Page 55 of One Unexpected Gift

“Honey,” Gina finally said, gently tugging at Sky’s elbow and pulling her down to the seat next to her. “We know.”

“You know?” She flung up her hands. “He told you guys? What did he say?” Forty-eight hours of radio silence yet he’d gossiped to her friends. Not that she could blame him. Of course he’d assume they already knew.

“Nick didn’t tell us.” Brooke took a seat across from her.

“Drew? He told Drew and he told you?”

Brooke shook her head as did Charlie.

“Sky, we knew all along.” Gina squeezed her forearm.

“What do you mean you knew?”

Brooke turned Gabby so she faced out and then placed a kiss on top of her head. “It’s pretty obvious she’s his. No offense, but she looks more like Nick than you.”

She was the second person to say this in the past two days.

“Just because she has dark hair and blue eyes doesn’t mean she’s Nick’s. There are plenty of other guys out there I could have slept with that have the same coloring.”

“We can also do math.” Charlie sipped from her bottle of beer. “She was born nine months after your last visit.”

“So? I could have slept with a hundred guys during those few weeks.”

“But there was one guy who couldn’t keep his eyes off you.” Brook rocked Gabby. “We remembered the time you were meeting us at The Zone. Your car was in the lot, but you were nowhere to be found. Finally, you emerged with the lame excuse that you were in the bathroom. Your cheeks were rosy, your hair just a tad tasseled, and your lipstick gone. Don’t get us going on your swollen lips.”

Sky touched her fingers to her lips. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“We figured you’d tell us in due time. Plus, it was fun watching Nick pretend not to notice you.” Charlie said. “We also figured you had a reason for keeping your sexy time with Nick a secret from us.”

“Are you kidding me?” Sky got up and moved about the kitchen. “You three have known all along not only that Nick and I had sex in a store room closet but that he’s also Gabby’s father and never not once called me on it?”

“Charlie wanted to about a hundred times,” Brooke said.

“But Gina wouldn’t let me. Instead, we hedged and strongly encouraged you two to go out.”

“I feel like such a fool.” Sky dropped to her seat again and cradled her head in her hands. “I’m sorry for not telling you.”

“No apology necessary.” Brooke smothered Gabby in kisses. “You had your reasons.”

Sky lifted her head and sent Brook a thankful smile.

“Now that we know,” Charlie twisted open another beer, “why don’t you tell us your reasons.”

“No judgment. Promise.” Leave it to Gina to be the peacemaker.

Needing something to do with her hands, Sky topped a cracker with a piece of salami and smoked gouda. “It’s my fault I got pregnant.”

“It takes two to tango,” Brooke said.

“He knew I was on the pill. We used a condom the first time but—”

Charlie choked on her beer. “The first time? Girlfriend, start at the beginning, please.”

And so Sky did. She told them about her quick visit home at Thanksgiving and how she’d arrived at The Zone an hour early. She and Nick had hit it off and one thing led to another. He’d asked about protection, she told him she was on the pill but asked him to use a condom anyway, as she did with all her partners. Double-protection from pregnancy, and protection from disease.

“When I stopped by on my last night here... well, I sort of took him by surprise. One thing led to another, and we couldn’t... we couldn’t stop. He didn’t have any more condoms. I figured it was fine.”

“You’re terrible about taking the pill regularly,” Gina reminded her, unnecessarily.

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