AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“When I saw you burning the pancake meant for Rachel.” Alex smirks at me while Hunter scowls.
“How thoughtful of you,” Hunter says through clenched teeth. “Do you want any coffee, Rachel? I made some—”
“She can’t have coffee,” Alex and Lucas say in unison.
“She needs decaf,” Lucas adds. “Caffeine isn’t good for the baby.”
The way Lucas pats my belly when he says that makes me want to rip his arm from his body and smack him with it. Don’t be angry, I tell myself and force a smile at Lucas. He’s merely excited about having a baby in the house. And you did keep this a secret for way longer than you should have. Consider this karmic retribution.
“Do you think Seth might want to go shopping with us?” I ask Alex, earning another long, awkward silence.
Alex shakes his head. “No, I don’t think so,” he says, unable to meet my eyes.
“Did he come home?”
Alex’s frown deepens and he shakes his head again.
“Oh,” I breathe, tears prickling my eyes. I breathe in deeply, trying to calm my pounding heart, the worry taking hold of me. My hands begin to shake and I grab the blankets. Once again, a wave of dizziness sways through me and I feel the world beginning to tilt.
It’s fine, I tell myself. Seth will come home when he feels like it. He probably needs a bit of space. He’ll be home tonight and then we can talk. As much as I worry about Seth being gone, this new symptom—the dizziness, has me a bit worried. I’ve felt ill since I discovered my pregnancy, but this is different. It’s good I have my prenatal appointment in a few days.
“Well, I guess we should get ready then,” I say while plopping my empty box on the nightstand. I rise and make my way toward my closet, realizing as I pass by all the dirty cardigans, leggings, and blouses on the floor, that maternity clothes may not be such a bad idea.
“Meet downstairs in ten?” Lucas asks while bouncing off the bed.
“Forty!” I call. Be ready in ten? Please. I need to at least shower.
“Twenty!” I hear Lucas call again.
“Forty!” There’s no way I’m backing down. “I’m pregnant! I make the rules.”
“Fine,” I hear Lucas huff.
I chuckle while sifting through my closet, finding a large grey sweater that still smells decent and a pair of running pants I haven’t worn in years. When I step out of my closet, I find Alex leaning against the door, his expression pained.
“What’s wrong, Alex?”
He sighs, his shoulders slumping forward. “It’s nothing,” he says while slowly turning around. “I should go and get—”
“Did you at least find Seth?”
Alex makes a face, his lips twisting as if he’s contemplating whether to tell me the details of last night or not. “Yeah. He was at Mike’s party. We got into a bit of a… fight.”
“What did he say?”
Alex’s frown deepens. It feels like time has slowed as I wait for him to answer, as if I’ve stopped breathing. Eventually he says, “Nothing good. Let’s just leave it at that.”
I nod and watch him go, but I don’t feel any better. Is this the end of me and Seth? Will he never forgive me for keeping the truth from him? I wipe the tear streaming down my cheek and inhale deeply. Stop thinking about Seth. I have a baby on the way. If he doesn’t want to be a part of it, that’s his issue, not mine. I have more important things to concern myself with, such as, if I’m going to use the recyclable diapers or not. Seth will come to me when he’s ready. If he ever is ready.
Chapter 17
HUNTER
Sethstillhasn’tcomehome. It’s been two days. Two whole fucking days and there’s been no word. Rachel has been worried, of course. And I’ve been… I don’t even know how to describe how I’ve been. Pissed? Worried? Excitement? Freaking the fuck out? There are too many emotions going on. My jock head can’t possibly decipher all of it.
“Ummm, hello!”
I flinch, and inwardly smack myself when I see a red head girl in front of me in a large black sweater and leggings. She’s holding a neon yellow five-liter backpacking bag. She waves a hand in front of my face, her long red nails perfectly manicured.
