I’m staring at my plate, and I can feel Penn looking at me.
Before I can look back at him, Logan clears his throat and stands up. “Actually, Bree and I have something to tell everyone.”
Bree’s eyes widen a little, and then she smiles at him.
Skyler sits up straighter. “What?”
Logan reaches for Bree’s hand and threads their fingers together. “We’re pregnant,” he says.
For one second, the room goes completely still, then everyone erupts. There are squeals of laughter, congratulations being called out, hugs, and fist bumps, and it takes me just a second to catch up.
Everyone is happy, and of course I’m happy too. Logan and Bree are going to be great parents, and this is the best family to be born into.
I smile because that’s what I’m supposed to do. I stand up and hug Bree, and I tell her how happy I am for her because I am. My eyes burn, but I can easily explain it as happy tears. I’m not the only one crying in the bunch. Across the room, Penn is watching me. His face is pale, and the look in his eyes tells me he knows exactly what this moment is doing to me.
I step back from Bree and force my smile wider. “This is so exciting.”
Bree squeezes my hand. “Thank you.”
I nod, but I can’t say anything else.
The room is full of laughter and congratulations, but all I can hear is the question I asked Penn this morning.Do you not want to have kids with me?And the silence that came before his answer.
I look down at my hands, twisting my fingers together in my lap. I’m happy for them. But I’m breaking for me. I don’t think I can do this anymore.
CHAPTER 11
PENN
On our way home from Ozzy’s, I got called in for an emergency. There was a bus wreck, and the hospital needed all hands on deck. I know Aria and I have a lot to talk about, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little relieved to have to go in. That makes me a coward, and I know it. But after everything that happened at Ozzy’s, after the way she looked at me when Logan and Bree announced their pregnancy, I didn’t know what to say to her. So I dropped her off at the house with a quick “I love you” and headed to the hospital.
She didn’t say it back.
I told myself she was upset and that she needed time. I figured we both needed some time so we could have a discussion about everything. But I didn’t go home.
After a long night, I slept in my office. Then another emergency came in, and by the time my shift finally ended, it was late the next day.
I called Aria a few times, but she never answered. I sent her a few text messages, and she read them, but she never responded. Andnow, I’m practically holding my breath when I walk in the front door of our home.
The first thing I notice is how quiet it is.
“Aria?” I call out, but there’s no answer.
I set my keys on the table by the door and listen for her. Maybe she’s in her office asleep on her couch. Or maybe she’s still mad and pretending not to hear me. “Aria?” I call out again.
My chest tightens as I walk through the living room. Everything looks normal at first. The throw blanket is folded over the back of the couch. Her book and reading glasses are in their spot on the end table. I check her office first, but it’s empty.
The couch is neat. The pillow she slept on the other night is back in place, but her laptop is gone.
My stomach drops. I turn and head upstairs, taking the steps two at a time. “Aria?”
The bedroom is dark and empty.
I stand in the doorway, staring at the bed. It’s made with everything looking comfy and welcoming, but then I see the note on my pillow.
I just stare at it from across the room. I move closer, staring at it. A folded piece of paper with my name written across the front. My hand shakes as I pick it up. I don’t want to open it because some part of me already knows she’s left me. That’s all this can mean.
I unfold the paper and force myself to read.
