Page 71 of Second Chance Ex
Again, he quickly scurries off.
With another sip of wine, I clear my throat, choosing my words carefully. “Joey and I didn’t break up because he cheated on me.”
Madison cocks her head to the side, eyes narrowed, interest obviously piqued.
I release a breath, bite the proverbial bullet and confess, “I fell pregnant in my senior year.”
Her eyes widen and she whispers, “What?”.
I tell Madison everything, from the moment I found out that I was pregnant, to the moment everything came crashing down around me.
“Oh my god, P.” Madison covers her mouth with a trembling hand, her forehead wrinkled in turmoil.
“I went in for a D&C a few days later and that’s when they told me that I have anabnormaluterus.” I scoff, rolling my eyes at the sound of my body’s defect that seems so simple and common, but is so much more. “There’s nothing they can do, nothingIcan do. It just is what it is, and it’s unlikely I’ll ever be able to carry a baby to term, and even attempting it would risk my life.”
Madison shakes her head. “And here I am announcing my pregnancy at my bridal shower like an asshole.”
“No!” I reach across, placing my hand on top of hers. “No, Maddy. Don’t do that. I amsohappy for you and Ryan. The two of you are going to be such great parents, and I can’t wait to be an aunt.”
She tries for a smile. “So, then why did you run off after I told you I was pregnant?”
I scoff again, shaking my head. “Elma.”
Her brows draw together. “The fortune teller?”
I laugh, because we’re actually sitting here, crying in a restaurant, talking about a goddamn fortune teller.
“Yeah.” I nod. “She took me aside and she—” The emotion washes over me like an unexpected wave, and I have to cover my mouth in case a sob escapes. “She told me that my little girl was watching over me, that she’s my guardian angel.”I roll my eyes. Because I’ve never believed in all that otherworldly bullshit. But having Elma tell me what she did, it’s really made me wonder.
“Oh my god,” Madison sobs, grabbing her napkin and dabbing the corners of her eyes.
The server chooses another entirely inappropriate time to approach, only this time, at the sight of two women crying, he at least has the courtesy to back away slowly, offering us each an apologetic smile.
“I’m sorry I stormed off, but it was all just too much.” I release a heavy sigh.
“Don’t apologize, P. I totally get it. I just wish I’d known.” Madison sniffles.
“Nobody knows.” I shake my head.
“Not even your parents?”
I shake my head again. “I didn’t want anyone to know. I didn’t want to deal with it, talk about it, or even think about it. For a long time I was like a ticking time bomb, pretending it never happened all while it festered like an open wound.”
“And then Joey cheated on you…” Madison whispers, her shoulders falling in resignation.
I nod. “Yeah, but in his defense, I was awful to him. I didn’t even stop to consider just how much he was hurting. He’s lost so much in his life. His sister, his mom. And then the baby… I pushed him away. I shut him out completely. We barely kissed. We didn’t have sex; not once in that time between the miscarriage and the Las Vegas… incident. I loved him, but I couldn’tlovehim, if that makes sense?”
Madison nods. “Yeah, I think it does.”
I toy with my wine glass, tracing the tip of my finger around the rim, thinking back to that time and hating just how bad things ended between Joey and me, how a love like what we had that was so unequivocally real and all-encompassing could go so, so wrong.
I meet Madison’s eyes, smiling sadly. “Joey and I broke up after what happened in Las Vegas, but the truth is, Maddy, he and I were over long before that. It just sucks that it took something as huge as cheating on me for us both to realize.”
The Grizzlies vs. Vegas game plays on one of the televisions hanging above the bar at Garrett’s Bar and Grill. Grizzlies score a touchdown and the crowd goes crazy. It’s a delayed game, and we already know the Grizzlies win by eight, but the loyal Rosewood fanbase still cheers with everything they have.
“Why didn’t you go down to Vegas with Joey, Prue?” Milly asks from across the table.
I shrug, offering a casual smile. “I start my new job on Monday, so I wanted to stay home and prepare.”
