Page 41 of Unbreakable Thread

Ay Dios mío, I can’t even think straight.

I’m not on birth control. And he pulled out sometimes when we would remember. Fuck. It’s a possibility I am.

Hector gently taps my laced hands. “It’s okay. Everything will be fine. Max will be happy.”

The sandwich regurgitates up my esophagus, but I take a sip of water and push it all down. No, it won’t be fine. I want to say I left your son so he can have a better life. Now what the hell am I going to do if I am?

The drive back felt endless. Two and a half hours alone with my thoughts and a question I wasn’t ready to answer. I called Lana on the way back and mentioned everything Hector said. I even looked it up, and it all aligned. Lana was waiting for me at the house with five different tests, and thank God, Bethany is at my café. She’s been bugging me to tell her why I broke it off with Max. I told her to drop it. I’m sure Leo told her because she stopped.

Lana hands me a clear plastic cup as I sit on the toilet in tears. After peeing in the cup and on a couple of sticks, we wait—the longest two minutes of our lives. “I don’t know what to do if I am. Like, how would I tell him?” Or not tell him. How can I break it up, then crawl back? Also, I’m still fucked in the head.

Lana squeezes me into a hug. “Let’s figure it out a little at a time. First, we wait for the results. Then if you are, we soak it all in. Then we plan.”

The alarm rings. Neither of us moves for a moment. Then we walk back together. My heart tightens with a mixture of emotions.

Overwhelmed. Fear. Joy. Love. I’m pregnant.

My poor friend blinks rapidly, mouth half-open, fingers tapping at her sides as she shifts her weight from one foot to the other, gaze darting between my face and the floor. On autopilot, I pull her into a hug, and Lana’s arms wrap around mine. I weep and weep. Joy and grief tangled together—because this child belongs to the man I will love for the rest of my life. Then there’s that part of my heart that’s conflicted about what to do. I let this man go so he could spread his wings. I let him go so he wouldn’t stare at his past.

“I’m here for you, Ney. You know that, right? Whatever you want to do, do it. If you want to flee from here, then I’m your girl. I’ll be Thelma, you be Louise.”

I snort. I’m sure there is snot on her shoulder. “Can I be Thelma?” I half joke.

“Of course, but I think I’d be a better Thelma.” I pull back to look her in the eye and make a face. We both laugh. “Jokes aside, babe. Are…we happy?”

“Yes…I’m overjoyed.” I rub my belly. I’m not sure how many weeks I am, but I’m thinking I’m two months at the least. “I just need a day to soak it all in, then I’ll think about what I’m going to do.”

“Good. Congratulations, you’re going to be an amazing mother.” Lana smiles, wrapping a lock of my hair around her finger. “Your baby is going to be gorgeous, considering who the father is. And you’re stunning.”

More tears run down my cheeks.

“Okay…um, let’s not talk about him then.”

“No, it’s not about Max…I mean, it is, but I’m bringing a baby into this world when my brain is scattered. It’s obviously not a good time, but he or she is coming, and I need to get my shit together. I’m going to make an appointment with a therapist. I enrolled in college. I just need to go down there to make a payment. I’m going to start eating healthy. And I need to learn everything about Sol. I need to know my history. Where my parents are laid to rest, and my grandmother. Is she alive, or did she pass? I have a feeling she passed as well.” That reminds me of the letter from the attorney. I still haven’t picked it up. Everything keeps moving, whether I’m ready or not.

“I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

I truly have the most amazing best friend. “Thank you.”

Max mentioned wanting kids once, but that was before all this happened. What if he changed his mind, especially now that he has a busy life? Everything just became more complicated. I know what I said to him. Did I expect him to text me or drop in? Kinda, to be honest. I didn’t think he would give in so easily. Maybe Carlos was right. It’s what he needed, a break from me. He saw the real me, the mess I am. I know I can be too much at times.

“I’ll tell him when the time is right.”

Chapter 12

Max

The warehouse sits at the end of a dead street. “This is it.” I park the Nova at the back entrance. The parking lights flicker. I was here last to rescue Rainey. With Daniel, you never know what is going on in his pitch-black mind.

“So, this is the Underground?” Drake asks.

I picked him up. Drake deserves to finally unleash the pent-up hatred toward Jason. He deserves to rip him a new one for all the pain he caused us—especially my girl. I will have him bleeding from his eyes.

“Yup.”

“Does the parking lot get full when there are fights?”

We get out of the car, and Drake leans his back against the trunk of the vehicle.