51
MELANIE
Ishoved more clothes into my suitcase, hands shaking as I zipped it up. Loco whined at my feet, sensing the tension in the air. I bent down, scooping him up as I tried to steady my breathing. Abigail and Colt were already on their way to the airport when I called, which meant I was lucky Josh was still in town. He had one more week before heading back to college, and he’d been generous enough to pick me up. Now, I just had to get out before Nick came home.
But as I grabbed my suitcase and turned for the door, my chest ached, like I was leaving something behind that I couldn’t afford to lose. It was stupid. We weren’t even a real couple.
So why did this hurt so damn much?
I shouldn’t want to be pregnant. I knew that. But a small, irrational part of me had hoped for the fairy tale—something like what Abigail got. Something normal. A life that didn’t feel like it was constantly on the verge of shattering.
I shoved the thought down. It didn’t matter.
“Okay, let’s go,” I muttered to Loco, and before I could change my mind, I threw my suitcase into the back of Josh’s car.
Josh arched a brow, crossing his arms. “Now, are you actually gonna tell me what the hell is going on? Did he cheat? Because ifthis is just a fight, Melanie, I don’t want to get in the middle of it. Nick already looks at me like he wants to put me through a wall.”
“Just drive,” I said, climbing into the passenger seat. “I need time to think.”
Josh sighed but slid into the driver’s seat anyway. “Fine. But you better start talking once we’re on the road.”
For the first five minutes, he stayed uncharacteristically silent. But I knew him—Josh was dying to say something.
Then my phone rang. Again.
I glanced down.Nick.
My stomach twisted. My head was a mess, torn between answering and pretending like I hadn’t seen it. I wanted to hear his voice, to make sense of what the hell this was between us. But I also needed space. I needed to find out if I was pregnant before I let him or anyone else dictate what came next.
Josh caught my hesitation. “That’s him, isn’t it?”
I nodded.
“Well, answer it,” he said, exasperated. “You two need to talk. I know you suck at communicating, but if you’re leaving, at least tell him.”
The thought of leaving Nick made my chest tighten. Why did it feel like I was breaking my own heart?
“He didn’t cheat,” I finally admitted.
Josh blinked in surprise. “Wait—he didn’t?”
“No.” I let out a breath, raking a hand through my hair. “He came home and thought I was hiding alcohol. But it wasn’t that. It was a pregnancy test.”
Josh went silent.
“…Okay,” he said slowly. “I’m missing something here. You two are married. What’s the big deal? Yeah, it’s a little soon, but his mom will probably throw a goddamn parade.”
“Stop saying that.”
Josh scrunched his nose. “Saying what?”
“That I’m pregnant.”
“Well… aren’t you?”
I turned to glare at him. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know?”
