Chapter Twenty-Eight
Pippa
After an entire night during which I did not sleep a wink, I decide I need my sisters, so first thing in the morning, I send them both a message.
Pippa: S.O.S. Can you both stop by for breakfast? I’m throwing a pity party, but I need some company.
They both reply yes within minutes. I walk like a zombie into my kitchen, inspecting my fridge. Looks like I’ll have to go shopping for my girls. Alice likes bagels and Summer has cereal and yogurt for breakfast, and I have none of these things. If I’m making them come here, at the very least I can feed them their favorite breakfasts.
I risk a glance in the mirror before I leave the house and sigh. I look the way I feel: exhausted, sick, and scared. My eyes have dark circles under them, in addition to being puffy from crying. That’s how I spent the first part of the night. I dedicated the second part to looking up baby clothing on the Internet while pondering how best to break the news to Eric. Sweat coats my forehead, and my throat clogs.
Logically, I know Eric is nothing like Terence, but I can’t help fearing that he’ll turn his back on me, thinking I’m trying to trap him. Or worse, that he’ll stay with me just for the sake of the baby.
There is nothing logical about fear, and it paralyzed me the entire night. Judging by the numbing sensation in my stomach, it’s about to overcome me again. No.
Gripping my bag tightly, I stare straight at my pale reflection in the mirror and berate myself. “You’re a grown-ass woman, Pippa Bennett. You’ve handled worse. You can handle this.”
It doesn’t work, the knot in my throat is tighter than ever, but I refuse to dissolve into a puddle of fear and insecurity again, so I grit my teeth and leave the apartment.
I return fifteen minutes later, and my mood has improved somewhat. I set the table and brew fresh coffee. When the doorbell rings, I nearly trip over my own feet in my haste to open it.
“Morning,” Alice says, while Summer hugs me without a word.
“Why are you hugging me?” I ask, breathing in her light jasmine perfume and hugging her back so tightly I’m surprised she can breathe.
“You look like you could use one,” she mumbles, then pulls away.
Alice says, “You look bad.”
I shake my head in answer, my eyes darting to the bags in her hand. “You didn’t have to bring food.”
Letting them in, I lead them to the living room, pointing to the dining table. “I went shopping after I texted you.”
“Pippa!” Alice’s sharp tone instantly sets me on alert. “You don’t know how to do this pity-party stuff, do you?”
“You’re not supposed to take care of us,” Summer adds. “It’s the other way around.”
I can’t help smiling. “I wasn’t aware there was a way to do it.”
“That’s because you haven’t done it before. Now you know,” Alice says firmly.
My sisters eye each other, and then Summer asks in a small voice, “What happened?”
The three of us sit at the table, and in as few words as possible, I tell them what happened with Eric at the hospital.
“Well,” Alice says, munching on her bagel, “proof that even the best of men aren’t very smart.”
Summer frowns at her. “Sometimes you’re too cynical for your own good. I think he was just too worried about Julie to focus on anything else. I mean, maybe being in the hospital brought back memories from losing his wife.”
I hadn’t thought about that. “That’s not all, though. I’m pregnant.”
Alice freezes in the act of biting her bagel, and Summer leaps from her seat, hugging me for the second time today. Alice joins us in a group hug, and for a few brief moments, I lose myself in their arms, soaking in their happiness and care.
We move to the couch next, and they start questioning me about the pregnancy, and if I feel sick. Euphoria overcomes me as I give them details, until Alice asks, “Have you told Eric?”
“Not yet. I found out less than twenty-four hours ago, and I wanted to regroup. I’ll speak to him soon. Right now, I need some quality time with my sisters.”
“Okay,” Alice says with a clap of her hands, as if preparing herself to order us around. “I say we do this Bennett-style. We have to adapt. Wine’s out of the question, but I bet you have hot chocolate, and I can have obscene amounts of food delivered from the restaurant. We can also watch some romantic comedies. The best way to feel better about yourself is seeing other people screw up.”