Page 7 of Keeping Promises

“Hadley,” she calls out, but I ignore her. “Hadley Eleanor Kincaid, don’t make me threaten the posse again.” One time Lexi thought I was holding out important information from her and threatened to burn all my vibrators if I didn’t tell her.

I slump my shoulders and slowly spin to face her. I give her a weak smile.Here goes nothing.

“Okay, so don’t be mad, but I didn’t leave the engagement party alone.”

“Not sure why I would be mad, but keep talking.”

I take a deep breath and release it. “I left the engagement party with Asher.” I cover my face with my hands, hiding from her, but am curious at her silence, so I spread my fingers and peek through the small space to see her reaction.

At first, she only stares at me as if she’s processing what I just said, and then she throws her head back in laughter. When she sees that I’m not joining in on her laughter, her face goes serious.

“Oh my God,” she says in her best Janice fromFriendsimpression. “Hold on, let me get this straight. You’re telling me that you fucked Asher, as in my future brother-in-law, Asher.”

I nod.

“And you got pregnant from having sex with Asher.” Once again needing clarification, so I nod.

Recalling how many places and positions he fucked me in, I whisper, “Lots and lots and lots of sex.”

Lexi shrieks, putting her fingers in her ears, and goes, “Ah la, la, la, la. I don’t want to hear about that. Holy shit, this is too much. I need a drink.”

She brushes past me, disappearing into the kitchen. I follow her and find her taking a swig out of the wine bottle from the counter.Damn, she’s fast.

“Stop being so dramatic.”

“I’m sorry, this is just a lot to handle. You’re going to be a mom, and Asher is going to be a dad.”

Holy fuck! This is the first time I’ve heard those words aloud, and I feel like I just slammed into a brick wall of emotion. My chest heaves, and I gasp for air.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay, no matter what.” Lexi pulls me into her arms and runs her hands up and down my back in a soothing motion. “It’s going to be okay, I promise.” Tears begin to fall for the first time since learning I’m pregnant. I don’t know how long she holds me while I cry until we finally break apart.

I’m wiping under my eyes with the bottom of my shirt when Lexi says softly, “We should make a list.” She searches for a pad of paper in the junk drawer and a pen on the counter. Oh, my best friend and her lists—she is such a planner. I mean, it is what she does for a living and all.

We’re interrupted from our brainstorming session when Lexi’s phone vibrates.

“That’s probably Ben.” She looks down at her phone quickly and smiles, confirming her thoughts. “Hey, if you want to cancel tonight, we can.”

I shake my head. As much as I’d rather hide under the covers of my bed and get lost in a John Hughes movie marathon, avoiding reality, this is my first night off in a while. I want to spend it with my friends.

“No, I need to go out and be with my people.”

Lexi’s smile disappears when she realizes the phone stopped buzzing. “Okay, well, just say the word and we can stay in tonight. I’m going to call Ben back.”

I tilt my head toward the bathroom and step out of the kitchen, giving her privacy. I can hear her as I make my way down the hallway. “Hey, babe, I’m at Hadley’s. Yeah, everything’s fine.”

I place my hands on the edge of the bathroom counter and look at my reflection. I don’t even recognize the person staring back at me.

Am I making the right decision? It was supposed to be just sex. It seems life had to mock me, though, for hooking up with the one person I shouldn’t have. And now, instead of giving me all he had, like that night, he gave me a lot more—a baby.

I know that I need to tell him about the baby. My mother never told my father about me, and look at how well that turned out. He deserves to know. Could Asher and I ever have what Ben and Lexi have, or am I just setting myself up for heartbreak, thinking he will want this, and end up alone? If he doesn’t want this, I can love this child enough for the both of us.

With my hand over my flat stomach, I turn to the side, imagining what I’ll look like further along. “Whatever happens, Mommy will always be here for you, little one. I promise.”

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