A baby.
I’m going to be a mother.
My hand goes to my stomach, and I look down, wondering how big the little bean is. I can’t pinpoint a time when I would’ve gotten pregnant because we’ve always been so careful.
“Do you love him?” Abby asks.
Warmth fills my heart, and I don’t even have to think about it. “So much. I think I’ve loved him since I first laid eyes on him.”
“Have you told him that?”
I look at Abby and shake my head. “No.”
“Maybe that’s where you should start.”
This isn’t ideal, but it’s our reality. And it’s not like this baby wasn’t conceived out of love. Lincoln himself said not too long ago that what we’re doing is so much more than sex. Suddenly, the urge to see him and hold him and tell him how I feel hits hard and strong.
“I love him. I’m in love with him.”
“Yeah you are,” she says, giving the air a little punch.
“And I don’t love him because of the baby, but because of how caring and strong he is. Because of the way he looks at me and holds me and touches me. I love his smile and his eyes and the way he curls his head into my touch when I run my fingers through his hair.”
Abby wipes away a tear, and I pull her in for a hug. We’re interrupted when my phone vibrates. I get a kick of adrenaline when I see a text from Lincoln.
Chloe asked if we wanted to go get dinner with her. You in?
Absolutely. Where?
He sends me the name and address of a restaurant I’ve never heard of. I tuck my phone in my pocket and grab my purse.
“Where are you going?”
“To have dinner with Lincoln and Chloe.”
“Oh, I see how it is. Blow off the best friend who just bought you pregnancy tests and held you while you cried.”
“Crap. Abby, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking. Let me text him back.”
She quickly waves me off. “I’m just giving you a hard time. Go. Have dinner with the baby daddy and future sister-in-law. I’ll just hit up Ricardo’s on my way home.”
“Are you sure? You can come with us, if you’d like.”
“I’m positive. Are you going to tell him about the baby?”
“Of course, but not tonight. I need to process it first. Maybe tomorrow night after Chloe’s party.”
I smile through my tears, which I think are mostly happy now. It’s hard to tell since this is all so fresh.
Abby follows me out. I lock the front door and turn to give her a giant hug. “Thank you for helping me through this. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“I don’t know what you’d do without me either. Now, go get your man.”
I kiss her cheek and jog toward my car.
“Careful,” she hollers. “You’re pregnant. You don’t want to fall.”
“Shit, you’re right. Sorry,” I whisper to the baby, slowing to a walk.