Page 87 of Molly

He chuckles, rubbing his nose against my back. He kisses me one more time before pulling out and standing up. He grabs his sweats, slips them on, and winks at me. “I’ve got her,” he says before turning and heading down the hall to check on our girl. I watch, enjoying the fuck out of the view.

Once he’s disappeared, I stand up, slip my arms back through my nightie and tip-toe down the hallway to the bathroom. When I’ve cleaned myself up, I sneak back down to the kitchen, grab a bottle of water, and walk into the lounge room just in time to see Penny calling. I lean forward, grab it, and then throw myself back on the couch, spreading out.

“Hey girl,” I say, putting the phone to my ear.

“Mol, I uh, I’m coming over. I’ve got something to tell you...” she says, sounding worried.

I sit up, bracing myself. “What is it?”

She sighs. “I’m just about to jump in the car. I’ll be there in ten.”

“Nope. Tell me now. Then we can discuss it properly when you get here.”

“It’s really an in-person kind of thing...” she whispers.

My heart rate picks up. “Oh my god, are you sick? What is it!”

“Molly, I’ll be ther-”

“Penny McIntyre, you tell me what’s going on this fucking instant!”

She clears her throat. “Alright. I’m pregnant.”

Holy shit...

“Did you hear me?” she asks cautiously after a moment of silence.

“Right, yes, sorry. I was processing. Okay. You’re pregnant. Does Beckett know?”

Fuck, what do I even say right now?

She scoffs into the phone. “Who said it was Beckett’s?”

I roll my eyes and sigh. “Penny.”

“Yes, yes, he knows,” she replies.

“And how does he feel? How do you feel? How did this even happen, Pen? I thought you guys were broken up... oh my god! You drank so much! Oh god, is the baby okay? Have you seen a doctor? Did you tell the doctor you drank? How far along are you? Are you showing? Is that why you’ve been wearing loose tops all the time?” I ramble as I stand up and start pacing in front of the couch.

She doesn’t respond. “Penny?”

I look down at my phone and realise she’s hung up. What the hell? I try to call her back, but it goes straight to voicemail.Fucking Penny.She’s always letting her phone go flat. I need details, Goddammit!

A knock at the door makes me jump. “Penny, that better be you!” I call out as I stomp towards it, cringing when I remember that Ryan’s trying to get Emma to sleep, and I may have just woken her back up.

I unlock the door and swing it open to find a crushed-looking Beckett standing on my doormat.Shit. I can't turn him away. Should I though? Is Penny going to lose her shit when she gets here? But he's Ryan's best friend... Ugh. I take a few steps backwards and nod towards the kitchen, silently inviting him inside.

A small smile tugs at his lips, and he steps into the house. I close the door behind us, and he looks down at me. “Molly, I need your help...” he whispers. For such a large man, he looks so small and defeated.

I nod, look into his eyes, and grip his forearm, squeezing it. “I’ll make some coffee. It’ll be okay,” I say, trying to comfort him.

His eyes shine with unshed tears and his bottom lip wobbles.

Holy shit. Is Beckett going to cry?

“I don’t know how to fix it...” he says, his voice breaking. Before I even know what’s happening, he reaches out and grabs my shoulders, pulling me to his chest. He wraps his arms around me and holds on tight. He has my arms pinned, so I can’t reciprocate.

“Better have a good reason for hugging my girl like that, Beckett,” Ryans says from behind us.

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