Page 64 of All of Me

“Latte with oat milk and a double Americano for table four,” I call over my shoulder, sliding the drinks onto the pickup counter.

“Got it!” Brooke replies, balancing two trays of pastries like a pro.

The chaos is comforting in its own way, a distraction from the thoughts that have been swirling in my mind all morning. But every time there’s a lull, my brain drifts back to the same thing: Katie.

It’s been over two weeks since Adam dropped the bomb on me, but the news still hasn’t settled. I haven’t even told anyone besides Brooke just now, and I’ve been carrying it around like a weight I can’t put down.

“Callie,” Brooke’s voice breaks through my thoughts. She’s standing next to me now, her brows drawn together. “You good?”

“Yeah,” I lie, forcing a smile as I wipe the counter. “Just thinking about the trip to New Orleans coming up.”

She narrows her eyes, not buying it for a second. “Callie, come on. You’ve been weird all morning. Spill.”

I hesitate, glancing around to make sure no one’s waiting on us. The line has thinned out, leaving us a rare moment of calm.

“I’ve just been… processing something,” I admit, keeping my voice low.

Her curiosity sharpens. “Processing what?”

I take a deep breath, leaning against the counter. “Katie’s pregnant. Adam told me a couple weeks ago.”

Her jaw drops. “Wait, what?”

“Yeah,” I say, wincing at the look on her face.

“How have you not told me this?” she demands, her voice rising slightly before she catches herself.

I shrug helplessly. “I don’t know. I guess I didn’t know how to bring it up, and honestly, I didn’t want to talk about it. I’ve been trying not to think about it.”

Brooke crosses her arms, her expression a mix of disbelief and concern. “Callie, that’s huge. You can’t just keep something like that bottled up. I mean… how do you even feel about it?”

“I don’t know,” I say honestly. “I mean, it’s not like I care about Adam or his life. I’ve moved on. I’m happy. But…”

“But it’s still a lot,” she finishes for me, her voice softening.

“Yeah.” I look down at my hands, fidgeting with the edge of my apron. “It’s just… the timing, Brooke. Ruby and Sara are going to have a sibling that’s only eleven months younger than Ruby. That’s… close. And I wonder how it’s all going to play out. What that’s going to mean for them. For us.”

Brooke shakes her head slowly. “That’s insane. Eleven months apart? That’s going to be… chaotic.”

“Tell me about it,” I mutter. “And Adam doesn’t even seem phased by it. He just casually dropped it on me one night like it was no big deal. ‘Oh, by the way, Katie’s pregnant.’ Like it wouldn’t knock the wind out of me.”

Brooke’s brows knit together with sympathy. “I get why you’re struggling with this. Even if you don’t care about Adam, this still affects your life. It’s okay to have feelings about it.”

“I just don’t want it to affect Ruby and Sara,” I say, my voice cracking slightly. “That’s all I care about.”

She reaches out, squeezing my arm. “And that’s why you’re such a good mom. You’re always putting them first. But Callie, you can’t carry this by yourself. You need to tell Owen.”

I nod slowly, though the thought makes my stomach twist. “I know. I just… I don’t want him to think I’m not okay or that I’m hung up on Adam. I’m not. This is just… a lot.”

“Of course it is,” she says firmly. “And Owen will understand. You know he will.”

Before I can respond, the bell over the door jingles, and a new wave of customers pours in. Brooke straightens up, giving me a look that says this conversation isn’t over.

“Take your break soon,” she says, grabbing a tray of muffins. “You need it.”

As I turn back to the espresso machine, her words linger in my mind. Maybe she’s right. Maybe it’s time to stop keeping this to myself.

Ruby is napping soundly, her tiny chest rising and falling in a perfect rhythm. The house is quiet except for the soft hum of the baby monitor on the table beside me. Sara is curled up in her toddler bed after wearing herself out playing with Barrett earlier. Owen sits on the couch, his long legs stretched out in front of him and a mug of coffee resting on his knee.

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