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“OLIVIA’S PREGNANT? And Josh is the father?” Emily began to pace. “I can’t believe it. Why hasn’t she told anyone? And if she’s keeping it a secret, why did Josh tell you?”
“Well, he didn’t exactly say it outright,” Spencer corrected, running his fingers through hair that had already been upended in frustration. “But it’s what he implied. He kept talking about doing the right thing, and I almost belted him. He should’ve done the right thing before, instead of knocking up my sister.”
“Wait a minute. What exactly did he say? How did he imply Olivia was pregnant?”
“He said something about how I needed to have an open mind. He said he couldn’t tell me everything, but it was very important they get married right away. They hadn’t really planned to marry before, but they were going to marry by February, and he was determined to be a good father. And then he kept saying they’d talked about it a lot, and it was the right thing to do. And he said she didn’t want to, but he’d talked her into getting engaged. Then there was something about why she wouldn’t wear an engagement ring because it was too big.”
“Hmmm... It does sound like she’s pregnant, but why didn’t he just come out and say it?”
“That’s not all. He also started telling me how he really loved kids, and he’d always wanted to be a dad. But he said he didn’t want his son to be like him. And then he gave me some line about would I please not tell anyone, because Olivia would want to explain everything later.” He stopped and leaned over to bang his fist on the table. “And he told me they would probably only stay married for a year, anyway.”
Emily’s stomach did a flip-flop. “I can’t believe he said that. Do you think Olivia knows he’s not planning to stay married for long? I can’t believe she’d want to marry him if he wasn’t even going to try. Maybe that’s why she wouldn’t accept an engagement ring. It would be better to be a single mom than to get married under those circumstances.”
“I agree. We’ll help her raise the kid. The whole family would help. She doesn’t need Josh if he’s not even willing to commit to her.”
“I’m actually surprised you didn’t slug him.”
“I was just getting over the shock of everything he said, when his cell phone buzzed and he ran off to the hospital for some emergency. I didn’t even get to chew him out, much less hit him.”
“I can’t believe it. They really hid this whole thing. They always acted like such pals—I never would’ve suspected they were dating at all. I really should call her. I bet she’s pretty upset, and she probably didn’t tell anyone because she didn’t want to spoil Grace’s wedding.”
“I don’t think you should tell her you know anything,” said Spencer. “But maybe, if you give her the opportunity, she’ll tell you about it.”
Emily paced while she waited for Olivia to answer her cell phone.
“Hi, Olivia. How are you feeling?” She kept her voice light and cheery. She cut her eyes to Spencer, who nodded approval.
“Uhmm... Fine, Emily. How are you?”
“I’m good. Pretty good... I just thought maybe, with Grace on her honeymoon and all, you might need a sister to talk to. You know how much I love you, right?”
“Uhmm... right. I mean... I love you, too, Emily. You’re just like one of my sisters. I mean, you are my sister.”
“So are you stressed about anything? You seemed a little upset at the reception—you know—when you had the little kissing scene with Josh.”
“Oh, that? Well, don’t worry. That’s not ever happening again.”
“It’s not? I thought... That is... uhmm... Didn’t Josh ask you to marry him?”
“Yeah, well... He did ask me, and we’re technically engaged, I guess. But don’t tell anyone, because I need to figure out how to tell my parents. Or maybe I won’t even have to tell them, if we keep it on the down-low.”
“But... Won’t your parents find out eventually? Are you going to have a secret wedding?”
“It’s... it’s complicated. I can’t really explain it. We’re engaged, but I probably won’t actually marry him. Oh...” She let out a frustrated moan. “I really wish I could tell you, but he doesn’t want me to tell anyone.”
“I don’t see how he can expect you to keep it a secret. If you want to talk about it, you should be able to. Is he worried about his reputation or something?”
“No, it’s... I just can’t tell you, yet. I promised I wouldn’t.”
“Well, you’ll have to talk about it soon, right? I mean, when Josh talked to Spencer about February—”
“He told Spencer about it? So you know the whole story?”
Emily hesitated. “I don’t think he told Spencer everything. But he knows most of it.”
“That’s great,” Olivia said, with obvious relief. “So you know why he wants to get married?”
“Yes. He told Spencer about... about the baby, and how he wants to get married right away. But it seems like you don’t want to get married. And you shouldn’t let him talk you into it, if it’s not what you want.”
