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“Is everything okay with you and Brody?”
“He’s getting shit from the other kids. I’ve talked to the counselor and teachers. They’re working on it, but it happens at lunch and recess when it’s harder to control.”
“That’s tough. I’m sorry.”
“We might have to move out of town to escape it. Brody’s really affected by it.”
My stomach dropped, and all I could think about was another guy leaving me. But that wasn’t what was happening. He didn’t know my situation. It wasn’t fair to assume he’d make the same decision if he knew. Besides, I’d only know for sure tomorrow when Brooke came by with the pregnancy tests.
“Are you still there?”
I swallowed over the sudden dryness in my throat. “I’m here. I don’t want you to leave, but I understand you feel like you have to.”
“It’s not what I feel—it’s Brody who’s dealing with it.”
“You don’t think it’ll blow over?” Maybe it was naïve, but I didn’t want them to leave.
Nick sighed, and I felt his frustration through the line. “Austin agreed to do an interview with a local news station.”
“He did what?” That was bad. Very bad.
“That motherfucker.”
I winced at his language. I’d never heard him swear before, which was a testament to how upset he was.
“Fuck. What am I going to do? What if he talks about Brody? I wouldn’t put it past him to use Brody to gain sympathy. I need to get out because I have a kid to take care of.”
I couldn’t see him, but I imagined Nick running his hands through his hair. “I think you shouldn’t make any rash decisions. You should wait to see how it plays out.”
“The interview is scheduled for next week. I think I should get out of town for a while. Hopefully, it’ll blow over, and I won’t need to move.”
“You don’t think it’s going to blow over, do you?”
“I know Austin. He loves attention. He’s going to work the media. He’s so used to getting what he wants, and I’m sure he thinks he can manipulate everyone watching and potential jurors.”
“Have you thought about talking to him?”
Nick chuckled without any humor. “He’d love that.”
“You don’t think if you asked him to back off, he would? Maybe you could explain how it’s affected Brody—”
“He doesn’t care about Brody. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. That should be obvious.”
I winced at his insinuation that I wasn’t helping. I knew he was upset. “I don’t know him like you do.”
“I need to think about this. Figure out what I’m going to do.”
“I don’t want you to leave.”
“It’s not about us anymore. This is about Brody.”
“I know.” But my voice was so soft I wasn’t sure Nick heard. I felt like he was spiraling and couldn’t even hear anyone talking to him. He was panicking. Acting on impulse. I wished he’d take a second and really think about what he was doing. But it wasn’t my place. We were just friends with benefits. “What does this mean for us?”
“We had an arrangement. It was good. But if I have to leave, I don’t expect you to wait for me. That was never our agreement.”
The words stuck in my throat. It wasn’t an arrangement for me anymore, but I never told him. And now, if I was pregnant, would he even believe me if I told him how I felt? Or would he think I was just hanging on to him because I was alone and pregnant? There were too many unknowns. Too many variables. I wish he’d take a few days to think it over. It would give me time to figure out if I was pregnant and process the results either way.
“Maybe think things over tonight.”
