be shaking in her cowboy boots.

“Well, thank you,” I replied, bumping my shoulder against this arm.

“Did you want to grab something to eat right now or get seats for the event?” Boone asked loud enough the whole group could hear.

“I think the steer wrestling starts in like, twenty minutes. Maybe we should grab a seat now and eat after?” Penny suggested.

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