“Get out!” I yell.
She gets out.
The timer on my phone counts down.
120 seconds.
119 seconds.
110 seconds.
I can honestly say that these are the longest two minutes of my life.
Cass hums a terribly off-key version ofHere Comes the Sun.
The radiator clanks.
I breathe in and out, and stare at my pale reflection in the mirror.
Delicate features. Wide brown eyes. Soft skin. Grandma always said I looked like a porcelain doll.
Right now, you look like a porcelain doll in shock…about to crack as it hits the marble floor.
The timer on my phone buzzes.
0 seconds.
I exhale and check.
Two lines.
On all the tests in the…uh…assembly line.
My knees nearly give out. I grab the counter. “God!” I gasp.
Cass bursts in. “What? Are we buying baby socks or wine?”
I hold up a test.
“I’m pregnant.” Saying it makes it real. “I’m…I’m actually pregnant.”
Cass’s mouth forms a perfect O. “Holy fucking cosmic plot twist.”
I start laughing—and crying—because my life is a complete and utter mess.
Cass wraps me in a fierce hug. “Hey, hey, hey. It’s gonna be okay. I mean, with an aunt like me, it’s gonna be great.”
Right!
“You’re gonna be a disastrous aunt,” I all but wail.
“I’ll teach your kid to roll a joint,” she says eagerly.
I stare at her for a long moment and then burst into fresh tears.
I’m going to have a baby. Freaking hell!
I’ve always wanted one—a little person to love with all the softness I wasn’t allowed to show growing up.
