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"There is. Eli doesn't want children. Ever."
Penn stared at her, stunned. "He said that?"
"Multiple times. He doesn't want kids. So here we are, and I don't know what I'm supposed to do." She glanced up at Penn. "I told him I loved him the night they won the Cup. We both said it."
"Are you officially together?"
Holly shook her head, fighting back tears. "No. I told him we could talk about everything after the parade. Maybe I'm being selfish, but I wanted him to know how I felt. I could have not said it, right? Maybe I shouldn't have. But I needed him to know that I loved him. But now... we'll never be together. I won't saddle him with a baby he doesn't want. And I can't not keep this baby."
She choked back a sob. "Fucking stupid pregnancy hormones. All I do is cry lately. It's ridiculous."
Penn placed a hand on her arm. "It's not hormones. Anyone would be ripped apart by this."
"I love him. I've loved him for years. But I want this baby." She wiped her eyes. "This kid is ours. Mine and Eli's. And that means something to me. It means everything."
"Hol, do you really think that if you keep the baby, Eli won't be involved?"
"I honestly don't know. I don't want him to feel like he's trapped."
"I can't see him turning his back on his child, Holly. Even if it wasn't his first choice."
She rubbed her temples. "This is a total mess."
"When are you going to tell him?"
"After the parade. I don't want to ruin this time for him. He deserves to enjoy this without drama. Without it being weighted. He's got enough on his plate with his family."
"I'm here for you, Holly. I won't breathe a word to West. I promise." Penn pulled her into a hug. "Babe, it's going to be okay."
"How?" she whispered. "I'm going to break his heart, and he's going to break mine."
"You've come too far and too long to let each other go."
"He'll hate me. Hate me for getting pregnant. Hate me for keeping it."
"No. You didn't get pregnant by yourself," Penn admonished. "He had a huge freaking part to play."
"But I told him I was protected."
"Because you thought you were. Babe, don't blame yourself. Please."
Holly pulled her hair away from her face. "To top it off, Lyla is being a nightmare. She's pissed at me, and she insists that if I don't convince Eli to turn the feature over to her, she'll tell him I'm pregnant. She said I have until the morning of the Cup parade to get him to agree."
Penn's face turned ashen. "Holly, that's horrible."
"Yeah."
"Will he go for it?"
"He has to. I'll find a way." She glanced over at her friend. "Will you take me back to the condo? I know the pet sitter is there today, so I don't have to rush back, but I really need to rest. I'm feeling weak, and I want to sleep. Between the pregnancy and the Myasthenia, I'm wiped out.”
"Of course." Penn took her hand. "I love you, Hol. No matter what happens, you will always have me in your corner."
"Don't make me cry again." She sniffed, then gave her best friend a hug. "You know I love you, too. Come on, let's get out of here."
She had a lot to figure out, and she needed some time alone to do it.
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