Page 54 of Flawless

She smiled. “Sure.” She waited for Austin to leave before she said, “Um, hon. Forgive me for asking this, but have you missed a period in the last month or so?”

I gaped at her. “What?” Shaking my head so hard the room started spinning, I said, “Don’t even go there, Eden. Are you crazy? There’s no way I can be pregnant. I’m on the pill.”

But I had missed a period and chalked it up to Cam-related-stress.

“Did you guys use condoms?”

I blushed. “Well, no. But⁠—”

“Honey.” She sat down next to me and reached for my hand. “I’m on the pill too, and my doctor reminds me every year when he renews the prescription that there’s a ten percent failure rate, because we don’t always remember to take it.”

“Ohmigod.” I dropped my head into my hands. “There were a few times when I forgot and I took it the next day. I didn’t think it would be a big deal because I’ve done that before and never got pregnant.”

“Maybe it wasn’t the right time for you to get pregnant then,” she said, gently. “This time it was.”

“No, no, no…” I moaned. “This can’t be happening. We’re not even together anymore! Cam will lose his shit if I tell him he’s gonna be a daddy because I was too dumb⁠—”

“Hey, don’t you dare blame yourself for this,” Eden said, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. “If anyone’s to blame, it’s him. He’s not a kid. He should have been smart enough to wrap it if⁠—”

“No, I told him we didn’t have to…” I moaned again. “God, I don’t want to talk to you about this. You’re his sister.”

She laughed. “I get it, but we may be jumping to all the wrong conclusions. Let me go and get a test from the drug store across the street and we can find out for sure, okay?”

“Eden, I’m scared,” I whispered. “What if it’s positive?”

“Then you’ll deal with it,” she said, touching my cheek. “You’re the strongest woman I know, Rylee. And you’ve got all the love and support you need, whatever you decide.”

I could barely breathe as I waited for her to return. Ten minutes felt like ten hours as I imagined all the ways my life would change if this test was positive. I was on the verge of all my career dreams coming true. And that couldn’t happen as a single parent, could it?

But there was no way I’d let strangers raise my baby.

And the other option wasn’t an option at all, at least for me.

“Here we go.” Eden rushed through the door holding up a non-descript brown paper bag.

How could something that looked so innocuous be potentially life-altering? It didn’t seem possible. This couldn’t be my life.

“Oh God,” I said, feeling a fresh wave of nausea, as I curled my arms around my mid-section. “I don’t know if I can do this. Maybe I should just wait to see if this passes and⁠—”

Eden bent down in front of me. “Listen to me. You’re already torturing yourself and you don’t even know for sure if you’re pregnant. You need to know, one way or the other.”

She was right, of course. But that didn’t make it any easier.

I took the bag from her and trudged into the bathroom, saying a silent prayer that it would be negative. I wanted a baby, someday, maybe. Just not nine months from now.

I followed the instructions, washed my hands, and left the little plastic stick on the vanity as I ran out of the bathroom like it was on fire.

“Still waiting,” I muttered to Eden when she shot me a questioning look. “I couldn’t look.”

She nodded. “I get it. You want me to check?”

I bit my lip to stem the flow of tears. “Sure, thanks.” I held my breath as I waited for her to return, but I already knew what the result would be. I felt it, bone deep.

“Sweetie, it’s positive,” Eden said, gently. “But I bought a kit with two tests, just to be sure. So, you should take the other one. Then set up an appointment with your doctor. I can go with you⁠—”

“No, it’s okay. I got this.”

This was just one more thing in a long list of life events I’d navigate on my own. I’d had lots of practice, and when the shock wore off, I’d figure this out. What choice did I have?