“Good grief. Of course you didn’t trap him. It isn’t your fault the condom broke. Hell, it isn’t his fault either, for that matter.” Bridget looked a bit irritated. “But Maggie, this is his baby too. He has a right to decide how involved he wants to be, go to appointments with you if he wants, etc. You can’t cut him out of that. You don’t have to be involved in a romantic relationship if you don’t want to be, but you’re now part of a relationship with this baby from this point forward. He needs to have that too if he wants it.”
My heart squeezed. I’m not sure what would be worse, if I gave Sully the chance to be in a relationship with me and he rejected me, or if I told him about the baby and he rejected both of us. It was stupid, but I hated even having to give him the chance.
“So, Ms. Jameson, want to share who was this one-shot wonder that you’re now forever linked to? Is he gorgeous? It’s not my catnip, but was he any good? I mean, I hope you at least enjoyed yourself because that memory might need to last you a while.” Bridget grinned at me. “And, most importantly, when do you think this precious bundle will be arriving? Because I’m going to need to be thinking about what sub we want for your leave. Thankfully, I’ve got the summer months ahead of me to ponder that choice.”
“Always focused on work, aren’t you, Bridget?” I asked, laughing because that was far from the truth. My heart sank as I realized that after I got through this crisis, I still needed to talk to Bridget about leaving after next year. Shit. Now that would be leaving with a baby. Tears threatened, so I pushed that down. “Doing some fast math, I’d guess I’d be due around the first of the year. So, if all goes well, I’d have to take off most of the third quarter.” I paused, then continued, “As for who it is, I’m not sure I’m ready to share that.” I looked at her hesitatingly. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her, but how do you even talk about this?
Bridget met my look and then leaned forward as she placed a hand on my knee, whispering, “Just guessing here, but I’d say Cole Sullivan has some news coming his way.”
I gasped, my eyes widening. What the fuck. Was she a witch?
“Maggie, you aren’t as hard to read as you think. Remember, I’ve been to The Homestead with you too many times to count. When Emma is around, you give her crap about her older brother constantly. It seems like it’s all in good fun. But when you’re not spouting off about him, and you don’t think anyone is watching, your eyes follow him around with lust and longing mixed in with equal measure.” She squeezed my knee. “You’ve known the Sullivans forever, so if I were a betting woman, I’d say Cole needs some cigars. How’d I do?” She sat back, looking pretty pleased with herself.
“You’re a bitch,” I muttered, to which she grinned back at me. “And yep, Sully and I did the deed. Now what am I going to do?”
Bridget slid across the couch, resting right next to me and wrapping her arm around my shoulders. “You’re going to suck it up and tell him. Then you’re going to do a deep dive into your crazy brain and figure out what on earth would make you run from that beautiful man. And, while you’re at it, you’re also going to figure out how to tell your best friend that her brother knocked you up, ideallyafteryou tell him he’s going to be a daddy. That’s what you’re going to do.”
“Uhhhhhhhhhhh. Bridget, you make it sound so simple. But it is anything but simple. How the hell do I do this?” I whispered. I just wanted to go home and become an ostrich. I wondered if there was a way for me to teach via Zoom for the next nine months. I mean no one had to know I was pregnant. Maybe I could tell Sully later. When the baby was born and I’d moved far, far away.
Bridget smiled at me. “My friend, you have got this. You know you do. And you’re going to do it like anything else that’s hard, one step at a time.”
I dropped my head on the back of the couch and looked at the ceiling. She was right, but that didn’t make any of this easier. My vibrating phone brought me back to reality, and I looked down to a text from Emma.
Emma:Max and I are cooking out. Want to come over? I’ll provide the tequila. It will just be the two of us and the pup. I want to see you!
I grimaced. Bridget was right, Sully needed to know first. But he was out of town, and I couldn’t hide forever. Grabbing my phone, I quickly replied.
Me:Wrapping stuff up at school now. I can be there in an hour. No tequila for me. My stomach isn’t thrilled with booze right now. What do you want me to bring?
Emma:YAY! Cookies please! See you in a bit.
I looked back at Bridget. “Thanks for being here, for talking me off the ledge.” Shaking my head, I glanced out the window. “I bought the test at lunch today and figured I’d take it when I got home. But when the kids left, I knew I couldn’t wait another minute.”
Bridget grabbed my hand and squeezed.
I whispered, “I’m so glad I was here, I’m so glad you found me. I have a feeling I’m in a much better place as a result than I would have been.”
Bridget stood up, pulling me up with her, and gave me one of her famous hugs. “Sam and I will both be here for you no matter what. If you need advice, a sounding board, or just someone to commiserate with on the joys and pitfalls of pregnancy, please lean on us. And keep me posted on how it all goes.”
“Thanks, Bridget. You’re the best.” I gave her one last squeeze and headed to grab my stuff from my classroom. I needed to head home, change, and grab some cookie dough from my freezer. I could bake them at Max and Emma’s place. All the while, I needed to figure out how to make sure my best friend couldn’t read my face and tell that something had just rocked my world.
This should be an interesting evening.
* * *
Sully
Jake headed back toward me at the high-top I’d taken over in the corner of the bar. A few women sitting at the bar turned to watch him move away, which was nothing new. Jake and I had met in college. Well, I was in college. He worked in construction. His second job was at the brewery where I also worked for extra cash. Jake had always gotten a lot of attention from women. He was just a few inches shorter than my six-foot-four frame, but he was leaner, having been a runner since he was a kid. His dark hair was shorter than mine, and like myself, he was rarely ever clean-shaven.
I soaked in the atmosphere of this place, Main & Mill brewery in Festus, Missouri. This was the final stop on Jake and my two-week brewery road trip. We’d hit breweries all over the Midwest, talking to owners about their canning operations and just brewing beer in general. Owning a brewery was like belonging to a small club. I doubted seriously that The Homestead would have made it through the past five years without advice from other owners. They’d helped pave the way for our success. The past two weeks had been a fact-finding trip, sure, but it had also been a celebration for the two of us. We’d survived the start of our business and now were getting ready to grow some more.
I couldn’t wait.
Jake pulled out a stool at the table before dropping a basket of fried pickles in front of me. “Placed an order for our late lunch. We can eat and hit the road.”
Nodding, I grabbed a pickle before dipping it in the sauce. Popping it into my mouth, there was a burst of flavor. I glanced at the sauce once again. It looked like a pinkish ranch. “Sriracha?” I asked Jake.
He nodded before grabbing his own. “Sriracha ranch. We should add something like this to our menu.” Jake looked around, taking in the brick walls and U-shaped bar in the warm glow of old-looking light bulbs. The scent of beer and some type of grilled meat filled the air. There was a decent crowd considering we were a bit early for their happy hour. Lunch had passed. Dinner wouldn’t begin picking up for several hours. We were grabbing a bit of food here before hopping on our bikes and heading back home. I figured we’d get in just a bit before seven.
