Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.
I wince, only now realizing that pounding pain isn’t just in my head.
“Go away,” I mumble into the mattress, pulling the soft sheets over my head.
“Honey,” Olivia’s voice comes through the wood loud and clear. “It’s me. Open up.”
The sheer urgency in her voice makes me throw the sheets back and push myself up.
“Oh. That was a mistake.” I wince in an attempt to get the room to stop spinning. “Don’t throw up,” I whisper to myself, the only kind of pep talk I can muster at the moment.
“Honey?”
“Yeah, give me a second,” I drawl, slowly dragging myself out of bed. When I walk past my reflection, I gasp at the woman standing before me. Mascara is smeared down my face from when I was crying to Chase—or was it Chris? They both look so similar that I’m not sure I could tell the difference drunk. My hair is a tangled mess, still in a half updo and back-combed to oblivion. I really should’ve given it a good conditioning last night.
But none of that is the worst part.
The most humiliating thing is that I’m still in my bridesmaid’s dress, now wrinkled beyond repair. I can’t even look at the slit on the side without thinking about Zach’s hand sliding underneath it.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Come on, Honey. It’s urgent.”
I push through the embarrassment, stumble to the door, and yank it open.
Olivia is glowing as she stands there in leggings and one of Mike’s old T-shirts stretched over her belly.
“Wow.” It’s all she says as she takes me in. “I knew yesterday would be tough on you, but uh—” She’s lost for words.
“Are you okay?”
She shakes her head and walks into the room. “I’m fine, but I have a problem.”
“What’s wrong?”
She tosses the bed sheets back so she can lower herself onto the edge of the bed. When she looks up at me, all I see is guilt.
“The cruise line called me this morning.”
“Okay.” I cross my arms, watching her every reaction.
“Well, when we booked it, I didn’t know I was pregnant, and now, well—” She trails off, swallowing hard. “I’m too far along, Honey. They won’t let me board the cruise.”
My brow furrows because the words don’t make sense at first.
“Why won’t they let you board?”
“It’s a liability issue. I’m too far along in the pregnancy. If I go into early labor, they don’t have the medical facilities or the ability to fly me out to a hospital. They’re not equipped for—” She rubs her belly before looking down at it and frowning. “I’m so sorry. I should have checked the fine print. I should have—”
“It’s okay, Liv.” Sitting down, I take her hand and draw her attention to me. “It’s not your fault that Mike impregnated you with my future favorite person.”
She smiles at that. “But this trip was supposed to be for you. I’ve been looking forward to it for weeks, and now I’ve ruined it.”
“You didn’t ruin anything.” I squeeze her hands, hoping the disappointment doesn’t show. I don’t want her to feel bad. It’s not her fault that I embarrassed myself at a wedding last night and wanted to hide in the middle of the ocean. “We can reschedule it. After the baby comes, we’ll—”
“No.” She shakes her head firmly. “I don’t want you to have to put your life on hold for me. You should still go.”
“On my own?” I ask with a raised brow.
