After I ordered the dress and got fitted for it, Serena and I brought Mom back to the assisted living center and went to Vinny’s Pizza to meet Melissa. It was busy, but the waitress immediately found a booth for us.
There were a couple guys I recognized from Mason’s frat in here, and I prayed to God that he didn’t show up or that they didn’t come over here to talk to us because either Serena or I would break and punch one of them straight in the nose.
“Do you think she’ll come?” I asked Serena.
Melissa had gotten off work a half hour ago, and we were supposed to be meeting her here for lunch, but she hadn’t texted either of us all morning, which was unusual since she wasalwaysby her phone.
As the waitress came over to ask if we had anyone else joining us, Melissa squeezed past her and into the booth.
“Sorry I’m late.” She looked up at the waitress and smiled. “Water, please.”
Lunch went fairly quickly and smoothly with Melissa. She talked about her new job and how she’d been trying to save up enough to buy herself a new phone because—before all the Mason drama—he had thrown it and cracked it one night. I knew that Michael would buy her a new one in a heartbeat, but by the way Melissa had talked the other day, I thought that she wanted to do this all herself.
After we all finished off two large pizzas, Melissa pushed her plate to the center of the table. “I’m about two months,” she said, her hand trailing over her small bump. “The first six weeks were terrible for me. I had so much morning sickness, all these cravings for pickles …” She scrunched up her nose. “I didn’t even like pickles before this.”
Serena glanced over at me and gave me a weird expression, then turned back to Melissa. “Are you sure that it’s not Victor’s?” Serena said. “You know that if it was, he’d step in and make sure that he or she had the best life. He’s a good guy.”
Melissa looked at the table and frowned. “He’s a great guy,” she said, sadness laced in her voice. A tear ran down her cheek. “I’m so stupid. I shouldn’t have done what I did. I regret it every day.” After wiping some more tears from her face, she looked at me with so much guilt.I’m sorry, she mouthed with tears in her eyes.
I gave her a half-smile. It still hurt part of me, but I couldn’t care less about Mason. “It’s fine,” I said, grabbing her hand and squeezing gently. “I just want you to be healthy during the pregnancy, no matter whose it is.”
She smiled, and then her phone buzzed on the table. For a split second, I thought it was going to be Mason, but it was an alert.
Melissa looked at it and frowned. “I have a doctor’s appointment at three p.m.,” she said. “So, I have to get going.”
“Do you want us to come with you?” Serena asked.
“No. I asked my dad this morning,” she said, smiling.
My heart warmed. Michael was probably over the moon about that. He’d definitely want to be there for Melissa as much as he could.
“I think it’ll be nice to spend some time with him.” After Melissa grabbed her things, she hurried to the exit.
When she was out of sight, Serena turned to me. “Are you pregnant?” she asked suddenly.
I stared at her with wide eyes and shook my head, in complete shock that she would even ask me. “You know I have an IUD.” I had gotten it a year into my relationship with Mason,notever wanting to get pregnant with his child.
She stared at me. “Hello? Morning sickness. Orange cravings. Refusing to drink alcohol. Nothing screams pregnant to me more than that. You heard Melissa.”
Gnawing on the inside of my cheek, I shook my head. “I can’t be pregnant,” I whispered.
But what if I really am pregnant?
CHAPTER41
MIA
“Oh my God.”
I stood in the bathroom with my pants at my ankles, blinking at the stupid pregnancy test like if I blinked so many times, the result would magically change.No. No, this can’t be happening.
Serena banged on the door. “What does it say?”
Before she could barge into the room, I grabbed the other stick in the box and forced myself to pee on it. This isn’t real. This can’t be real.
Please, please, please be fake.
I didn’t know if I could do this right now.
