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“Gigi, I came over today because I need to tell you something. Something you probably weren’t expecting and might be a little…shocking.”

Sitting in the chair next to me, Gigi tilts her head, a small pinch between her white brows. More curious than concerned. I guess that’s a good sign. Tucking a strand of loose hair behind my ear, her expression softens.

“There’s nothing you could do that would shock me, Rae. I know you too well.”

Okay then, here goes nothing. Better to rip the band aid off in one swift motion, right? Gripping my hands together tightly around my glass of milk I focus on the white liquid instead of looking at the woman who raised me as her own since I was ten.

“I’m pregnant.”

There I said it. It’s out in the open and as one weight lifts from my shoulders, another lands right on top of me. Gigi’s silence is almost as bad as screaming. I have no idea what it means, especially since I’m not looking at her.

Wincing I cautiously shift my gaze to peer at her from the corner of my eye. She’s shocked, that’s for sure. Her face slack and mouth slightly open.

“Well, I was not expecting that.”

“Are you disappointed in me?” I ask, tears threatening to fill my eyes. I blink them away rapidly before they get worse. Stupid hormones.

“What? Of course not.” Gigi pulls me into her arms in a tight hug and the scent of cookies is soothing. “I could never be disappointed in you, sunshine. Especially for something likea baby. That’s not something to be disappointed about in the least.”

“But I’m not married. The father’s…gone. I was foolish and impulsive. I wasn’t thinking and didn’t take preventative measures.”

Releasing me from her embrace Gigi leans back to look at me. Her hands sliding down my arms to thread through mine. She grips me tightly and gives me thatdon’t be daftlook.

“Everyone deserves to be a little foolish and impulsive in their lives, Rae. You just did yours with a little extra. It doesn’t matter how it happened; it just did. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. I’m actually happy you finally did something spontaneous.” She smiles at me. I’m still frazzled, and kind of confused now too.

“You are?”

“Yes. You’ve always been such a good girl. Don’t get me wrong, you’ve been a godsend, but sometimes I felt like you missed out on being a rambunctious teenager because you always followed the rules. But now you’ve followed your heart and done something because you wanted to. It just had unexpected and, I’m assuming, unplanned results.”

I’m not sure if I should be relieved or worried about her response to my news. Most people don’t think an unplanned pregnancy and single parenthood are a good thing. I guess I should have known better when it comes to Gigi. She doesn’t do anything the normal way.

“I guess so.”

“And you said the father is?”

“Gone.”

She nods with a sad smile, as if she was expecting this answer. Like she already knows everything.

“Warren’s the father, isn’t he?”

I’m pretty sure my heart just stopped beating and my brain melted out through my ears, because there’s no way she just said what I think she said. How could she possibly know that? Not even Izzy asked that. I told her it was a stranger, and she just accepted it without question.

“How did you…?”

“I’m old, not dead. I see things. Like you going out to his boat the night of his going away party and not coming back until late morning.”

One white eyebrow raises, and she smirks. My eyebrows are introduced to my hair line because I had no idea she knew about that. Or saw me. How many other things has she seen that I thought I was being covert about? Not that there were many.

“Besides you two have been making eyes at each other for years. It was only a matter of time before you finally saw each other. It could never be anyone’s but his. There’s no other man you would let down your guard around so thoroughly.”

She’s right. I wouldn’t have let anyone else as close as Warren. I guess I wasn’t as good at hiding my feelings for him as I thought I was, at least from her. Warren didn’t seem to know how I felt about him until I kissed him.

I sit back in my chair, my hands falling limply in my lap, completely unsure what to say now. Everything I thought I’d have to explain or lie about is gone now that she’s just seen through everything.

“Oh!” I sit up so abruptly I startle Gigi. “I didn’t tell Izzy who the father is. She thinks it was a one-night stand. I just didn’t want to deal with…” My words trail off because I don’t know how to explain it to her. How it will be easier to lie about the father to minimize the pity stares and judgement. An accidental pregnancy from a one-night stand is easier to explain than everything that happened with me and Warren. Not to mentionall the questions that I would get from everyone if they all knew Warren was the father.

“Don’t worry Rae.” Gigi pats my cheek affectionately. “We don’t have to tell anyone anything. It’s none of their business. But…don’t you think Warren deserves to know?”