“Oh, dear,” says Grandma. As well she might.
“I have to say I’m surprised,” says Carrie. “You know the baby most likely isn’t yours, right?”
Nothing from Nash. Not a single damn thing. He just clenches his jaw and stands tall in the face of whatever this is.
“Who the hell is this?” asks Mac.
“Good question,” mutters Rose.
Carrie, meanwhile, tosses her shining long locks like she’s in a shampoo commercial and says with a sniff, “You do know that, right,Aaron?”
“Aaron?” Sabrina frowns. “His name is Nash. What’s going on here?”
And it’s another good question. One I have no nice answer for.
“The math about this baby just isn’t mathing. Imagine my surprise when I found out your fiancée was with someone else only a few weeks ago.” Carrie looks down the length of her nose at me. “There’s plenty of evidence on social media. It wasn’t even that hard to find. I warned Farmer your new girl was full of shit.”
Nash shakes his head. “Carrie…”
“Why don’t we discuss this somewhere private,” says Grandma.
And Carrie completely ignores both of them. “Brandon Shaw. He’s in banking in Phoenix. And they were together for quite a while. So either she was cheating on him with you, or she’s lying to you about being the Baby Daddy. It has to be one or the other, right? Kind of makes you want to ask for that ring back, doesn’t it?”
“Aaron,” repeats Sabrina, with her brows drawn tight together. Then the bottle of beer falls out of Sabrina’s suddenly numb fingers. “Aaron Porter.TheAaron Porter. Oh my god. I knew you reminded me of someone!”
Mac’s mouth falls open, while Rose’s brows reach for the sky.
And Carrie grins victorious. “Oops. They figured it out.”
“I mean the hair is cut short and his beard is gone,” continues Sabrina. “But otherwise…”
“Huh,” says Rose, studying his face. “Guess you’d know. You’re a hairdresser, and you went to see him live last year in Seattle and Red Rocks.”
“Why, you’re a real fan.” Carrie sighs dramatically. “Of course, it’s totally understandable that Aaron would want a break from the pressures of fame after all of these years. Such a shame the person he trusted turned around and tried to baby trap him. Though just between us, I do wonder if there even really is a baby?”
“Well of course there is,” says Father Frank. Though he doesn’t sound as sure as we’d wish. “Who are you?”
I didn’t expect organized religion to come down on our side, but here we are. Seems it’s a night for surprises. And Nash and I couldn’t be more busted if we tried. Just absolutely fucked. Carrie can only be guessing about the pregnancy. However, oof did the bitch hit the target.
“I work for Aaron’s record company.” Carrie’s head is held high. “He and I go way back. We’re very good friends.”
“Not the words I’d use,” says Nash. “Junebug, you okay?”
I give him a small, resigned sort of smile. What is there to say?
“You’re not the asshole who forgot her birthday,” says our psychic counselor, Molly. No idea if her supernatural abilities or common sense provided the answer. It could honestly be either. “It was the other one. Brandon. Her boyfriend back in Phoenix.”
Rose crosses her arms. “That’s who ate the last piece of cake and called her bro?”
“She didn’t want to lie to you. June was trying to give Nash a chance at a normal life. Things just got out of hand.” There’s an empathy I didn’t entirely expect in Grandma’s eyes. And Charlie, standing at her side, seems equally resigned to this shitty scene.
The other familiar faces around me express a mixture of confusion, hurt, and disappointment. And I did this with my stories and lies. It feels a lot like taking a hit to the guts. Grandma warned me this wasn’t going to work out well.
“June…” says Nash, with more urgency.
“I’m not pregnant.” The words rush out of me. I don’t want to lie anymore.
Carter the librarian shakes his head in confusion. “Wait. What?”
