Page 29 of Decidedly With Baby
Erin snorted a laugh. “I pretty much told him where to shove his ‘beck andcall.’”
The baby at the next table began crying. And wow, for someone so small, the kid had quite the set oflungs.
“No! I want!” the toddler at a nearby tablescreamed.
Her mother attempted to placate her while the other mother tried to soothe the crying baby—and a sinking feeling lodged itself in mystomach.
God, please tell me I’m notpregnant.
But since I didn’t believe in God, he chose to keepquiet.
Or possibility #2. He existed and was currently laughing so hard at my potential predicament that tears were rolling down hischeeks.
Our food arrived, and Erin and Kelsey did their best not to talk about babies. After we finished eating, we walked across the street to the drugstore.
“Remind me next time to avoid being pregnant during the summer,” Erin said, looking like she was ready to melt into a puddle. It wasn’t as if San Francisco was even that hot during July. Nothing like L.A. or SantaMonica.
Don’t worry, the voice in my head said,if you’re pregnant, it won’t be a summer baby. If you’re going to accidentally get pregnant, this is the best time to doit.
That was the voice in my head for you—always the logicalone.
Too bad it hadn’t spoken up the first night Josh and I had sex. That would’ve been helpful—then the other times wouldn’t have happenedeither.
And I wouldn’t be left thinking about sex all the time. Withhim.
We located the family-planning aisle and on instinct, I grabbed a box of condoms. If I wasn’t pregnant, then I’d be needing these. At some point. Going on the pill would be a good idea too. Just to be extracautious.
Erin clearly was a pro when it came to pregnancy tests. Whereas I was as lost as a guy in the feminine hygiene aisle, she knew exactly what I needed. She grabbed a box from the shelf and handed it tome.
Or at least triedto.
If I didn’t take it, I wouldn’t bepregnant.
Yeah, I didn’t think it worked that way either, but it was worth atry.
Erin wasn’t so easily fooled. “Not taking the test isn’t going to changeanything.”
I let out a slow breath and nodded. “You’re right.” But while I might have agreed with her, I still couldn’t will myself to take thebox.
It was Kelsey who finally did. “Don’t worry, Holly. We’re here for you. No matter what the test says and no matter what you decide, we’re not goinganywhere.”
My lips moved into a smile. Not a very convincing one, but a smile no less. “Thanks.”
I took the box from her and marched to the cashier. It was just a test. I’d taken tons of tests in university and during my MBA, and I hadsurvived.
Not quite the same thing, the voice pointed out, laughing.But keep telling yourself that if it makes you feelbetter.
I inwardly glared at the stupidvoice.
I paid for the pregnancy test and condoms and hightailed it from thestore.
“So now what?” I asked Erin and Kelsey as we stood on the sidewalk.Do I make a sacrifice to the goddess of pregnancy tests so that I fail this one…in a goodway?
I’d be perfectly willing to sacrifice Josh if it meant I wasn’tpregnant.
And given he didn’t want any children either, I was positive he’d be more than happy to sacrificehimself.
“You take the test,” Erin said. “Don’t worry. It’s really easy todo.”
