She jumped up off the step. “What?”
“That was really good,” Caroline said. “Play up that hospital part to Mom, because she’ll be so relieved you aren’t dying she’ll be less mad that you’re pregnant.”
Sloane threw her arms around my neck and almost knocked me down. “I know it isn’t probably the best news to you, but oh, my God, Em, this is thebestnews.”
I actually hadn’t expected her to react this way, but you never knew with Sloane. These days, she was all about the moment and living life and doing what felt good and throwing caution to the wind. Adam wasn’t the only one who had gotten a second chance at life.
“What did Mark say?” she asked.
“I haven’t told him,” I said truthfully.
“Emerson...” Caroline started.
I bit my lip and said quietly, “I haven’t told him because he’s not the father.”
“Emerson,” Sloane scolded. “Please tell me this isn’t a Maury Povich paternity-test situation.”
I shook my head and crossed my arms. “It isn’tthatbad.”
“It’s worse,” Caroline said under her breath, and I slapped her arm with the back of my hand.
“It’s not worse.” There was a knock at the door, and Caroline stood to open it. I heard the front door creak behind me right as I said, “It’s Kyle.”
“Wow,” a voice from behind me said. “You must have eyes in the back of your head.” He had a very sarcastic tone. I didn’t blame him. I turned slowly and, looking down at my feet, contritely said, “Hi.”
Kyle handed Sloane a cup and said, “I’ll be on my way now.”
“Wait,” Caroline said before he could turn around. She pushed me toward him and said, “Emerson needs to tell you something.”
I glared at her, and she and Sloane scampered out of the room.
“What?” Kyle asked, crossing his arms.
“Um,” I started, looking around for anyone who could save me. “Maybe you should sit down.”
My phone beeped in my pocket. “Wow,” he said, as I sat down on the sofa beside him. “Your phonedoeswork.”
“Kyle,” I said. “It’s not like that.”
“Then what’s it like?” he asked. “I wake up in the tree house to find you gone, my paddleboard gone, and myself completely humiliated.”
I knew I couldn’t defend myself. There was nothing I could say to make this right, so I just blurted it out. “I’m pregnant.”
“Great,” he said, crossing his arms. “That’s great. That’s fine if you and Mark are having a baby and getting back together and living happily ever after.” He stood up. “But you could have at least had the decency to shoot me a text.”
He was out the door before I could say anything else.
“You have got to work on your delivery,” Sloane said, peeking her head from around the doorframe.
“Yeah, Em, really,” Caroline said, her head on top of Sloane’s. They looked like a comedy skit in an old black-and-white movie. “You ruined his day. He might have been happy. You don’t know.”
I had heard it my whole life, so my sisters were only reiterating what I already knew: everyone, and I do mean everyone, is a critic.
THIRTY-NINE
ansley: the four horsemen of the apocalypse
Ordinarily, I would have screamed with joy when I saw my three girls walking up the front steps of Jack’s house. But it wasn’t my birthday. There was no reason for them to be surprising me. So that could only mean that these daughters were three of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
