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“Have you made an appointment with an OB/GYN yet?”
She shakes her head, and my head spins. “Emerson, we need to make an appointment with your doctor. Until she tells you you’re pregnant, this could all be for nothing. Just a false positive.”
She holds four fingers in front of my face. “Fourfalse positives, CC? I’m pregnant. There’s no wishing this away. And I’m not terminating. But I’ll schedule the appointment.” She grabs her phone. “Will you come with me?”
“Anywhere you need.”
* * *
A week later, Emerson is officially pregnant, and my heart is officially broken.
Linc and she are getting married. I think it’s a mistake, but she’s a big girl, and this is her decision. They don’t want to wait to do it. Linc wants to be sure, if something happens to him, she’s protected. I kind of want to shake him.
First, for putting those thoughts into the universe.
And second, because she’s the daughter of one of the biggest rock stars of all time.
She’s protected.
But she’s also happy. And that’s all I want for my friend. Especially since I don’t know if I’ll ever have what she has.
I haven’t heard from Cooper, which is what I wanted. Even if ending things was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And it was. It is. I don’t know that it’ll ever stop being hard.
But here I sit at the kitchen table, going over all the last-minute things we still need to do for Emerson’s wedding tomorrow at the house. Her dad is on tour, and her mom is on a twenty-five-year-old, according to Jack. So Em just wants to do something small here and have a party afterward.
Emerson throws her arms around my neck and chokes back a cry as Linc, Jack, and Theo look around uncomfortably. Em has turned into quite the crier over the past few days. But better her than me.
“Thank you so much for everything, CC. I love you.”
I pat her back and look around at the guys. “We’ve got this, Em. You’re going to be a beautiful bride, and it’s going to be a perfect day.”
“You good, brother?”Linc and I stand in our dress whites at the end of the makeshift aisle in Emerson’s backyard next to Ford, who’s newly certified with the authority to perform the marriage, thanks to the internet. Jessie’s fussing over all three of us, making sure everything is in its place. A friend of Emerson’s from the photography department at school is taking pictures, and Theo is strumming a guitar, a skill I didn’t know he had. Now, we’re just waiting for the bride—and in my case, the maid of honor—to walk down the aisle.
I haven’t seen Carys in over two weeks.
I haven’t called. I haven’t texted. And I haven’t stopped by.
I talked to Declan and Ford. The two guys in the healthiest relationships I know who I can actually talk to, and they both told me to give her space but not too much space. She needed time, so I needed to give it to her. But it fucking sucks.
Truth be told, I think they both asked their wives what I should do.
It doesn’t really matter. I’m fucking miserable either way.
Jessie kisses Ford quickly on the cheek, then wipes her lipstick away with her thumb, and a pang of jealousy hits me right in the solar plexus. I try to push it aside. She leans in and kisses Linc, then does the same to me.
Only instead of a kiss, she whispers in my ear, “Don’t give up on our girl yet, Cooper. She’s scared, and she’s pushing you away. She might not be ready to talk now, but don’t give up on her.” She kisses my cheek, then walks away as Theo starts to play “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles.
And there she is. The love of my life. Walking down the aisle in a soft pale-blue dress that ties around her neck with a long soft ribbon and skims down over her curves. Her hair is done up in a million curls, piled high on her head. And her smile... it takes my breath away. I’d do anything to be the reason that smile is on her pretty face.
She looks everywhere but at me as she walks slowly down the aisle, until she does... Until her eyes finally lock on mine, and I watch her breath catch in her delicate throat. I see the tremble of her lip. And then her eyes are gone. Focusing on Linc. Smiling at him. Happy for her friends.
This is bullshit.
* * *
The ceremony is fast. It’s only ten minutes before Emerson is in Linc’s arms and Ford has pronounced them man and wife. Everything happens pretty quickly from there on out. The photographer sets us all up for pictures. So many pictures. And I can’t keep my eyes off Carys. She’s laughing with everyone. Jack and Theo haven’t left her alone. But not in a way that makes me worry there’s something going on. They seem protective, like they’re making sure she’s okay. And I’m suddenly glad she has them, even if I should be the one taking care of her.
Servers appear with trays of hors d’oeuvres, and people move around the yard to mingle as Jack, Theo, and Carys take their places where their instruments are already set up. Jack taps on the mic a few times.
