Total pages in book: 166
Estimated words: 156145 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156145 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
She had to tell Lucy the truth sooner or later. Before she could talk herself out of it, she answered. “Hey, Lucy.”
“Becka! I thought for sure I’d get your voicemail again.”
“I know, I’ve been terrible. I’m sorry.” Her treacherous hormones threatened to close her throat, thickening her voice.
Lucy picked up on it. Of course she did. She’d spent too long taking care of Becka not to read her easily. “What’s going on? And don’t tell me that it’s nothing. We both know you don’t disappear like this unless you’re avoiding telling me something.” She lowered her voice. “Is this because of Gideon? I thought you were okay with it—”
Oh no. She should have known that her sister would jump to that conclusion. “No. Hell no. I am legit happy for you. I promise.” There was no getting out of the truth now. Becka took a deep breath. “I’m... I’m pregnant.”
“What?” Lucy rushed on before she could respond—not that she had a response. “Becka, if this is your idea of a joke, it’s not funny.”
Her stomach dropped and she closed her eyes. Disbelief in her sister’s tone, yes, but also disappointment. The very reaction she’d feared. “No one’s joking. You’re going to be an aunt in roughly six months.”
“I... Wow...” Lucy cleared her throat. “Sorry, you just caught me by surprise. I didn’t realize... No, but you would have told me if you were seeing someone.”
Her sister didn’t mean anything by it, but every word was a knife to Becka’s heart. A confirmation of what she’d always known to be the truth. She was far more like her wayward mother than she’d ever been like her responsible older sister.
Lucy finally managed to get her reaction under control. “How are you doing? Are you okay?”
Even now, even when she was obviously caught off-guard and disappointed, she still managed to set it aside and worry about Becka. “I’m fine. He’s a good guy.” She wasn’t willing to shock Lucy further by telling her the father was Aaron. “He’s pushy and determined to research this thing to death and he’s constantly on my ass about making me eat, but he wants to be in the baby’s life.”
“It sounds like you care about him.”
She pushed to her feet, but there was nowhere to run with the phone against her ear. Becka bit down on her impulse to yell that it was a one night stand and she couldn’t possibly care about him because she barely knew him. It wasn’t the truth. Not anymore. She swallowed hard. “I don’t know how I feel about anything anymore.”
“Relationships aren’t always like it was with them.” No need for her to ask who Lucy meant. Their parents. “Gideon and I might argue sometimes, but he’s my rock. It might be nice if you had someone to be your rock, too.”
“Yeah. Maybe.” She glanced at the faded digital clock over her oven. “Hey, Lucy, I’ve got to go if I’m going to make my next appointment. Talk to you later?”
“I’m here for you, Becka. No matter what. You know you can call me anytime, right? For anything.”
“I know.” Damn it, now she really was going to cry. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
She hung up and stared at her phone. That had gone... Well wasn’t the right word. Even with Lucy offering unconditional support, she couldn’t shake the fact that her DNA had outed once and for all, realizing both their worst fears.
That Becka was just their mother 2.0.
She headed for her first personal training appointment for the day, and then there was no more time for worrying about her worst fears coming true. Time went too fast, and it felt like seconds later that she was in the locker room and jumping in the shower. She pulled on a sheath dress in a brilliant pink and orange pattern that hid her growing baby bump and slipped into simple flats and a funky cropped jacket. Becka pulled her hair back into a deceptively simple braid and threw some mascara and lipstick on.
Feeling like herself for the first time in a long time, she hurried out of the locker room just as her phone dinged. She smiled when she saw Aaron’s text. I’m out front.
Punctual as always.
She hefted her bag more firmly on her shoulder and strode out the doors. It will be okay. Just because I’m off center and scared all over again doesn’t mean I am going to ruin tonight.
I refuse to ruin tonight.
Aaron had his hands in his pockets and wore a well-fitting black suit with a dove-gray button-down underneath. His smile dimmed when he caught sight of her bag. “Let me carry that.”
“Honey, I can bench 150 and I have arms to rival Michelle Obama. I got it.” She caught herself and sighed. “But if you’re going to turn into a human storm cloud, you can take it.”