Page 73 of Saved By the Boss

I’m so confused, trying so hard to understand what my reflection means. I look out the door to the car, but it’s not Cassidy in the driver’s seat. It’s Jade. She turns the key and the car explodes into flames, forcing me down to the ground with the impact.

I wake up in a cold sweat, screaming. My laptop has fallen to the floor, and I realize the sound probably woke me up. My headfalls into my hands as I try to shake the dream away, reminding myself that Jade is just down the mountain a few miles and she’s totally fine.

This is what Patrick does to me, though. He destroys everything good. And I can’t let him do it again.

17

Jade

I’m sitting on the edge of my couch, staring at the collection of pregnancy tests on my coffee table. It feels like they’re staring back at me, ganging up on me with their stupid pink lines and bold little plus signs. I’ve taken five tests now and each one has come back positive. My heart is racing, my palms are sweaty, and I can’t even catch my breath. My whole world is tilting off its axis. Tawny’s pacing the room, biting her thumbnail as she watches me unravel.

“Okay, first things first,” she says, her voice breaking through the storm in my head. She sits down next to me and grabs my hand. “We need to calm you down, Jade. You’re going to hyperventilate if you keep this up.”

My fingers tremble as I run them through my hair, and I let out a shaky laugh that’s half hysterical.

“How am I supposed to calm down?” I nearly scream through tears that are starting to fall. “Tawny, I can’t do this. I’m not ready to be a mom. This can’t be happening.”

She pulls me against her, running her hands over my shoulders in a soothing pattern.

“Just breathe, okay?” she says quietly, in a soothing voice. “In and out. Focus on me.”

Her brown eyes are steady, grounding me in a way that I desperately need.

I take a deep breath. Then another. Slowly, my vision clears, and the room stops spinning. But the problem? The problem is still very much there.

“Five tests, Tawny,” I whisper. “Five freaking tests. They all said the same thing. I…” My voice cracks, and I bury my face in my hands. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“Okay, let’s take this one step at a time,” Tawny says, her voice calm and pragmatic. “Have you told the father? Also, whoisthe father?”

Where do I even begin?

“It’s such a long story,” I start, wiping the tears off my face. “But you remember that guy Declan? From the hardware store?”

Tawny’s squeal is nearly deafening, and I have to pull away from her to not fully lose my hearing.

“You. Are. Shitting. Me!” she exclaims, emphasizing every word. “Tell me everything right now!”

“Tawny,” I groan, gesturing to the pregnancy tests and the tissues that are gathering on the couch between us. “Maybe we can debrief on all that later.”

She deflates a little, but I can tell she sees reason. I’m literally going through a crisis right now, though I do have to admit it’snice to unburden myself from some of this information.

“Well…” she starts, drifting off for a moment. “Have you thought about telling Declan?”

Declan. His name alone sends a jolt of electricity through my chest. Memories of his crooked smile, the way his eyes seemed to pierce right through me, flash through my mind. I’ve been replaying our time together over and over since it happened. The easy laughter, the way he made me feel like the only person in the world. But one night and a handful of texts? That’s all it’s been. I barely know him.

“I’m supposed to have a date with him tomorrow,” I mumble. “How am I supposed to make it through that? Do I just blurt out that I’m pregnant?”

Tawny raises an eyebrow and leans back, crossing her arms. “Absolutely not,” she responds resolutely. “Not yet, at least. You need to figure out what you want first. You can’t just spring this on him without knowing where you stand.”

“But he has a right to know,” I argue weakly.

“Sure, he does,” she agrees easily, though her tone isn’t any less steely. “But not right now. Let’s be real here, Jade. You’ve got to take some time to get to know him. See where things go before dropping a bombshell like this. If you’re going to be tied to him for life, you want to know if he’s really a good guy first.”

I sigh. She’s right. Of course she’s right. Still, the weight of this secret feels like it’s crushing me, and I’ve only known myself for a few hours.

“Fine,” I mutter. “I won’t say anything to him. Not yet.”

Tawny flashes me a small, reassuring smile and nudges my shoulder.

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