We hug for a good while longer, me holding her off the ground, her wrapped around me. Carla keeps crying.
“They’re happy tears,” she says, sniffing.
“So happy,” I mutter.
Fuck.
I put her down and wipe my face with the back of my hand, and there’s nothing to be done about it, so I stop pretending. We’re both grinning like idiots. Then we’re laughing and crying at the same time.
“I’m pregnant,” Carla says again. She keeps saying it, like the words need repeating before they’ll turn true. “I’m pregnant. Oh, my god, I’m pregnant.”
“Yes, you are,” I say on repeat, every time like an idiot.
I go down on my knees in front of her, right there on the bathroom floor, and I kiss her belly through her shirt. Then I put my cheek against her and gather her in by the hips, and her fingers slide into my hair, and I stay there. There’s a life in there. Tiny and ours.
I stand, and we hug again, slower this time, her face tucked under my jaw, my chin resting on top of her head.
“I’m trying to work it out in my head,” Carla says. “It’s been ten or eleven weeks since Mistveil. I can’t believe I didn’t realize.I don’t menstruate because of the injection. How could I not know?”
“You were taking precautions.” I shrug. “You had no reason to look for it.”
She gasps and pulls back. “I have to call Robyn. I promised I would let her know. She was the one who put two and two together.”
I nod.
She picks up her phone and dials, and I lean against the counter and watch her, this woman standing in my bathroom carrying my child, and I honestly don’t know what I ever did to deserve this.
“Hi, it’s me. I’m here with Magma.” Her eyes move to mine.
“And?” I hear Robyn’s voice on the other side, sharp with impatience.
“I’m pregnant.” Carla starts crying again as she says it, wiping her tears with her other hand.
Robyn goes nuts on the other end of the line. There’s a shriek, then a lot of words tumbling out on top of each other, and Carla starts laughing, even though she’s still crying.
“That’s amazing! Oh, my god! Did you hear that, Ridge?” Robyn laughs. “I’m so happy for you guys. I take it you’re happy?” She pauses, sounding unsure.
Carla looks at me, and I have never felt such love in all my life. Not like this. Not this big.
“So happy,” she says, her eyes on mine.
“Okay. Okay, okay, okay. You need an ultrasound, and I am going to be the one to do it. Ask Magma if he can be at the hospital tomorrow at ten.”
Carla frowns. “No, Robyn. You can’t. You’re on your honeymoon. Don’t be silly.”
“I want to do this for you. Please let me do this for you. It has to be me.” A pause. “Ridge doesn’t mind, do you, babe?” Another pause. “He doesn’t mind. We’re only half an hour away.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Absolutely. I’ll set it up. You go and have that apple danish. You’re growing a baby. Oh, my god, you’re pregnant.”
Carla gasps. “Shit! I’ve been drinking two cups of coffee a day, and I drank alcohol last night.”
“You should cut back to one cup of coffee, but relax…two cups will not have done any harm. Your body ejected the Cosmo almost straight after you drank it. It’ll all be fine. You’ve been eating healthy.”
“I’ve been on a diet.” She covers her mouth. “My poor baby.”
“It’s fine. He or she will be absolutely fine. Do not worry. You’ll see it for yourself at ten tomorrow.”
