Page 32 of Unexpected Forever
It had to be.
I can’t be pregnant; I’m on the pill. Nate and I were careful. We used condoms.
Well, except for that one time, but I’m on the pill. They were almost 100% effective, right?
Almost doesn’t count in this case,my conscience so kindly reminds me.
Shit.
“I have so many questions,” Megan says, “but I’ll refrain from asking until you know for sure.”
“Thanks.”
We head out of Madison Ridge to the one chain drugstore nearby, and much to my relief, I don’t see a soul I know.
“I didn’t know there were so many kinds of tests,” Megan says, standing next to me in front of multiple shelves with all sorts of pregnancy and ovulation tests.
“Me either. It’s overwhelming. I’ve never done this before.”
“Neither have I.” She grabs a blue-and-pink box from the shelf. “This one looks good. It says the words ‘pregnant’ or ‘not pregnant’ in the window. Says it only takes three minutes. And there are two tests in the box.”
“Buying.” I take the box from her hand and drop it in the basket. My eyes scan over the shelves.
“I’m buying these too. Just in case.” I drop in two other brands, one with pink lines and one with blue lines that say rapid response.
“How many tests do you plan to take?”
“All of them.” I drop a few more in and my stomach churns. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Half an hour later, I pee on one of the sticks and, with a shaky hand, set the timer on my phone for three minutes.
I pace my small bathroom, willing my mind to go blank until the timer goes off. I pick up the stick, and my mind goes numb when I read the word in the pane.
Pregnant.
EIGHT
charley
“I guess that explains it.”
Megan stands next to me, arm around my shoulder, looking at the seven pregnancy tests I took. All of them are positive, leaving no doubt I’m truly pregnant.
With Nate Gentry’s baby.
“I guess so.” I sniff, trying to hold back more tears. I’ve done nothing but cry for the last ten minutes.
I walk into my bedroom and lie down on my bed.
I stare at the ceiling, trying to figure out who I’ve pissed off in the universe to earn this twist of fate.
I’ve finally managed to get my shit together and start my career. I put the partying and good-time girl reputation behind me in an effort for my family and this town to take me seriously.
Hell, I’d even refrained from sex for a freaking year!
In one night, I managed to decimate all that hard work and permanently alter my life.
The bed dips when Megan lies down next to me.
