I doubt that I’ll ever see her again, but I’ll never forget this afternoon.
I’ll never forget this day.
I kissed Case.
Tossing my keys in my bag, I start toward the guestroom. I need a bubble bath and some soothing music to help me wind down.
My phone starts up on a ring in my purse. Part of me wants to ignore it, but I fish it out.
Sandy’s name flashes across the screen.
I could let the call go to voicemail, but that’s not something she’d do to me. Sucking in a deep breath, I answer the call. “Hey, sweetie. I’m sorry I had to go so abruptly earlier, but a …”
“I’m pregnant!”
My bag slides down my shoulder and hits the floor as my body goes numb.
“Emma, are you there?” Her voice vibrates with excitement. “I’m having a baby!”
I grip my free hand on the corner of the wall for balance. “What? With who?”
“Kylan,” she spits out the name of her most current ex. “It’s our baby.”
“But…I thought you two…how?” I fumble through a series of questions, not able to get one coherent one out.
“We spent the night together before he left for Michigan two months ago,” she confesses. “We’ve been chatting since, Em. Things are better. No. Things are amazing. I’m moving in with him, and we’re having a baby.”
“You’re moving to Michigan?” Tears prick the corners of my eyes.
Sandy was the last thread that kept me tied to Seattle. The only thing left for me there is a job if I even have that to go back to.
“Not for a few months.” She sighs. “I have to finish out my contracts here, and then I’ll make the move before the baby arrives.”
I’m suddenly grateful to all of her current interior design clients.
“We’ll celebrate as soon as you’re back.” Her voice takes on a lighter tone. “Sparkling apple juice and pickle sandwiches.”
An unexpected laugh bubbles out of me. “I’ll pass on the pickle sandwiches.”
“Whatever works, Auntie Emma.”
My hand leaps to my mouth to hold back a sob. Sandy has always wanted a baby. Her dreams are coming true. Everyone I love is creating the life they’ve always wanted.
Maybe it’s time I did the same.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Case
“A man can’t live on…”Gavin drops a white paper bag on my desk. “Whatever the fuck you’ve been eating.”
I glance up and nod a silent thank you to him. “Nothing. I haven’t eaten all day.”
My appetite up and left when Emma ran out of my office with regret storming inside of her.
I should be at my apartment talking to her, but instead, I’m still at the office, trying to find someone who can pinpoint the issue with Letter Leap.
Our stringent testing protocols failed this time. I’ve gone through Drake’s notes on the development of the game, and I see gaps where there should be accountability in the form of test runs.
