Page 49 of Pieces

He laughs again, and I stare at him, warmth blooming in my chest despite the whirlwind of emotions I’ve been carrying lately. “You didn’t have to do this,” I say, sipping the milk. “But…thank you.”

As he studies me for a second, his head tilts, making his hair flop a little, those hazel eyes boring into me. “You’re gonna have to stop saying I don’t have to do things here. I do have to, and more than that, I’m going to because I want to,” he says simply. How is he so even keeled when I feel like I’m fumbling around in the dark?

“How are you so calm?”

Amusement lights up his eyes. “Calm? Trust me, I’m not as put-together as I look,” he says. “I wasn’t calm last night… I went to see my friend, Jay, who, by the way, won’t tell anyone anything. But I had my freakout, and I’m not a guy to back out of something, even if I know I can’t control everything.”

I chew on that, swirling the milk around in my cup. Control is how I live my life, yet he’s letting it go with such ease. I wish I could just go with it. “That sounds…annoyingly wise.”

His laugh is warm, a low rumble that makes me feel something in a way I’m not ready to unpack. “Things I’ve never been called before, but I’ll take it.”

I want to ask how he does it, how he keeps standing when the weight of the world feels like it’s pressing down. But I squash the questions for now, and instead, I just shake my head with a wry smile.

“Everything will work out,” he says.

“You make it sound so simple.”

I glance up at him as he steps a little closer. It’s quiet for a moment as we take each other in, and something about it reminds me of the first night we met. That easy, playful aura of his is still there, but underneath it, there’s something steady, something solid that makes me feel…safe.

His Adam’s apple bobs on a deep swallow, and his voice is low when he finally speaks. “It’s not simple. There’s so much we need to figure out. But you’re tougher than you think, Daphne. And if you’re not, well…” He smirks. “That’s what I’m here for.”

My heart squeezes.

And for the first time in days, I don’t feel like I’m drowning.

Chapter twenty-two

Hudson

Itotallygetwhypeople say three’s a crowd.

Previously, I’ve been quick to make a joke about three being a great number in the bedroom, but I’ve just spent the last hour in Liv’s car, sandwiched between two women. One carrying my child. The other being her best friend. I can totally see why three is a crowd because this whole experience is awkward as fuck.

So tell me why my mouth and brain disconnect at this very moment…

“You know,” I say, breaking the awkward silence, “this kind of feels like a really weird threesome. Except nobody’s having fun.”

Daphne groans, burying her face in her hands. “Hudson. Oh my god.”

Yeah, I really said that. Fuck my life. Where’s the guy in her dorm earlier? The one who knew exactly what to say? Did I lose my charm?

Beside me, Liv chokes on a laugh. “Okay, I hate that I’m laughing, but that was good.”

“See?” I point at her, grinning. “Someone appreciates my sense of humor.”

Daphne looks between the two of us, her lips twitching like she’s trying not to smile. “I’m literally about to pee in a cup to confirm that my life,ourlives”—she gestures between her and me—“are forever changed, and you’re making jokes about threesomes.”

Liv shrugs, her tone light. “What? I didn’t say anything bad.”

“You didn’t have to,” Daphne mutters, then exhales slowly. “Let’s just get through this, okay?” But I definitely see the side of her mouth twitch again before she settles back down in her seat.

The nurse steps into the waiting room and calls Daphne’s name. We all stand, like some weird, synchronized trio ready to walk onto the stage. And then Liv sits back down. “I think you need to do this together,” she says.

“But you came all the way here…” Daphne frowns.

“And I’d do it again, but you two need this. I’ll wait.”

That’s actually nice of Liv, and I appreciate the moment with Daphne. Except the closer we get to the room, the more panic sets into my lungs, restricting that airflow. Suddenly, all the joking feels stupider, because fuck, fuck, fuck… I’m about to find out when our baby is going to be born. A real-life doctor is about to confirm that we’re having a baby. Shit got real, really fucking fast since last night.

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