Page 128 of Stay With Me
Four weeks and three days, to be exact.
Her jaw drops as she gasps. “Magnolia Sutherland! You did not! And why am I just now hearin’ about it?”
“Because I knew that’d be your reaction,” I tell her honestly.And it’s embarrassing as hell.
“Well...” She shrugs unapologetically.
“I was drunk and horny. And very, very,verystupid,” I try to explain, but honestly it was more than that. Stupid Lydia and her annoying ass being all over Tripp is also to blame. Might as well blame Landen too for making Tripp hang out with her in the first place.
“The start to every country song.” She snorts as if she’s trying to hold back laughter. “Okay, so are y’all back together now or what?”
I shudder and nearly gag at the thought of his hands on me.
“God, no. I told him to lose my number and blocked him. Drunk Magnolia ain’t makin’ that decision again.”
“Good. You deserve better.” It’s comforting hearing thatbecause Travis tried so hard to tear me down and make me believe I wasn’t worthy to be loved or respected. Not to mention, took advantage of me when I was drunk and drugged me.
I finish her drink with a healthy dose of whipped cream, then hand her the cup.
“I took a pregnancy test, Noah.”Well, technically three.
When I see her expression, reminding me just how much I’ve truly fucked up, tears fall down my cheeks.
“It was positive,” I confirm.
“Aw, sweetie.” She walks around to the side, opens the door, and engulfs me in a hug. “I’m not sure if I should say congratulations or not but?—”
“I dunno either,” I admit as I continue to cry with her arms wrapped around me.
Pulling back, I wipe my face and fidget before I tell her the rest. “That’s not the worst of it.”
Her brows lift. “What’s worse than being knocked up by your ex?”
I swallow hard and try not to word-vomit the hardest part about all of this.
“I slept with someone I really like after him, and now I’ve ruined any chance at a relationship.”Well, a long-lasting one.“He’ll never want me once he finds out I’m havin’ another man’s baby.”
Her eyes widen and her jaw drops.
Yep, just how I thought she’d react.
“Magnolia! I leave you for a couple of weeks...” She laughs but in a sincere way. “You’re sure he ain’t the father? What happened to those Magnum XL condoms I gave you last year? Surely you didn’t go through an entire pack already.”
“Trust me, Travis doesn’t need XL, but we did use one. It was either expired or it broke,” I explain with a scowl. “And yes, I’m sure. I track my period and ovulation cycles on an app. By the time I slept with the other guy, I woulda already been pregnant. I just obviously didn’t know.”
“Alright, so who is it?”
Nervously, I lower my gaze to the floor. “It was Tripp.”
“Wait...” She scratches her head as if she needs a moment to compute the words I just said. “Mybrother, Tripp?”
I wince at her raised voice.
She clears her throat as if she hadn’t meant to sound so harsh. “Tripp, as in the guy you’ve crushed on for nearly a decade and has never shown interest in you, Tripp?”
Sucking in my lips, I nod. “Yep. Turns out he does kinda like me.”A lotif his words and actions are any indication.
She takes a moment to process and then says, “If he truly does, he’ll accept you and the baby. But he might not be ready for that, so you’ll need to prepare yourself for that possibility.”
