“Tell me about your day,” he says before I can say hello. His words are languid and slurring like maybe he had one drink too many.
“It was good. Winnie and I had a girl’s day. Now I’m drinking a beer on the couch. What about yours?”
“Rhett and the guys dragged me out tonight. If I wasn’t drunk, I would drive down to Illinois right now and drink that beer with you.”
“Don’t drive drunk. I would never forgive you.”
“I would never,” he promises. “I’ll let you go. I just wanted to say goodnight. I don’t sleep very well if I don’t hear your voice before bed.”
“Goodnight Tanner.”
“Goodnight Hannah.”
I smile at the ended phone call and realize I too, sleep better after I’ve heard his voice.
Some hours later, my phone is ringing somewhere on the floor, and I search in the darkness, expecting it to be Tanner calling again.
But it’s Lauren.
“Hey—” I barely get the word out before I realize she’s crying. “What’s wrong?”
She chokes on a sob. “I'm pregnant.”
5
Isit straight up in bed and blink into the darkness. Then I stifle a smile, because without a shadow of a doubt I know Lauren is going to be the best mom. And Rhett, the best dad. However, it wouldn’t be Lauren if she didn’t see change as the end of the world.
“Okay. And how do you feel?”
She cries harder.
“It’s okay to be scared. Trust me it is. But you’re in a really good place. You have Rhett and his whole family there. It’s going to be okay.”
“But I have this book to finish, and the wedding to plan, and now a baby? We weren’t even planning on trying for a couple years but the test, oh my God, Hannah, the test is so dark. What if it’s twins?”
“Then you will have two cute babies. But don’t scare yourself like that yet if you don’t have to. Just breathe. Does Rhett know?”
She sniffles. “Yeah, he’s so happy Hannah. I feel bad. I locked myself in the bathroom and he’s so excited and I’m just so…”
“Scared,” I finish for her. “I know. I’ve been there.”
“Can you come up?” she pleads quietly. “Even just for the weekend?”
I look over at the clock. If I leave now, I will get there just after two in the morning. With Paul and Mom already gone, that means Winnie is coming too.
“We’ll be there in few hours,” I tell her. “And Lauren? This really is going to be okay. Trust me. Unlock the door and let Rhett in. I love you.”
“I love you too,” she relents and hangs up.
I start throwing things into duffle bags. I don’t know how long I will stay, so I throw everything I can find, then tip toe into Winnie's room and pack her little suitcase as quiet as I can. I'm just about done when she stirs.
“Mommy?” she asks into the dark.
I flip on her little pink sheep lamp and sit at her side and brush a curl away from her face. “Do you want to go see Aunt Laurey and Uncle Rhett?”
She blinks her eyes open. “What?”
“Do you want to go get in the car and drive up to see Aunt Laurey and Uncle Rhett?”
