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Chapter Nineteen – Jess
It’s hard to believe such a tiny human being can make such a mess, but there are bubbles and water everywhere as baby Tatum squeals with delight.
This is the first evening I’ve been out of the house since catching Tatum’s stomach flu. Skyla invited Courtney and me for coffee before Courtney had to go to work. Squeezing in a girl’s night with all our jobs and responsibilities has proved to be a little tricky, but I’m glad to be here tonight. Skyla pumps some baby wash onto the elephant washcloth and rubs it over Tatum’s belly. Shrieks of joy burst from the baby.
“How are you feeling? I feel just awful that Tatum made you sick.”
I wave her off. “Honestly, I never get sick. This time must’ve just been a fluke. I’m feeling much better.” I look at my friends. “And I scored a really sweet care package from Chris, so it was worth it.”
“Really? Tank sent you a care package? What was in it?” Courtney asks.
“Hot chocolate, a Snoopy mug, fuzzy socks, the latest book by Kensington Lennox, and tampons because my period is— Huh.” I stop in my tracks. My period was a week late.
“Huh, what?” Skyla asks.
“My period is late. Chris sent me the tampons and ibuprofen because he knew my period was coming up, but I didn’t get my period.”
I take out my phone and search my period app.
“Huh,” I repeat.
“Are you late?” Skyla looks at me with a hopeful expression.
I chew my lip, fighting back the giant smile cause what if I’m just late cause I was sick?
I turn to Courtney. “Is it possible I’m late because I was sick?”
Her brow furrows in concentration. “Some illnesses can cause a delay in ovulation and delay your period, but you were only sick last week, so that doesn’t seem to be plausible.”
“Oh my God, what if you’re pregnant? Tatum will have a little friend. And Court can have a baby too, and they will all grow up together.” Skyla all but screeches.
“Calm down, Captain Conception. I have no interest in babies right now. Except this little one.” Courtney grabs the shampoo and rubs it into Tatum’s hair. “I’m perfectly okay being Aunty Court till I get my career on the go. Besides, Chase and I haven’t been together all that long.”
“You’ve been together longer than Jess and Tank,” Skyla points out.
“Sure, but we don’t spend as much time together as they do. We aren’t even living together yet. But we’re getting sidetracked. Sky, don’t you have half a million pregnancy tests left over from when Jensen lost his mind and bought out half the drug store?”
“I might have one or two left.” Skyla hands me the towel and scoops Tatum out of the bath and plonks her into my arms. I’m still reeling from the possibility of carrying Chris’s baby that everything is on autopilot. I wrap Tatum up in her giraffe hoodie towel and carry her over to her changing station in her room. Tatum’s room looks like a full-blown jungle with a Serengeti mural and a floor-to-ceiling-sized stuffed giraffe.
I start drying Tatum, and her giggling should distract me, but I keep thinking about if Chris and I are having a baby.
“Found one!” Skyla calls from the bathroom. She walks into the bedroom with the pregnancy test waving over her head like a victory flag. “Go pee.”
“I can’t pee on demand.” I can pee right now, but I’m nervous. Because this is something I suddenly really, really want.
Courtney scoots me over with her hip and carries on where I left off. “Go pee. I have to leave for work soon, and I wanna know before I go.”
I take the stick into the bathroom and manage to pee on it without getting it all over myself. I rest the test on the box on the counter and wash my hands before joining the girls back in Tatum’s room.
“And?” Skyla asks.
“Sky, you know it isn’t a miracle stick. You need to wait a few minutes.” Courtney laughs.
Skyla picks Tatum up and hugs her tight. I see the guilt on her face and place a hand on her shoulder. Courtney must see it too because she asks, “Taking a trip down memory lane?”
Tatum rests her head against Skyla’s chest, and Skyla covers her ear with her hand. “I was just thinking about how I felt waiting for my results. I desperately didn’t want to be pregnant. What if I’d wished her away? She’s my everything.”
Skyla’s eyes brim with tears.
