“You’re up,” I tell Ramsey. She grins and moves into the bathroom to take her test.
“Done. And you better hope the guys don’t come home to see a pile of pregnancy tests on the counter.”
“Hey, I’m already preggers,” Palmer reminds her. “In fact, if this bump isn’t enough to prove it, I’ll show you my stick.” She winks and heads into the bathroom to do her thing. A few minutes later, she reappears. “You’re up, sister.” They hug as Piper takes a deep breath and disappears into the bathroom.
A few minutes later, she exits the bathroom and grabs her phone. “Five minutes,” she says.
“This is going to be the longest five minutes of my life,” Ramsey comments.
“Why? You’re not pregnant, are you?”
“Not that I know of, but now that I’ve peed on that damn stick, I want to know for sure.” We all laugh at her, shaking our heads.
“So I have to tell you what happened earlier.” I tell them the story that Declan told me about Blakely and the strap-ons earlier.
“That girl.” Ramsey smiles. “I love her so much.”
“We all do,” Palmer adds. “Declan’s going to have his hands full with that one.”
“Nah, she’s just a little girl who doesn’t know the meaning. She’s sweet and has a huge heart. He’s going to do just fine.”
“Time!” Piper shouts, fumbling with her phone to stop the timer. “How do we do this?”
“Together.” Jade stands, and we all do the same, and the six of us move into the master bathroom.
“How are we supposed to know whose is whose?” Alyssa asks.
“I didn’t think it mattered since we know who the positives are going to be,” Jade replies.
“I put mine over here.” Piper points at the lone pregnancy test on the opposite side of the sink.
“Well, turn it over,” Palmer tells her.
With a shaky smile, Piper turns the test over, and tears well in her eyes. “Positive,” she whispers. She looks up at us. “It’s positive.”
We all cheer and hug her, giving our congratulations. My heart is heavy, but I’m happy for her. For them.
“Is it bad that I want to keep mine for my baby book? I mean, I have one from the hospital, but I kind of want the stick,” Palmer says.
“Not at all,” Ramsey assures her. “Just dig it out of the pile.”
Palmer moves to do just that, but she stops once they’re all flipped over. “Um, ladies, we have a situation.” She holds up two positive tests.
“Oh, shit!” Piper laughs. “Whose is it?”
“How the hell would we know?”
“Not mine,” Alyssa pipes up. She doesn’t give further information.
“I can’t have kids,” I blurt out.
“What?” They all gasp.
I spend the next ten minutes giving them the CliffsNotes version of my teenage medical scare and the demise of my marriage. “So yeah, not mine.” I shrug.
“Ramsey and Jade, that leaves the two of you,” Palmer says. They both look equal parts scared and elated.
“Okay. I know how we can fix this. Don’t move.” She rushes out of the room and down the stairs, and we hear the front door open and close, and then again, before her feet are pounding back up the stairs. She’s holding another reusable bag from the grocery store. “I bought extras.” She grins. “I wasn’t sure one would be enough.”
“So, ladies.” She hands Ramsey and Jade a new test, then turns to Alyssa and me. “For solidarity and all that.” She winks and hands us both another test. “This time, you keep your test in your hands. Wrap it up in TP or something, so we’re not tempted to look early. That way, we know whose test is positive.” Piper is smiling from ear to ear, and I have to admit her enthusiasm is contagious.
“I’ll go,” I say, because I’m the only one here that’s certain that the test is negative. Alyssa goes next, then Ramsey, and finally Jade.
Piper starts the timer and smiles. Ramsey and Jade both seem nervous, and that’s to be expected. Knowing that they might flip over their tests and be positive is life changing.
“I’ll give you the number to my ob-gyn. Brooks insisted that’s who I see,” Palmer tells her sister.
“Thank you. I guess I need to call and make an appointment.”
“When are you going to tell him?” Alyssa asks.
“Tonight? I can’t do it over the phone, so I guess I’ll stop there after I leave here.”
“Do you need us to come with you?” Jade asks.
“No. I’ll be okay. I needed you for this initial part, but I’ve got this. Besides, you might be having a very similar conversation.”
A slow smile spreads across Jade’s face. “Orrin will drag me to the courthouse.” She laughs.
“He’s been pushing for a wedding date, but I don’t want to take away from Ramsey and Deacon’s day.”
“What?” Ramsey asks. “Girl, just do it. I don’t care if it’s before or after mine, or hell, the same weekend. Orrin loves you, and I know it’s killing him that you’ve yet to set a date.”