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“Ha. Ha. Ha. You’re so funny.”
The corners of my mouth raise. “You love me.”
THE LONGER I’M AWAY from Holden, the more I start to feel resentful. I’m proud of him and all, but I miss when we cuddled and how he would rub my back when I got uncomfortable. I haven’t been able to sleep much lately. Whenever I do drift off, I end up waking between three and four in the morning and can’t fall back asleep. I even went and bought a body pillow, but nothing seems to be helping.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” My concerned husband stares at me through the phone. “I’m worried about you.”
I shrug. “I’ll be fine. It’s just eight more weeks, right?”
“Right. She’ll be here before you know it.”
The two of us talk about how fast this pregnancy is going, but at the same time, it’s crawling by. I don’t know if it’s because of how my body feels, or that Holden’s away most of the time. It’s like the beginning flew past us, but now it couldn’t be going any slower.
“I’m sorry I can’t come home this weekend.”
“It’s fine.” I lie. It’s not, but I know it’s not his fault. “Promise you’ll be here in two weeks, though? It’ll be my 34-week appointment and we’re having another ultrasound to measure her size.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, baby.”
Being apart is hard but video calling helps. Still, nothing beats being in his arms. I can tell he’s jealous of Caleb whenever he’s around – not that he doesn’t trust me, he just wants to be the one beside me. It’s cute how possessive he can still be, even though we’re married.
A FEW DAYS LATER, my phone rings and Emily’s name blinks on the screen. Our friendship is strong and we’re really close, but her and I both know that if we’re calling, it’s to talk about something serious. Otherwise, we just text back and forth all day. So, I instantly knew that something was up.
“Hey love.” I answer.
“Kayleigh.” She sobs.
I sit up in bed, worried at her tone. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. I think Brandon and I might be over.”
“What?!” I practically shout. “What happened?”
She takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. I wait patiently for her to answer. Sometimes just having each other on the phone can make all the difference. A few quiet moments pass until she finally sighs.
“I went to a party last night and I didn’t leave by the time I said I would.” She starts. “I mean, that’s not a big deal. He’s not my father and he doesn’t control my life.”
“Then what’s the issue?”
“Landon was there.”
I cringe. “Landon, as in your ex, Landon?”
“Yup.” She pops the p for emphasis. “Brandon found out through Instagram and flipped out because he thinks I was hiding it from him.”
“Well, were you?”
“No.” There’s a pause and a difference in her tone. “Well, not exactly. He tried to talk to me but I told him to go away. I planned on telling Brandon when I got back to my dorm, but I passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow.”
“Ugh, Em.”
“It gets worse.” She groans. “The picture I was tagged in shows him and I talking in the corner. It was literally the only two minutes I was near him but we happened to be in the background of someone’s picture.”
“Ouch.” I hiss. “What did Bran say?”
“He went nuts. He said he doesn’t know if he can trust me – that it’s sketchy because I didn’t tell him when I got home and it was later than I said I would. It looks like I was out all night with him, but I swear I wasn’t.”
My mouth turns down into a frown at her panicked state. “I know. I believe you. You love Brandon. You wouldn’t do that to him.”
