Page 56 of Girl Going Nowhere

Brodie:Are you on your way home?

I look down out Maia who’s already passed out against me.

Me:Yes

Brodie:I’ll get us dinner from Chi’s

I try focusing on the song playing in the background on the short ride home, periodically checking on Maia to make sure she’s okay.

When I see Emily’s number on my screen, I instantly answer it.

“Maia is sleeping,” I tell her quietly. “I’m heading back home now. I was going to call you later.”

The quiet on the other end has me worried.

“Emily? Are you okay?”

I hear a sharp breath. “It’s my fault.”

Confusion pinches my brows. “What is?”

“The pictures,” she whispers. “I’ve been seeing them everywhere, and it made me go back to the wedding albums I posted online.”

Anybody could have accessed the wedding album with the right connections. Emily only posted a select few pictures from it to her social media, and none of them were of me doing scandalous things with the right fielder.

“It’s not your fault,” I reassure her, having thought about this. “Unless it was you who gave random people my name and number.”

“I would never!”

My point exactly. “A lot of us were taking pictures that weekend, Em. And let’s be real. There are people who follow that man around for stories all the time. It could have been somebody trying to get a good payday out of the event once they were tipped off about him being in the area. The pictures that were published are from far away. It wouldn’t have been ones taken during the reception when we were all letting loose.”

It takes a moment before she lets out a long breath. “So the person who took them probably wasn’t invited,” she realizes.

Now she’s catching on. “I don’t know who’s responsible, but it isn’t you.”

My friend doesn’t say anything right away.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

Her laugh is abrupt. “I should be asking you that. Things have been so good for you and Maia. I don’t understand why this is happening now.”

I’ve asked myself that too, but Sabrina thinks it has to do with how often Dover is in the media lately. He’s got a lot to lose if the wrong thing is posted about him.

All I want to focus on is making sure Maia is okay. No drama. No legal problems. “I don’t know, but I’m trying not to dwell on the bad stuff or I’ll drink myself stupid again.” I haven’t been able to touch wine since Brodie had to hold my hair back after my drunken escapade a few weeks ago. “Tell me something good. How are you and Hector?”

The next pause has me wondering if the call dropped, so I glance down at my phone to see if it’s still connected.

Then, Emily says, “We’re pregnant.”

An unhuman sound escapes my lips at the news I’ve been waiting to hear. I have to check on Maia to see if she’s still sleeping before asking, “Are you being for real?”

“For real.”

Happiness swells my chest. “I told you it would happen.”

“It’s still so early. I’m scared that something could happen. But my first appointment is next week. Want me to send you pictures?”

“Absolutely. If I wasn’t working, I’d make you FaceTime me so I could be there with you.” I find myself smiling genuinely for her. “Our kids will be best friends.”

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