Page 189 of Josephine and Clay

I close my eyes briefly.

The image of the ultrasound flickers back instantly. Two tiny shapes shifting on the screen while my entire future rearranged itself in real time.

My hand presses harder against my stomach before I realize I'm doing it.

“You scared me,” I whisper.

From the kitchen, Penny yells, “Are you talking to your uterus again?”

“I’m bonding.”

“You sound nuts.”

“That’s because this entire experience feels medically suspicious.”

Penny laughs under her breath while cabinets open and shut. A minute later she returns carrying crackers, peanut butter toast, and a glass of water large enough to qualify as a small aquarium.

“You need protein,” she says firmly.

I accept the plate because fighting her right now sounds exhausting.

My phone sits on the coffee table beside the water glass. Face down on the table, waiting.

Penny notices where my attention lands. “You still haven’t checked it?”

I shake my head once.

Part of me already knows.

If Clay had called, Tessa would’ve said something. Boone would’ve said something. Somebody would’ve reached out.

Nothing good ever waits on the other side of silence.

Penny lowers herself into the armchair across from me, tucking one leg underneath herself. “You don’t have to look at it yet.”

“I know.”

“You also don’t have to pretend you’re not thinking about him.”

I stare down at the crust of my toast. “I’m trying very hard to be rational.”

“That sounds miserable.”

“It usually works for me.”

“Yeah, but your current situation involves twin babies and a cowboy with emotional processing skills comparable to a startled horse.”

“That’s unfair.”

“To the horse?”

A reluctant smile tugs briefly at my mouth.

Then I reach for my phone.

The screen lights up immediately.

Voicemail: 2 minutes, 37 seconds.