The Girl Next Door - Emma Hart Page 0,1

needed.

I ran my fingers through my hair and paced the length of my bathroom. I had no idea what I was going to do. I didn’t know the first thing about babies. I had no idea how to change diapers or breastfeed or how to stop little humans running into roads.

Oh, God, I was going to drop my baby, wasn’t I?

My phone sprang to life. The high-pitched chirping of the alarm ricocheted off the walls, and I stopped the alarm that signified the end of the worst three minutes of my life before it made my headache any worse than it already was.

I set the phone on the dresser and stared at the drawer that held the test. All I had to do was open it, flip the test over, and I’d get my answer. I would know one way or the other. I would know if it was a baby or just stress.

After all, I’d read that sometimes the stress of worrying about pregnancy would delay a period, creating a vicious circle.

Closing my eyes, I drew in a deep breath and tried to center myself. It didn’t work. My heart was pounding at a thousand beats a minute, and I swore I was going to faint.

I grabbed the test from the drawer and perched on the edge of the bath.

I was going to do this. I was going to look. I was going to find out.

Right now.

I opened my eyes and flipped the test.

Pregnant, +.

The answer blinked at me from the little digital screen. A lump formed in my throat as I stared down at the window.

Yeah. I was going to faint.

I sat on the floor instead and leaned against the side of the tub. Pregnant. Definitely pregnant. Six weeks, according to my calendar. Very definitely pregnant.

Oh, shit.

***

Tori blinked at me. “You’re actually pregnant?”

I nodded, running my hand through the soft fur of her Ragdoll cat, Genevieve. “I took three tests after. They all said the same thing. Definitely pregnant.”

“Holy shit.” She dropped onto the sofa next to me. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know, but if you don’t get that coffee away from me, I might throw up in it.”

“Noted.” She grabbed the mug from the table and took it into the kitchen, even going so far as to drain the cold coffee down the sink and rinse it. “And it’s Kai’s?”

“Yep.” I looked down at the cat who was happily purring under my methodical strokes. “And no, before you ask, I haven’t told him yet. I panicked and came here. Well, after I went to the drugstore two towns away and bought three more tests ‘for a friend.’”

She rejoined me on the sofa, handing me a glass of ice water. “Are you okay, Ives?”

Shrugging, I sank back into the soft cushions. “I really don’t know. I’m not sure it’s sunk in yet, you know? It’s like I knew, because everything added up, but it’s one thing to think it and another thing entirely to have it spelled out in front of you.”

Tori squeezed my hand. “How did it happen? You’re so anal about your pill. There’s no way you’d forget. Did it fail?”

I shook my head. “You know when Grams went to the hospital?”

“Yeah. When she couldn’t poop.”

“Yeah. I was doing my morning routine when I got the call. I definitely popped the pill because it wasn’t in the strip, but I must have knocked it into the sink and down the drain when I rushed to leave. Believe me, I got on my hands and knees this morning to look for it, and I couldn’t.”

“Damn. Speaking of Grams…”

“Don’t.” I stopped stroking Genevieve, much to her chagrin, and pressed my fingertips against my temples. “I don’t even want to think about telling her. She’s going to flip her shit. I’ll probably kill her with this news. Not only is her granddaughter having a baby, but it’s from a one-night stand outside of wedlock.”

“Okay, well, let’s not think about her.” Tori patted my thigh. “You’ll just stress out, and you can’t do that right now. Let’s think about this methodically: have you called your doctor yet?”

I shook my head.

“Do you want me to make you an appointment?”

Tears filled my eyes as I nodded. If I spoke, I was going to burst into great hulking sobs that would make Kim Kardashian’s crying face look stunning. I just knew it.

“Okay.” Tori slid a box of tissues over to me and grabbed her phone. “Let me call her now.”

Thank God we’d had