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“Maybe lock the door,” he countered.
“Maybe stay out of my room.”
He scoffed. “Like that’s going to help.”
“It should. We’re not in the habit of running around without clothes anywhere else.”
He nodded at my chest. “Your nipples say otherwise.”
“Leave my nipples out of this.”
D stood and grumbled, “I’m going to borrow Chloe. You can have her back later.”
I grunted. Damn right I’d have her back later. Now that our secret was out, I wasn’t letting her go again.
* * *
“It wasn’tNoah’s idea—it was mine.” The truth blurted out of me approximately two seconds after D walked into my apartment.
I stood in the living room with my fingers tangled together in front of me, fighting the urge to throw up. By this point, I didn’t care what was messing with my stomach, I just wished it would stop. I’d been holding it together for Eva’s sake, but she’d disappeared into her room as soon as we heard the door.
D nodded and pulled me down on the couch with him. “I know, but why? And no bullshitting me. I can tell.”
I toyed with the idea anyway, simply out of habit, but this wasn’t the time. “At first, I thought I didn’t want anyone to see the relationship go up in flames. Dating has never worked for me, you know that. If we kept it quiet, I could pretend it wasn’t serious, that I wasn’t risking my heart. I can’t fail if I’m not trying. Telling you would have made it real. Now, though, now I didn’t want to risk anything ruining it.”
D covered my hand with his. “Onlyyouthink you’re a failure. I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I was hurt because I wanted you to share your important things with me, but I shouldn’t have tried to put my expectations on you. Unlike most people I know, you’re not afraid to dive into something new. Sometimes it doesn’t work out, but you immediately get up and try something else. All those times you failed were just steps toward the life you want. I’m proud of your resilience.”
I rolled my eyes. “Sure, except I was so terrified of a relationship I made Noah promise not to talk to you even though it was literally the first thing he brought up after we kissed at the alumni dinner.”
D’s hand tightened on mine. “You guys hooked up at the alumni dinner?” He opened his mouth like he was going to ask another question, then snapped it shut and shook his head. “Nope. I don’t want the details. I’m already going to have a hard time erasing the image of you and Noah on his bed. I don’t need to add my imagination into the mix. As long as you’re happy, I’m happy, even if you don’t tell me about it. But maybe convince your boyfriend to start locking his door.”
I grinned, tempted to provide details anyway, but I remembered the little problem of my missed period. Another secret I wasn’t going to share with him right away. No matter what, Noah deserved to know first.
“Or you could knock,” I answered him.
“That’s what he said,” D muttered as he stood. “You’ve always been the stronger one between us, but I’m glad you have Noah to lean on now too. Are we good?”
“Yeah.” I jumped up and wrapped my arms around his waist, fighting back tears as I clung to him.
He let me squeeze him as hard as I could just like when we were little. It was like hugging a brick wall. I’d never known he thought I was the strong one, and I’d never considered my failures to be stepping stones to the next thing. His perspective didn’t suddenly banish years’ worth of self-confidence issues, but it made me think about my choices in a different light. A kinder one.
“I love you, brat,” he said quietly. “Don’t break Noah. I’d hate to see what happens when he loses his shit.”
I let out a wet laugh and pulled back. “It’s a sight to behold.”
The moment the door closed behind D, Eva pounced. Literally. She bolted from her room, used the couch as leverage, and nearly tackled me in a flying hug. Miraculously, we stayed upright, but my happy glow from all the hugging disappeared when both her hands landed on my belly.
A horrible feeling crawled up my spine, and Eva confirmed it when she looked up at me with wide eyes.
“Are you pregnant?”
23
What the actual shit? I gaped at Eva, and my shock must have been answer enough because she squealed and danced around the living room.
That wasnotthe reaction I was expecting. Damn her and her psychic abilities.
I caught her arm on the next pass. “Slow down, you’re making me dizzy.”
