Page 94 of Once Yours (Love & Wine)

I lean in close to Dylan, whispering, “Can you get me some water?”

“You have a glass of wine,” he quickly replies, brushing me off. “It was enough of a coincidence that I immediately realized I wanted Tessa back.”

“Oh, that’s so sweet,” my mom says, smiling at me. “Now we just need to get you married so you can give me some grandkids.”

She just needs to hang tight because it’s coming. Not exactly in that order, but oh well.

I excuse myself from the table to grab a glass of water as Dylan continues telling our families how he knew I was the one. He’s much better at this than I am. I was worried he was going to blurt it out the second everyone walked in, but maybe he got it all out of his system at Somerville’s.

Hannah comes and stands next to me as I fill my glass from the tap.

“You’re pregnant, aren’t you?” she whispers when the table starts roaring with laughter at something Dylan says.

I nod almost imperceptibly, and a massive smile grows on Hannah’s face. I’m almost certain she’s going to squeal out loud that I nearly slap my hand over her mouth.

“Shh,” I whisper through gritted teeth. “Let Dylan announce it. He’s over the moon.”

“Seriously? Holy shit, Tessa Kramer tamed that idiot. Way to go.”

She pretends to lock her lips and throw away the key which only makes me laugh, drawing attention to us.

“What are you two laughing about over there?” my mom asks.

“Just making fun of Dylan,” Hannah replies. “It’s been great to connect back up with Tessa and see how she’s changed my brother into such a—”

“Shut up, Hannah. It’s not my fault you can’t seem to find a guy who puts up with your shit the way Tessa does with mine.” Dylan winks at her, his mouth falling open in a laugh. These two are like kids, always giving each other shit.

I sit down next to Dylan, sliding my hand into his, knowing we need to tell them the real reason we’re here. We’ve all been casually talking, the room feels calm, our parents are getting along, no one seems to be bothered by Dylan and I moving in together so quickly. Now feels like the best time to tell them.

I give his hand a squeeze, kind of encouraging him and letting him know it’s time. He’s so damn clueless though, and again he leans over and kisses me. It’s so sweet how he just can’t keep his hands or lips off me, but I’m at a point where I might need to smack him upside the head and knock some sense into him.

I take in a deep breath, realizing it’s going to be me who starts this conversation, and it must spur something in Dylan because he sits up a little taller.

“And we also wanted to let everyone know,” Dylan starts and just like when I told Lauren, my mom figures it out.

“Tessa’s pregnant,” she says, and the room falls silent, picking back up a few seconds later with Dylan’s mom laughing out loud.

I’m not sure if she’s laughing because it’s so unbelievable or if she’s so excited. She looks over at Dylan and me, waiting for confirmation, actually everyone is looking at us.

“I am,” I confirm, nodding. “I’m not very far along…” I continue, but it’s all interrupted by Dylan’s mom and my mom’s excitement as they come over, hugging us.

“I’m so excited!” my mom squeals, pulling me up from the chair.

“How did you know?” I ask, wondering if I’m already showing or if I have the words “knocked up” tattooed on my forehead.

“I didn’t,” my mom admits, shrugging. “I figured if I was wrong, it would be a good laugh, but secretly I was hoping it was true.”

She hugs me again, turning to hug Dylan now. Everyone moves around to hug us and share their congratulations. It’s infectious and fun, and this is how I hoped everyone would react, making this so much easier. I have no idea why I was so stressed out, but clearly, I need to start realizing it’s all in my head. With each day that I’ve been with Dylan, I’m slowly learning that our relationship is now fully built on trust. I don’t need to worry he’s going to leave. We’re in this together, forever.

“When are you due?” Hannah asks, her arm linked with Dylan’s, her head resting on his shoulder. As much as they love to tease each other, it’s obvious they love and care deeply.

“I’ll know more when I have my first appointment in two weeks, but as of right now, it looks like I’ll be due in November.”

“Tess kinda found out she was pregnant by accident,” Dylan admits. “She’s only newly pregnant and from what I read and what Tessa said, we shouldn’t have told you. But I really couldn’t keep it a secret.”

“By accident?” Hannah questions.

“Yeah, I went in to get my birth control shot, but I had rescheduled it too many times and well…” I shrug, not wanting to paint too much of a picture for my parents.

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