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“Defending you.”
“Hardly. I think he was looking for a fight. Or an excuse to get out of there.”
“Yeah, to get out of there and get you into bed.”
“And it worked,” I said, nodding down to my stomach.
“Okay,” Hannah laughed, “go on with your story.”
“I just told it,” I said. “We were talking and then he said something stupid like that. So I hit him. I think I kind of wanted to hit him from the moment I saw the positive pregnancy test. But does that make me a bad…mother?”
The word rattled throughout my body.
Mother.
I’m going to be a mother.
No. Wait.
I am a mother right now.
I’m pregnant.
I stood up and dropped the bag of frozen peas to the floor.
I made a run for the door to get outside.
My body suddenly demanded fresh air.
Comfortable, cool air soothed my lungs but nothing else.
I sat down on the back steps and hugged myself.
It took Hannah only seconds to join me.
We sat in silence.
After a minute or so, Hannah rocked herself into me. “Too bad we can’t smoke.”
“You can,” I said.
“Never. Not near the baby.”
I glanced at Hannah. “Please, tell me you’ll be there for me, no matter what.”
“Don’t even let that worry take up a second of your time,” she said. “Or an inch of your mind. Got it?”
I nodded.
“I’m serious, Hazel. I’ll be right by your side when you need me. No matter what. I gave up a great tongue to talk to you.”
“And then you gave up five more.”
Hannah groaned. “Don’t remind me. I can’t stop thinking about which of those hockey players would be the biggest. If you know what I mean.”
“I think I can answer that,” I said with a devilish grin.
“Stop it.”
