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Chapter Eleven
Several days later, Laurel woke up and immediately rushed to the bathroom, just as she had for the last three days running. She hung over the toilet, wishing her recent bouts of nausea every freaking morning didn’t mean what she was almost certain they meant.
She was pregnant.
Take a home pregnancy test before you get all bent out of shape. It could be nothing.
Right. So her period was late. So she had all the symptoms of pregnancy that she’d had twice before. That still didn’t mean she was pregnant.
And bluebonnets don’t grow in the Hill Country either.
How could this have happened?
You had sex, dummy. A lot.
We used condoms.
One of them leaked. Or something.
Fine. She’d pick up a test on the way home from work. And take it before Zack came over. It was Friday night and he was bringing pizza and they were going to watch a couple of movies. One for the kids and one for them once the kids went to bed.
What would Zack say? How would he react?
What was she going to do if it was true?
Since the kids were out for summer break, she got them ready for daycare and did her best to put her potential problem out of her mind. She was only partially successful, since every time she went to the bathroom and saw no sign of her period, she was reminded of the possibility that her life could change drastically. Somehow, she made it through the workday, only having to make a dash for the bathroom once at work.
After picking up her kids, giving them a snack and letting them watch a TV show, she went into her bathroom and shut the door. It took her five minutes to work up the nerve to take the stupid test, but she finally did.
While she was waiting for the results, Katrina came to the door and rattled it. “Mommy, why is the door locked? Can I have a drink of water?”
“I’ll be there in a minute, honey.”
“Promise?”
“Yes, honey, I promise.”
Laurel heard the tone on her phone—celestial of all things—signifying the time was up. She picked up the wand and looked. Shook it and looked again.
“Mommy—” this time it was Cody “—Uncle Zack is at the door! Can we answer it?”
“No, I’ll be right there,” she called.
It’s official. I’m pregnant.
Laurel pulled herself together as best she could and went to let Zack in and get Katrina a drink of water, even though she’d probably forgotten she wanted it.
“Hi, beautiful,” Zack said, walking in and setting the pizza and a six-pack of beer on the table. He kissed her, then drew back and looked at her with a slightly mystified expression. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” This discussion would have to wait until the kids went to bed. In the meantime, she needed to get her shit together.
He seemed to take her at her word, though he shot her a few puzzled glances throughout the evening. Like when she turned down a beer—her favorite brand. And probably the fact that she couldn’t think of anything to say, beyond yes, no, or I don’t know confused him.
They put the kids to bed after their movie. Zack helped with bedtime routines and read them a story, which had turned into a regular thing whenever he came over. She watched him and listened as he read them a Little Critters story. They all laughed as he read it, just as though they hadn’t heard it a zillion times. But Zack put a lot of inflection into it, which the kids loved.
He was really sweet with her kids. She blinked back tears, scolding herself at her sentimentality.
Once Cody and Katrina were settled in bed, she and Zack went out into the living room.
