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Two minutes. Two minutes that would potentially change my life forever. I closed my eyes and began slowly counting off the seconds, concentrating on each number rather than on what the result might be. At one hundred twenty, I opened my eyes.

Positive.

Incredibly, my first reaction was pure, unadulterated joy.

Oh my God! I’m having a baby!

Five seconds later was a different story.

Oh. My. God. I’m having a baby.

I stared at myself in the mirror almost like my reflection was someone else. I brought a hand to my stomach. What the hell was I going to do?

Immediately, I sensed another presence in the room. I saw nothing, heard nothing, smelled nothing. But somehow I knew I wasn’t alone.

“Drew,” I whispered. “Help me. What do I do?”

You know what to do, sweetheart.

“I don’t. I’ve made such a mess of everything.”

You’ll be okay. You’ll be more than okay. You’ll be happy.

“How can you be sure?”

Because I can see it from here. Life goes on for you, Hannah. Life goes on with Wes.

I closed my eyes, and they filled with tears. I wanted to believe him. I wanted to feel like everything would be okay. I wanted love to win. But I just didn’t know how to get there. All the same problems still existed for us. All the same obstacles were still in the way. “Help us,” I whispered. “Help us get this right.”

I didn’t hear anything, and when I opened my eyes, I knew he was gone. I was alone again. Immediately, I took the second test in the box to make sure the first one hadn’t been a fluke, but the result was the same.

I was pregnant. With Wes’s child.

The first thing I had to do was tell him.

I checked the time—it was nearly eleven. He’d be at Abby’s school. Without even thinking about what I was going to say, I got in the car and drove there.

Twenty-Five

WES

“Thank you so much for coming,” said Abby’s teacher, offering her hand.

I shook it. “It was my pleasure. The kids were great.”

“It was very nice of you to let them all try your stethoscope, too.”

“Of course.” I turned to Abby, an ache in my chest. “Bye, sweetheart.”

She’d worn a huge smile for the last hour, but now she looked troubled and sad. “When will I see you again?”

“How about I take you out for ice cream this weekend?”

“Okay.” But she still didn’t look happy.

I bent down and gave her a hug. “I’ll see you soon, promise.”

“Okay, Abby. Time to get to work.” Mrs. Lowry took Abby by the shoulders and steered her toward a table where three other kids sat working on a math activity. “Thanks again, Dr. Parks.”


Tags: Melanie Harlow After We Fall Romance