Page 50 of This Memory
I woke up on November first and instantly smiled as I remembered the night before. After trick-or-treating on Main Street was over, we all decided to go to Brystol’s house. Her neighborhood had a ton of trick-or-treaters, so we made pizzas and hung out while giving away pounds of sugar.
Turns out not fighting with Brystol was a great stress reliever…but trying not to think of all the things I wanted to do to her was distracting as hell. Not to mention, I had to fight off an erection the entire night. The evening ended with Evelyn and Denny walking out to their car while I said I’d meet them out there after using the bathroom. Then I pulled Brystol around the corner, away from the door, and kissed her good night before joining our best friends.
I was exhausted when I got home and crawled straight into bed. My dreams consisted of Brystol and all the ways I could make her come.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed, scrubbed my hands down my face, and stood. I still couldn’t believe Evelyn’s slip-up about Brystol being pregnant. The way everyone looked at me, I would most likely be getting a call from my mother.
Just then, my phone started ringing, and I grabbed it, swiping it before I even got the sleep out of my eyes to see who was calling, but fully expecting it to be my mom.
“Hey, where were you last night? I texted to see if you were still coming over to hand out candy with me and Harper, but you never replied.”
I headed toward my bathroom. “Shit, sorry, Declan. I ended up staying at the toy shop, then going over to Brystol’s house with Evelyn and Denny. We made pizzas and handed out candy over there.”
“No worries. How are things between you and Brystol?”
Another smile appeared as I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror. “Things are good. We worked everything out. Only we might have one problem.”
“What’s that?”
“Brystol got sick when we went up to the apartment above Memory Lane Toys. She threw up twice, and when she mentioned to Evelyn that she’d gotten sick, Evelyn asked in front of a big group of moms if it was morning sickness. All eyes went right to me and Brystol.”
“Oh no.”
“Tell me about it. I’m almost positive we’ll be in the newspaper section ofMoose Happeningstoday. Everyone will assume I’m the father—and wait until my mom catches hold of this bit of gossip.”
Declan let out a whistle. “When is she going to tell people?”
“Evelyn and Denny want to announce it to the world, but Brystol wants to wait until after the first trimester. That’s when the chances of miscarrying lessen considerably.”
“That’s a tough spot. She could ignore the gossip, but how do you know Evelyn and Denny won’t start telling people anyway?”
I sighed. “I have a feeling they already have, even though Brystol asked them to wait. I think she’s still trying to come to terms with the fact she’s pregnant, and with someone else’s baby. Not that she didn’t realize what she was getting into, but I would imagine the reality of it all hits differently when morning sickness begins and you actually start showing.”
“Yeah, I would imagine that would mess with your emotions. What if people askyou?”
I rubbed at the sudden ache in the back of my neck. “I don’t know. I need to talk to Brystol.”
Declan cleared his throat. “You said things were good…friendship good? Or the wayyouwant them good?”
A small laugh slipped free. “Friendship good, with a slight twist.”
“I don’t even want to know what the twist is. Back to the other problem, maybe Brystol needs to be firm and let Evelyn and Denny know how she feels.”
“She has, trust me. I was there last night when she told them she’s upset about the slip. If I’m being honest, I don’t know if it was a mistake or if Evelyn is just tired of keeping the news a secret. Brystol wasn’t happy, but I could tell she was trying to let it go.”
Declan was silent for a minute. “Maybe you should talk to them privately.”
Frowning, I asked, “Wouldn’t that make Brystol mad, me speaking on her behalf?”
“It might, but I think what they need is someone who doesn’t have a card in the game. If you talk to Evelyn and Denny, maybe they’ll get it through their headswhyit’s important for Brystol to wait. She’s how far along?”
“Seven weeks.”
He laughed. “Damn, you answered that fast.”
“Well, I was with her when she found out she was pregnant.”
“Riiiight. Okay, so the first trimester ends at thirteen weeks.”
