Page 158 of Counter Bet

7 years later.

Emily.

“Oh my god,” I breathe shakily, cupping my mouth as tears stream down my cheeks, but they are of the happy kind. I swipe at my cheeks and laugh in disbelief, staring down at the pregnancy test in my lap. Two clear lines tell me my life is about to change. Again.

Phoebe Ruffay whimpers next to me, and I pull her onto my lap, burying my nose in her scruff. She’s a Boston Terrier we adopted three years earlier. Yes, I got to pick her name without too much of a fight.

“It’s okay, sweets. Mommy’s pregnant,” I whisper, smiling against her fur. “How am I going to tell daddy, huh?”

Phoebe whines and licks my face. I kiss her head just as the front door opens and the pitter-patter of claws on the hardwood floor before Snickers joins us, wagging his tail happily. He’s a gentle giant of a labrador.

“Princess, are you home?” Ben’s voice hollers through the beach house.

I rise from the toilet seat and put Phoebe Ruffay back down on the floor, scratching her behind the ear. I wipe away my tears. There’s nothing to be done about my red-rimmed eyes, unfortunately.

When I step out from the bathroom with Phoebe and Snickers close on my heels, Ben looks up from the mail on the counter and furrows his brows. He drops the letters. “You’ve been crying.”

“Sweetie, remember, no shoes in the hallway!” Dallas’ voice rings out from the hallway. I break eye contact with Ben when Noah comes running down the hall and throws himself at me.

“Hey, my little soldier. Have you been good for mama Dell?”

Noah was a surprise, much like this baby. He’s a six-year-old bundle of joy with far too much energy and has kept me on my toes since the moment I found I was expecting. He has his daddy’s dark hair and brown eyes, but I can see myself in his smile.

“You’ve been a superstar, haven’t you, Noah?” Dallas says, ruffling his hair as she joins us in the open-plan kitchen and living room.

“We put fresh flowers on uncle Aaron’s grave. They were so pretty, mommy.”

Dallas goes to use the bathroom.

Ben rounds the island and walks over to us. He’s still dressed in his slacks, dress shirt, and tie from work. His business major paid off, and he now works as a project manager. Gone are the crazy hairstyles, but he kept his lip piercing—ever the rebel even in his late twenties.

He crouches down in front of Noah and chucks him on the chin with a soft smile. “Remember, you promised to watch a movie with daddy today. Why don’t you pick one from the bookshelf in the den?”

Noah’s eyes light up, and he runs off. I open my mouth to tell Ben the truth, but Dallas walks out of the bathroom with her palm pressed over her mouth and my pregnancy test in her other hand.

Ben swallows thickly as he rises to his feet. “Princess, are you?”

I worry my bottom lip. “Yes…”

Dallas is the first one to react. She hurries over and pulls me into her arms. “Oh, my god! How are you feeling?”

I search her face. “Are you happy?”

She must see my worry because her eyes soften. “Oh, Em. I couldn’t be happier.”

Ben pulls me from her arms and steals a kiss. “You make me the happiest man on earth!”

“My turn, you big oaf! Let me kiss the woman!” Dallas says, squeezing between us. Her lips taste of her strawberry lip balm. I can’t get enough of them both, even after all this time. Our relationship raises eyebrows, but we are a family.

We haven’t done too badly for ourselves. I co-own an art gallery downtown with Matt. Dallas saved up enough money to attend a good college. She now works as a social worker, helping children and teenagers in similar situations to those she’d found herself in when we first met.

We have Noah, the dogs, and even the beach house that we envisioned for ourselves.

I remain close friends with Hailey, who lives nearby, and Rick enjoys a successful football career. He has a little girl who is my goddaughter. Life has blessed me in many ways with both love and friendships.

“What did you pick, buddy?” Ben asks Noah when he returns with a DVD in his small hands.

“Toy Story, daddy,” he grins, bouncing on the spot. “Can we have popcorn too?”

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