“Kay,” I whisper.
“Charlie,” he calls before we end the call.
“Yeah?”
“I've got you, okay? You hear me?”
“I hear you.”
“Be there soon. Wait for me. We do this together.”
***
Alek arrives quickly, and the moment he steps inside, he pulls me into a fierce embrace, holding me close and grounding me with his presence.
After a few minutes, he kisses the top of my head and steps back, entwining his fingers with mine. “Ready?”
“No,” I admit.
He blows out a breath, giving my hand a squeeze. “Me either.”
I pull him behind me to the bathroom and stop in front of the door. “You wait here. I'll go take them and then open the door when I finish. We'll wait to read them together.”
Amelia walks into the bathroom with me and closes the door behind her. She starts opening the packages and getting the tests ready while I pull down my leggings and sit on the toilet.
With trembling hands, I uncap the first test and position it. I close my eyes, inhale deeply, and finally let go.
Time blurs as I work through each test, my mind splintered and unfocused, eyes fixed on a spot on the wall.
Once I'm done, Amelia starts taking hers, making sure to keep them in a separate area from mine. We wash our hands, and then I open the door as she sets the timer.
Alek is leaning back against the wall, staring at his feet, one of his hands squeezing the back of his neck harshly. His head pops up as soon as he hears the bathroom door open, and he straightens, stepping toward me to grab my hand and pull me to him.
“I'm sorry, Alek,” I tell him, burying myself against his chest.
“Don't you dare fucking apologize, Charlie. I was right there with you. You weren't fucking yourself when the condom broke.”
I glance up at him. “I swear I'm on birth control, Alek, and I took a Plan B. I don't know what happened.”
He leans away so that he can grasp my chin. “Shit happens, babe. Sometimes things fail.” His eyes roam my face. “How are you feeling about this?”
“Sad. Scared. Angry. It wasn't supposed to be you, Alek,” I whisper.
I wipe the tears that began their journey down my face again. “But it is. How areyoufeeling?”
Alek laughs sharply. “Fucking terrified. What the fuck do I know about being a goddamn dad, Char? It's not like I had a good role model growing up.”
I can feel Amelia slowly beginning to freak out on the other side of me, so I turn to her. “Look at me, Mel.” When she does, I stare at her fiercely, letting her see all the love I have for her in my eyes. “No matter what they say, we're in this together. You feel me? No matter what they say.”
Her hand reaches out for mine, and I let her take it, knowing we both need this lifeline right now.
A heavy silence settles over us as we stare at the bathroom counter crowded with tests, until the timer blares and shatters the stillness.
Alek moves first when neither Amelia nor I can. He glances back, silently urging us on, and I squeeze Amelia’s hand before following him in.
I stand wedged between Alek and Amelia, all of us staring at the test results. Numbness seeps through me as I read them, and Alek pulls me into his arms as I start to shake.
“Are you going to tell Keaton?” he asks quietly, and I can't get a read on his emotions.
