“Suit yourself. But I’m going to tell you right now, it would help me out.”
Stretching my neck side to side, I ask, “How would it help you out?”
“Because, instead of having to sit here and have hour-long conversations with you on the phone, you could be out on a date, sweating over if she’s going to shank you or not.”
Chuckling, I ask, “Getting sick of these phone calls?”
“Not me. Rachel.” Lowering his voice, he adds, “She now refers to you as my secret lover.”
“Sounds about right. No offense, but it’s either you or my mom at this point, and my mom ends up crying every time I talk to her.”
“And your brothers?”
“They have their heads so far up their asses, I’m not sure they know what the hell is going on around them.”
“So that leaves me.”
“Yup.”
Calder pauses. “I’m signing you up for that dating app.”
“Fuck you, man.” We both laugh. The sound is nice and sheds a little brightness on my gloomy fucking day.
Chapter Seventeen
ADALYN
It’s not like this is life alternating or anything.Just look.
This will change nothing.
This won’t rock my world at all.
Staring at the brown napkin covering a pregnancy test, I consider throwing it away without looking.
I’ve gotten this far using the denial tactic, and it’s worked great for me. It seems like yesterday I was having a mighty good time in Hayden’s dressing room, being absolutely irresponsible, riding the dick train against a wall. What a memorable and slutty moment for me.
Groaning, I press my hand to my forehead, stressed.
I really don’t have to look at the results. I know what it’s going to say. There is no doubt in my mind what that little stick is going to say and yet, here I am, still holding out hope.
There is a knock on my door. “It’s been five minutes. You have to come out at some point.”
Emma is standing on the other side of the door of the janitor’s closet. I locked myself in, wanting some privacy while I did this at work because Emma couldn’t wait any longer.
“I’m not ready to look.”
“Well, I am. Let me in and I’ll tell you what it says.”
“Yeah, I’m not ready for that either.”
Emma sighs. “Sweetie, no matter what, you’re going to have to look, and you know whatever the outcome might be, I will be here for you.”
“Will you be the father?”
Chuckling, she taps the door. “I’ll be whatever you want me to be.”
Leaning my head against the door, I reach behind me and open the door. Emma slips in and gives me a big hug.
