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In all the years I’d known Delaney, this was the first time she’d told me about her decision to get the implants that had given her back her ability to hear.
“But this kid surprised the heck out of us.Not that I’m complaining.It’s just Ronan is going to be a lot older than his brother or sister.It would have been nice if they were closer in age so they could be friends as well as siblings.Sure, he’s excited about the baby, but he will be out of college before this kid is even in school.”
“It’s going to be okay,” I assured her, eating my treat a little slower than her.“They will have plenty of cousins to be friends with.Maybe one the same age as him or her.”
She frowned and adjusted the white disk on her right ear.“Sorry, this implant must be giving me issues.I thought you said my baby might have a cousin the same age as them, but neither of Max’s sisters is pregnant and…”
Pausing in the process of adjusting her device, she met my gaze, and I gave a little shrug.“OMG!Are you—”
I slapped my hand over her mouth as nearly every eye in Aggie’s turned in our direction.“Shut up!”
She frowned at me from behind my fingers, and I slowly removed my hand.“Why didn’t you say something earlier?”
“I was working up to it,” I muttered, sipping my milk.
“Does Jack know?”she hissed, glancing around like she was surprised we were the current topic of everyone’s dinner conversations.
“I’m not completely sure myself, Del.”I grimaced and pushed my cake away.“But I’m late.”
“You should have said something, and I would have brought you a test when I picked you up.”She jumped to her feet, tossed a few bills on the counter, and dragged me out of the diner.
Fifteen minutes later, we walked into Hannigans’ after making a quick stop at the pharmacy.We would normally have gone straight to the bar so I could get a kiss from Jack, but instead, she rushed me toward the bathroom without letting me even look at my husband.
The ladies’ room had two stalls, but as soon as we walked in, Delaney locked the main door and pushed me toward the nearest toilet.“Hurry before he comes to check on you.”
Doing as I was told, I closed the stall door and pushed my pants down my hips.My fingers shook a little as I peed on the stick, my stomach churning.Jack and I had decided to wait for kids, but the truth was, I wasn’t sure I even wanted them.Both my parents had been walking advertisements for why people shouldn’t procreate.
“Well?”Delaney called.
“I just peed on it.Give me a minute,” I complained, recapping the test and finishing my business before opening the door.Putting the stick in my back jeans pocket, I walked over to the sink to wash my hands and then leaned back against it with a sigh.“It’s going to be negative.I was just being silly, thinking my being late could possibly mean I’m pregnant.We agreed to wait, and we’ve been careful.I’m probably just stressed.”
“You’ve never been late in all the years I’ve known you, stress or no stress,” she argued.“You’re just freaking out a little right now.Believe me, I’ve been there, Nishia.My parents died when I was a kid, and I didn’t have any role models after that.Not until I met Max.Then I found my long-lost aunt and discovered a family I never could have imagined being mine.”
“Yeah, but…I’ll suck at being a mom, Delaney.”
“No way.You’re great with all the kids at Sanctuary.You will be a kick-ass mom, and you can’t convince me differently.And if you ever need help, I’m right here beside you.I’ll help you find your footing.”She hugged me, and I relaxed a little into her.“It’s going to be okay.”
“But we agreed to wait,” I whispered.
“He only agreed to wait because of you.Trust me when I tell you that he’s been dying to knock you up.”
I lifted my head from her shoulder.“Really?”
“Oh yeah,” she laughed.“He wants the world to know who you belong to.”
Grinning at that thought, I pulled the pregnancy test out of my back pocket with a little more enthusiasm than I’d put it in there.A pounding on the door surprised me, and I dropped it.
“Shit!”
“Ugh, that’s him.”Delaney sighed.“Call me if you need to talk.”
I barely heard her as I bent to pick it up.“Huh?”My head snapped up when she unlocked the door.“Wait, Del!”
The words had barely left my mouth before the door was shoved open.Delaney ducked under Jack’s arm before he could stomp inside.When he saw me crouched down with the little stick in my hand, his face went from stormy to dazed in the blink of an eye.
“What are you doing, little fairy?”
“Nothing.”
