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“What? I can’t help it if it is nice to see him around. You were both always attached at the hip as kids, you know.”
“I remember.”
“I know you two had a bit of a, what did you call it? Falling out.”
“It’s in the past, Mom. Don’t worry about it.”
Her mother was in the process of chopping onions, and she chuckled. “You two would get into all kinds of trouble. I would wonder if you’d come back home without a limb at times. You were the planner of the group, and I’d say Jared was the adventurer. Together, you made one hell of a team. It was sad when you both stopped hanging out.”
“Don’t, Mom.”
“I always found it so strange though. You and he had stopped being friends, but Jared, whenever he saw me laden down with groceries, he’d always stop and come to help me. You know? He was a good boy and from what I hear, a good man.”
“Mom, come on, he’s been with half the female population.”
Her mother tutted. “Don’t you go listening to idle gossip. If I did that, your father and I would have divorced long ago. Believe me, some women tried to make out that your father was sleeping with them when he’d spent the entire day with me. Trust me on this.”
She went to her mother and wrapped her arms around her. “I do trust you, so completely. You know this.”
“Good, because I know what I’m talking about.”
She giggled. “You’re a font of much wisdom.”
“That I am.”
Gina looked at her mother, wanting to talk to her about … so many different things. The words got stuck in her throat. With Jared occupying her father, she needed this time alone.
“Mom, I want to ask you something, and you cannot scream or panic, or in any way bring Dad and Jared into this house.”
Her mother stopped chopping and turned toward her. “What is it, sweetheart?”
This was a lot easier inside her head.
She nibbled on her lip and then glanced back toward the kitchen door.
“Er, morning sickness.”
Her mother gasped, and Gina put her hand on her mother’s arm.
“Please, I…”
“You’re pregnant?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know if I am or not.”
“But you and Jared?”
Gina nodded. She wasn’t going to openly admit to her mother she’d been having sex, some of the hottest and best sex of her life. That wasn’t going to happen, like ever.
“Oh, sweetheart, how do you … feel?” her mother asked.
“I feel okay, now.”
She had started to realize the pattern. The morning sickness constantly swirling in the gut. Feeling sick. Certain smells affecting her, even at the salon. She couldn’t get away from it.
“But you’ve got all the signs?” her mother asked.
“Yeah, I do.”
“Okay, so what we need to do is head out to the pharmacy.”
“Mom, it’s a small town. They will gossip.”
“Please, I’m not an amateur. I didn’t say we’d go to the one in this town.” Her mother stopped chopping the onions.
“We don’t have to go now,” Gina said, trying not to freak out.
“Sweetheart, you could be pregnant, and I want you to be healthy. Once we know for sure, we can start planning everything.”
“Of course, right.” She should have known her mother always had a plan.
“Go and get in the car. I’ll be back in a second. Your dad can cook dinner with Jared. They’re going to need to get along if you are.”
Gina smiled but decided to make a quick getaway to her mother’s car.
She couldn’t believe this was happening. She felt like a child at this very moment, a little terrified. Less than five minutes later, her mother was there sliding into the seat beside her.
“I’m sorry,” Gina said.
Her mother turned to her. “Georgina Lowe, do you love this boy?”
She nodded, afraid to say the words out loud. She had wanted to hate him. When they were kids, and he turned into this horrible popular guy, she’d tried to hate him. She failed. It was why she would always speak over him, to answer questions he struggled with. Or conveniently cough out the answer for him. It was a code they had gotten through before they drifted apart. She couldn’t believe how long it had been.
Her mother pulled out of the driveway and started the journey, heading toward the pharmacy in the next town.
Gina sat in the car as her mother went and got the test.
Neither of them spoke on the journey back home, but her mother gave her the bag, telling her to go and put it in her room. It was her mother’s way of telling her to go and take the test.
Gina didn’t want to do it, but this was the only way for her to know.
While her mother dealt with her father and Jared, Gina snuck off to go and take the pregnancy test. There were only two in the box, and her mother said to just take one. It didn’t matter how many times she took the test, the outcome would always be the same.
