Page 98 of Pieces

Her gaze softens. “Hudson, I’d love to be your girlfriend.”

Relief crashes over me, and I let out a shaky laugh, running a hand through my hair. “Okay, good. I’d love that too, to be your boyfriend. Obviously.”

She giggles as I pull her into me and press a quick kiss to her forehead. When we turn this time, all eyes are on us before I say.

“Everyone, Daphne and I are together and we’re having a baby.”

That’s a hard launch right?

Chapter forty-one

Daphne

WhenIsaidhardlaunch, I’m not sure I meant blurting it out like Hudson has, but here we are. And I’m not even a little bit mad about it. In fact, I’m borderline giddy. Hearing him say it out loud felt really good.

The words are barely out of his mouth when Quinn leaps up, her chair scraping against the floor as she throws her arms around me. She’s talking a mile a minute, asking a million questions I can’t even process.

The guys aren’t far behind. Miles grins and pulls me into a quick, friendly hug, clapping Hudson on the back as he steps away. Even Indie, who Hudson swore never hugs anyone, surprises me with a small, genuine embrace.

It’s nice. I feel like I’m officially being accepted into some kind of fold here.

Truthfully, making friends has been hard because, well, there aren’t many freshmen who can relate to morning nausea or being tired after fifteen hours of sleep. Actually, scratch that—everyone my age seems perpetually tired. The difference is, they’re not growing a person inside of them.

Then there’s the judgment. I haven’t been ready for that yet, not from strangers, not from classmates, and not from the occasional acquaintance who feels entitled to make a comment. I’m showing a little more now, and it’s only going to get more obvious, so this is like exposure therapy for me.

“A baby,” Seb says, his eyes wide as he looks at Hudson. “That’s… Fuck. Guessing Coach knows?”

I freeze for a second, my breath catching in my chest. Seb’s voice is still light, but there’s a weight to the question that I wasn’t ready for. Is there tension between them? Hudson hasn’t said anything, but it definitely looks like there might be.

Before Hudson can respond, Indie elbows Seb hard in the ribs.

“Don’t be his captain right now,” she says firmly. “Be his friend.”

Seb grimaces, rubbing his side where Indie got him. He glances at her, then at me, and finally at Hudson. His expression softens just a little, and he runs a hand down his face. “I’m… Fuck, I just can’t believe it,” he says. He opens his mouth again as Hudson shifts on his feet. “If you’re happy,” Seb continues finally, “then I’m happy too. This is just…huge.”

Hudson’s shoulders relax slightly, the tension in his frame easing as he nods. “Yeah, it’s huge,” he says. “But we’re figuring it out.”

The words feel solid, steady, but a tightness coils in my chest anyway, squeezing just enough to remind me of everything we still have to face. Figuring it out doesn’t just mean plans for the future or learning how to change diapers. It means talking to my dad again and facing the fact that he might not be okay with all this. I know it needs to happen, and I’m stalling it.

Hudson slips his hand into mine again and squeezes twice.You good?The silent question echoes in my mind, and I force myself to smile. I will be fine. We will be fine.

“Oh my god,” a voice yells behind me.

I turn, startled, and see Liv barreling into the coffee shop. Her hair’s a mess, her bag hanging half off her shoulder, and she looks like she’s just survived a war zone.

“That was a journey from hell,” she announces, throwing her arms up in exasperation.

“Liv, what’s happened?” I ask.

She drops her bag on the nearest chair and flops down beside it. “What didn’t happen?” she groans. “First, I left my purse at the gas station and had to turn back to get it. Then there was traffic. Then some guy at the crosswalk spilled coffee on me. And to top it all off, I tripped on the curb outside and ripped my favorite tights.” She gestures wildly at her legs, and sure enough, there’s a ladder running up the side of one.

Then realization dawns on her as she looks around the table. “Oh crap,” she says, sitting up and smoothing her hair. “Hi, I’m Liv, Daphne’s best friend. Queen of chaos, attracter of bad luck. It’s good to meet you all.”

“I like her,” Indie says with a grin.

Liv flashes her a smile. “Thanks. Chaos is my specialty, and I’m glad it’s appreciated.”

Introductions go around the table, each person giving their name and a little nod of acknowledgment, but as soon as Jay introduces himself, Liv does what she does best and speaks her mind. “Oh god, you’ve got that Clark Kent hot guy with glasses vibe going on. I’d smash you in a heartbeat.”

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