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I gulp. Warm hands encompass mine, and I glance at my sister who’s staring at me with misty eyes. “Twins, Charlie, like us. Just imagine.”
Not one, but two babies at once? I gulp again and tighten my hold on her hand. Ella seems excited and happy, so my freakout is at bay for now.
“Would you like a copy of the image?” the doctor asks.
“Yes, please.” I whisper, knowing I will need to study the images again at a later time when I don’t have so much going on in my head. Partly to remind myself that this is real, but also to reassure myself that they are healthy and strong and growing.
The doctor hesitates and asks, “Would you like two copies? For the baby’s father?”
Ella’s gaze meets mine, and I feel my eyes widen with dismay. Oh my God, Ezra.
“Can we have three copies? No, make that four copies, can we have that many?” Ella asks.
“I don’t see why not,” she replies. After she’s given us the four sets, she hands me a towel to clean off the gel and excuses herself with a warm farewell and promise to see me again in four weeks.
“What do you want four copies for?” I ask Ella as I change.
“Two for you and me, and the other two for Ezra and Mom.”
“Oh God, Mom is going to lose her shit.”
Ella grins and offers, “I can’t wait to see it. Here, watch. I didn’t know we’d get a copy of the image so I took a video while the doctor was doing her thing.” She brings her phone to my face and I watch the video, my heart swelling again at the sound of my babies’ heartbeats.
A strange calmness fills my being the longer I watch. My babies. “Send it to me please.” A light vibration sound from my purse confirms she did as requested.
“How are you going to tell Ezra?” Ella asks as we get into her car outside the center. Do I have to tell him? I can’t even imagine what his reaction will be like. Especially after I reassured him that I’d take care of things and then convinced him to go a couplemore rounds condom-free. My irresponsible choices make me shake my head, but warmth pools low in my belly at the memory.
“Whatever you’re thinking, stop. You have to tell him. He has a right to know.”
I raise my chin up stubbornly, “We're not together. It was a one-night stand. Besides, I can take care of them on my own.” My hands drop protectively around my stomach.
“You might not be in a relationship, and you both agreed that it wouldn’t happen again, but he still deserves to know he’s going to be a father. Youhaveto tell him, Charlotte.” She insists when I don’t answer.
“I’ll think about it.” I say noncommittally, pushing a strand of bright yellow hair off my face. I dye the front strands of my hair every month. I don’t really remember why I started doing it, but I know I started when I was a junior in high school, and now it’s become a compulsion. My skin actually crawls if I don't change the color when the month is up.
Different shades of blue, blonde, and even white for the colder months, shades of red and orange for the hot months, so all months of the year have their own colors. We’re in the beginning of March, so I just dyed my hair a week ago, but the urge to change up the color suddenly crawls up my skin.
“Stop at the department store,” I tell Ella. She gives me a look but turns onto the road that leads to the store anyway. I go straight to the cosmetic aisle when we arrive and pick up a few different hair dyes.
“You just dyed your hair,” Ella reminds me.
“I’m not the same Charlie that I was a week ago, now am I?”
I settle on three different colors, a vivid blue, vibrant red, and orange. When a star is about to go supernova, it changes color from red to blue and back again, varying the shades in a stunning array. I plan to mix the colors up to form the color ofthe supernova, as close as I can get it anyway, because right now, It feels like I’m on the verge of exploding.
“If you don’t tell Ezra, Charlie, then I’m going to tell him myself,” Ella threatens as we leave the store.
“I don’t even have his number. How will I contact him?”
“I don’t know, Charles, how did you link up with him when you guys had sex?”
I glare at her, “And who was the one encouraging me to have the one-night stand?”
She grins, jumping forward to get my door for me, “I did, Charles, so I’m taking full responsibility for these babies.”
CHAPTER 10
EZRA
