Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 163387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 817(@200wpm)___ 654(@250wpm)___ 545(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 163387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 817(@200wpm)___ 654(@250wpm)___ 545(@300wpm)
I couldn’t speak for a good minute. My mind had gone blank, and I couldn’t feel my limbs. I remembered the conversation Lisa and I had in the bathroom about her forgetting the pills. I remembered too all the times I took her without using protection.
I hung up the phone, not even knowing if I had said goodbye, and went back to her. She was looking at the computer screen and grumbling to herself, and I just stood there staring at her. Wait, she would know if she was pregnant, right? I’ve been getting sick in the morning for a while now, long enough for her to know something.
Shit, she’s not regular, never has been. Oh shit. I saw my life flash before my eyes as I imagined the Astor-Davenport council sitting down around a table deciding my fate for getting their precious darling pregnant before she was married, and worst before she’d even finished college. I am so fucked.
She finally sensed my presence and looked up at me. “I can’t find anyone I like.” She was probably looking for Vivek Murthy with her crazy self. No, better not go down that road even in my thoughts. I wouldn’t put it past her crazy family to have the surgeon general on speed dial.
I walked over to sit next to her, searching for any difference in her that would tell me if what mom suspected was true. “I’m hungry; let’s order something.” She just had a snack not that long ago that consisted of a fried chicken breast with buffalo ranch dressing, her new go-to meal, and a whole bag of potato chips which she never would’ve done when we first met. This girl hates junk food like poison.
“Oh shit!”
“What’s wrong with you? Shouldn’t I be hungry?”
“No, baby, that’s not it. Let me ask you. When was your last period?” Her face grew hot, and she hid it from me. I rolled my eyes and pulled her face back around so I could see her. “Tell me.”
“I don’t know; why are you asking such an embarrassing question?”
“Don’t freak, but mom seems to think that you might be pregnant.” I let that one settle in and watched her eyes glaze over. I went on to tell her about my dad and his symptoms while mom was carrying me, and she just about passed out.
Needless to say, a trip to the pharmacy was in order, and we left with a bagful of every pregnancy test imaginable. She hadn’t mentioned anything about the possibility of her being pregnant, and I had no idea how she felt about it. I, on the other hand, started thinking about every scenario imaginable if it was indeed true.
Honestly, my biggest worry was her family’s reaction. Money wasn’t going to be an issue, even if they cut her off, so I had no worries there, but I pretty much expect to lose a pound of flesh at least. “Go on, baby, I’m right out here.” She looked nervous as hell before she went into the bathroom to pee on the stick.
She came out minutes later looking shell-shocked, and I had my answer. “Positive?”
“I did three; they all say the same thing.”
“Come on, baby, sit down.” She was shaking too hard to walk on her own, so I lifted her and took her over to the bed to sit.
“Babe, calm down, don’t worry about anything; I’ll tell your family the news….” She started bawling, and I felt helpless.
“Don’t do that, baby, come on. Don’t be scared; I’ll take the blame. Don’t worry.”
“Are you insane? Do you know what will happen if my family finds out I’m pregnant?”
“Don’t worry, baby; I won’t let them do anything to you.”
“You don’t understand. My life will never be the same; your life will never be the same. I can feel the leash tightening around my neck as we speak.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Think Cody; this will be the first great-grandchild for both sides of my family. You’ve seen that coven of delinquents. You know how they are.”
Oh yeah, she’s scared. She always calls her family names when she is. I sat beside her and pulled her onto my lap. And then the truth of her words sank in, and I was tempted to grab her and run if I wasn’t sure they’d find me and skin my ass alive.
Her lips were moving, but there was no sound. I think she lost her mind. “What’re you doing, baby?”
“Praying, you should probably do the same.” I couldn’t help laughing; she was so dramatic. She spent the next hour working out a strategy to deal with her family while I processed the fact that I was going to be a dad.
I promised to wait a few days before telling anyone, but someone else beat me to it. I have no idea who snitched, but we came back that Sunday from brunch to find them waiting for us. Lisa looked at me like I’d betrayed her, but once she understood that it wasn’t my doing, she killed the death glare.