“See, it really is going to be fine.”
Maybe I was reassuring the baby, maybe myself, but I had to believe it was true, no matter how devastated I was about Jax not wanting anything to do with us. Fresh rage welled up until a head rose above the bushes, making me jump in the driver’s seat. Then I relaxed to see it was only Harper hanging out there, but put it on my mental list to clip those darn things so an actual intruder couldn’t lie in wait. I had more than just my own safety to worry about these days.
“Where have you been? I’ve been texting.”
She wore a cute denim mini skirt and puff-sleeved top and I remembered with a jolt it was our monthly girl’s night. We were supposed to go line dancing, but I had completely forgotten in my wild race to get to New York and tell Jax the news before I lost my nerve.
I took my phone out of my bag to see it was still in airplane mode. “Oh my gosh, I’m sorry.”
Without a second’s warning, I burst into tears. Absolute floods. Harper took my keys from my shaking hand and unlocked the door, then led me into the house.
“It’s not that big of a deal,” she said, alarmed at my outburst.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get myself under control. She brought me a glass of water, which only made my stomach churn, so I set it down and flopped onto a barstool, resting my head on the cool, laminate countertop. After a minute of letting out all my sorrow and anger, with Harper intermittently patting my back, I finally shuddered a sigh and reached for the roll of paper towels.
When I was done blowing my nose and swabbing my face, I turned to Harper. “I’m pregnant,” I blurted. It seemed like I couldn’t preface that news to save my life.
Her eyes grew round, but she quickly got her face under control. “That’s… a baby? That’s wonderful.”
I grumbled out a weak agreement. “I just came from the airport. I flew in this morning to tell Jax.”
The fact I was back the same day wasn’t lost on her and she grimaced. “What a jerk.”
I shrugged. “He didn’t ask for this.”
“Well, he’s got it,” she said, voice full of righteous indignation. “How long have you known? I can’t believe you’re just now telling me.”
“Sorry,” I muttered. Now I was suddenly ravenous and searched the fridge for something that might stay down.
“No, don’t be sorry. I’m sorry for making it about me. What happened with Jax?”
My appetite shriveled, and I abandoned the fridge. I told her the short and humiliating tale while forcing myself to eat a few dry crackers from the pantry. I kept my head down so I wouldn’t have to see her face.
“Unacceptable,” she sputtered. “Don’t worry. I’ll talk to Silas, and he’ll have words with him.”
My head shot up. “Don’t you dare. Swear you won’t do that.” Certain she could see how serious I was, I continued more calmly. “Jax doesn’t want anything to do with us, and I’d rather eat a barrel of bugs before taking his money. As far as I’m concerned, he’s out of the picture. I’m resolved to going it alone, and I don’t want to talk about him anymore.”
It was a struggle for her to accept, but she nodded briskly. “Fine. But you’re not going it alone, dummy. You have me, your mom, Lynette. You’renotalone.”
I started to snivel again, but for good reason this time, grateful to have such a good friend. “Thanks.” Then I groaned. “I still haven’t told my mom or Lynette.”
“They’re going to be thrilled.” Harper laughed. “Your mom’s definitely going to be.”
“Lynette’s going to be mad I beat her,” I said. My older sister had been married for two years and was taking her sweet time in getting our mom a grandchild.
“She shouldn’t have dawdled, then.” Harper patted my hand and smiled. “Do you still want to go dancing? Or we could order a pizza? Watch some comedy?”
Her encouragement had improved my mood a hundred fold, but I was overcome with exhaustion. It hit me like that at the end of each day, and it was stronger after the two flights and the emotional roller coaster I’d been on. I sighed and shook my head wearily.
“I think I just want to shower off the airport crud and get in bed. I’ve got an early shift at the ER before I go into Dr. Keller’s tomorrow afternoon.”
She gave me a serious look. “Don’t run yourself ragged.”
I promised I wouldn’t, but I planned on working as much as I could until the very last minute. I made a comfortable living, but I wanted to pad my savings and I knew all the baby gear I’d have to buy in the coming months wouldn’t be cheap. It was all so daunting, I felt even more tired and couldn’t suppress a huge yawn.
“Okay, I’m leaving,” Harper said, giving me a hug. “You know you can call at any time of the day or night so don’t you dare try to be a hero if something happens.”
“I won’t.” I was so lucky to have her on my side that my eyes filled up again, once more for a good reason.