Megan and Kara and then down at the pregnancy test. “I can’t do it.”
Kara groaned and fell back on the guest bed. Megan was at her side in a split second, touching her stomach and reminding her to be careful since they were already expecting. Kara just rolled her eyes and refocused on me. “Take the damn test, Rea. Do you think we flew all the way out here just to see you?”
I threw the test on top of the dresser and shook my head. “I think you flew all the way out here to see the beach and because you weren’t finished bothering me. I’m glad you did, though.”
Megan studied me the same way she’d been doing since getting off the plane and seeing me. There was worry permanently etched on her forehead. “It’s not like you even need the test. You’ve been sick since we got here.”
“There’s been a flu going around.”
“Around where? The kitchen? You haven’t left the house, besides to pick us up, since you got here. Ben brings you food and whatever else you need. The guy has gone from public enemy number one to enabler number one. He needs to stop taking care of you. Maybe then you’d realize you should come back home.”
My stomach turned like it’d been reminded that it was on an hourly vomiting schedule. Resting my hand on it, I ignored the imaginary bump I was starting to feel. “Remind me why I begged you to come here?”
Kara cackled. “It’s so sweet that you’re pretending that Megan didn’t basically invite herself here to check on you.”
“Reagan?” Ben’s voice called from the other side of the house. “Where are you? I brought prenatal vitamins and all the fruits and veggies that the store had to offer. Which was a lot.”
Megan made a face saying she told me so and led the way out to Ben. “Sorry, Reagan isn’t accepting that she’s pregnant.”
“Oh, I know. I just don’t care. She needs vitamins and to see a doctor soon. If she isn’t going to take care of herself, I’m going to do it for her.” He wagged a bunch of celery at me. “We all know you’re pregnant. What’s the holdup?”
The doorbell rang and I grinned, feeling saved by the bell. I wasn’t ready to talk about why I couldn’t accept that I was pregnant. It didn’t matter that my body was starting to change or that I was sick all the time. I just…couldn’t. Not when my heart was broken and I was homeless and I had no clue what I was doing with my life. I didn’t even feel like I had my life. I’d left it back in Lunar.
Not for the first, or thousandth, time, I thought about August, Charlie, and Theo and felt the chasm in my chest grow a little wider. They’d stopped calling basically nonstop. The day before, they’d only called once each, and that day, they hadn’t called at all. Had they gotten over me that quickly? If so, was Jenny right? Was I nothing to them?
“I guess I’ll get the door.” Megan rolled her eyes at me and pointed at Ben. “Try not to enable her anymore while I’m gone.”
“I’m not enabling. It’s called reparations when you’re a cheating asshole turned friend.” He grinned at me and winked. “The guys at the office asked that I offer whatever it takes to get you back to work.”
“So. The test.” Kara crossed her arms and leaned on the counter. “What will it take to get you to just take it?”
I bit my lip and then frowned. “If I was pregnant, depending on when it happened, I drank heavily that night at the chip. If I was pregnant, I blew up my life and fled Lunar for the second time. I’m not ready to accept that I’m a terrible mother yet.”
“You got flowers, Rea.” Megan brought a giant vase of tulips into the kitchen and put them on the counter. She looked through them and shrugged. “No card.”
The doorbell rang again and Ben laughed. “My turn?”
I moved over to the tulips and leaned in, letting the sweet scent of them tease my nose. Thankfully, the smell of them didn’t affect my stomach like most things did those days. When Ben came back with a huge vase of anemones, my heart skipped a beat.
“For you again. Still no card, though.” When the bell rang again, he nodded to Kara. “You’re up, I guess.”
“What’s going on?” I tried to follow Kara to the door, but Ben wrapped his arm around my shoulder and redirected me to the flowers. I twisted around to try to see the door, but I could only see Kara. Seeing her come back with another massive vase of flowers, that time peonies, I turned wide eyes on my friends. “Guys?”
Megan shrugged and pulled Kara into her side. “What?”
Three vases of flowers showing up didn’t have to mean anything. My friends acting weird didn’t have to mean anything. I found that I hoped that it did, though. I wanted the guys to have come for me. It wasn’t fair to them that I wanted that when I wasn’t giving them any clues or help, but god help me, I wanted it more than anything.
The doorbell rang again and I couldn’t help it; I ran to the door and yanked it open. My face fell in disappointment when I didn’t find three beautiful men waiting on me. Instead, there was a flyer in the door. I grabbed it and nudged the door shut with my hip, looking at the flyer as I turned.
“Who was at the door?”
I screamed at the deep voice right next to me, startled and then just shocked stupid as I finally looked up and found Charlie standing right in front of me.
Theo walked out of the kitchen, tying an apron around his waist. “What’s with all the screaming?”
August came barreling down the stairs, chasing after Hunter. “Cat’s out of the bag!”
“No, the cat is still at home, because apparently, Jeremy is a second-class citizen.” Charlie stepped out of the way a second before Hunter came sliding into me.
I stumbled back into the door and dropped to my knees in front of the big dog, happily accepting his kisses as I rubbed his ears and cried shamelessly, another symptom of the pregnancy I wasn’t having. “You’re here.”
“Is she talking to us or Hunter?” Theo smiled when I looked up at him and winked. “Definitely the dog.”
“My part is done, I guess. I’m heading home, Reagan. Megan and Kara are coming with me. Can’t imagine why they wouldn’t want to stay here.” Ben eased his way between the guys and pulled me off the floor. “Take the vitamins. If you’re still here tomorrow, we’re scheduling an appointment.”
Megan hugged me while Kara cupped my face. They both looked seconds from crying themselves, but Megan pulled herself together. “We’re going to be hanging around out here for a few days. Don’t worry about us when you make your plans.”
I wiped my eyes and flicked my eyes over at the guys, nervous that maybe they wouldn’t want to take me back with them.
Kara slapped a slim piece of plastic against my palm and grinned when she saw that I could very clearly feel what it was. “Take the test.”
Just like that, I found myself alone with my guys, all of them staring at me with varying degrees of need and frustration. Of course, my stomach chose that moment to revolt.
