Her phone rings, and I pick up the pregnancy test, staring down at the two pink lines while she answers the call.
“Hey… No, I’m still with Sienna… I’m heading home now… Yes, I’m aware that the roads are icy. I’ll be safe… Rune! You do not need to come over here and drive me home… Because then my car would be here… No… No… NO!”
“Oh my god,” she groans as she tosses her phone aside.
“Is Rune coming to get you?”
“Probably. I’ve got to go before he gets here.”
“He’ll be annoyed,” I warn her.
“I’ll make it up to him.”
“The roads are icy.”
Jem rolls her eyes. “My 6’5” husband will be trailing me all the way home. I’ll be fine,” she says, pulling me in for a hug.
I smile as I hug her back, squeezing her tight. “Text me when you get home.”
“Will do!” She calls, heading for the door.
I watch from the front window as she backs out of her spot and drives down the driveway. Before she can pull out, Rune’s truck pulls up. I laugh as I watch her wave her arms and shake her head. Rune climbs out of his truck, plucks Jem from her car, and sets her in his passenger seat. Then, he pulls her car next to mine in the drive, waves at me through the window, and gets into his truck. They pull out, and a second later, Jem texts me.
Jem:He’s crazy!
Me:Crazy in love with you!!
Jem:Good luck with your overbearing man!
I setmy phone aside and tuck the pregnancy test into my back pocket as I wait for Heath to get home. We sold his cabin up in the mountains and moved into my grandparents’ place years ago. We’ve made a few updates since then, making it more ours, but I can still feel my grandparents' presence in this place.
It made more sense to live closer to town with my job and Heath’s. He bought the lumberyard in town, which he now co-owns with Rune. The two of them have become best friends, probably because we all spend so much time together. Still, I’m glad our husbands get along so well.
I hear Heath’s car pull into the drive, and I swallow nervously as I wait for him to come inside.
“Baby,” he says as soon as he comes in the door.
He heads right for me, scooping me up in his arms and kissing me senseless. He always greets me like this. It’s like we haven’t seen each other for years instead of a few hours. When I’m at work, he waits for me outside, meeting me as soon as I step out of my car. I love that he’s so attentive, so happy to see me every single time.
“How was your day, baby? Did those mean kindergartners gang up on you?”
I laugh. “They were all little angels as usual.”
I landed my dream job as a kindergarten teacher two years ago. All that time working as a substitute finally paid off, and I now have my own room, my own class, my own coffee cup in the teacher’s lounge.
“How was your day?” I ask as he carries me into the kitchen.
“Good. Busy. I’ll be working from home tomorrow, so I can meet you for lunch if you want.”
“Sounds good,” I say, clinging to him.
“What should we have for dinner?”
I clear my throat as Heath opens the fridge. My stomach swirls as I smell the Chinese takeout we had last night. I wasonly able to eat a few bites, and that’s when I realized I might be pregnant.
I’ve been exhausted for weeks, but I thought maybe it was due to work and the preparations for the holidays. My boobs were sore, but sometimes Heath and I are a little rough in bed, so I figured it was from that. When the nausea started, it suddenly dawned on me. I checked my period-tracking app, and sure enough, I was late.
“Close the fridge,” I say, trying to breathe through my mouth as bile rises in my throat.
