Always Ever After (Always 2.50) - Page 8

3: Kylie

“What the fuck is this?” I say, holding out the test. “These must be defective.”

“Or you’re pregnant,” Selene says. “Are you sure that’s yours, and this one is mine?”

“Absolutely. Yours was on the counter, and I put mine on the back of the toilet.” My heart won’t stop pounding and my hands are starting to shake. “How could I be pregnant?”

“I’m pretty sure you know how sex works.”

“I know, but…” I look at the test again, hoping I’m seeing double. But there’s only one test, and it definitely has two lines. “Why did you have to get this stupid thing with the lines? How do we know these are right? Maybe they’re both defective.”

“Is your period late?”

“No,” I say, my voice emphatic. “I’m not supposed to start for another few days. Do these things even work before your period is due?”

Selene looks at the box and reads out loud: “Test early, up to five days before your period is expected. Yeah, I think they work.”

“No way,” I say, grabbing the box out of her hands. “This must be wrong. I bet these got it backwards somehow, and you’re pregnant and I’m not.”

“Are you wishing this on me, now?” she asks with a laugh. “Because you’re the one who’s been married for a while. You must have at least talked to Brax about kids. Ronan and I haven’t even gotten through our wedding yet.”

I sink down onto the edge of the bed. “Yeah, we’ve talked a little. He seems pretty hesitant. Not forever hesitant, but I don’t think he’s ready for kids yet. He says he’s happy to have me to himself right now, and we’ll think about a family in the future. Honestly, that’s how I feel too, so I haven’t worried about it very much.”

Selene takes a deep breath. “You know what? Maybe these are defective. We need to get more tests and do this again.”

We head out to Selene’s car—this isn’t the kind of thing the resort gift shop carries—and find a little store a couple miles away. We end up buying several boxes of tests each, just in case, and the cashier doesn’t even make small talk with us while we pay.

Back at the resort, we stop outside our rooms.

“How about we go into our own bathrooms, so we can take them at the same time,” Selene says.

“Sounds good.”

Our rooms are next to each other with an adjoining door, so we open it and both go into our respective bathrooms.

I pick a brand that has a digital readout. The damn thing will say either Pregnant or Not Pregnant, so that should be clear. And I think it’s good that we’re not taking tests from the same box. I bought enough that I can take more if this one is confusing.

My hands are shaking so badly I almost drop the stupid thing in the toilet. I follow the instructions and set it on the counter, putting a strip of toilet paper over the top so I can hide it until I’m ready to look.

I come out to find Selene pacing in between our two rooms.

“This is insane,” I say. “How did we end up taking pregnancy tests on our girls’ weekend?”

Selene stops. “I have no idea. I’m so sorry. I should have waited until we got home for this.”

“No, I’m glad you brought it up,” I say. “Fuck, Selene, I was going to get smashed with you tonight. And probably again tomorrow.”

I glance at my phone, but it’s only been two minutes. What if I am pregnant? I quit my job to do freelance graphic design full time about six months ago, and I was hoping to spend a couple years building up my client list. Having a baby now would change things. It would change everything.

What is Brax going to say? Is he going to be upset? We’ve never had an in-depth conversation about kids, but I’ve never felt like we needed to. He’s always been so casual about it, with a shrug and a sure, someday attitude. And that was fine with me. I thought this would be something we would decide together, and plan for. Is he going to freak out?

“Okay, I think it’s time,” I say. “Go get yours and I’ll get mine, and we’ll look together.”

Selene nods and we both rush back into the bathrooms. I grab the test, still covered. I come out of the bathroom and Selene and I stand in front of each other, pregnancy tests in hand.

“Are you ready?” she asks.

“I think so.”