Page 167 of Here With Me

I gasp, my mouth opening in shock. “Magnolia Sutherland! You did not! And why am I just now hearin’ about it?”

Travis is her deadbeat ex who cheated on her and then gaslit her into thinking she was crazy.

“Because I knew that’d be your reaction.”

“Well...” I shrug.

“I was drunk and horny. And very, very,verystupid.”

“The start to every country song...” I snort but try not to laugh at her expense. “Okay, so are y’all back together now or what?”

They broke up two years ago, so their dating again would be a nightmare. I’d support her if she decided she wanted to give it another try, but I wouldn’t like it.

She shudders. “God, no. I told him to lose my number and blocked him. Drunk Magnolia ain’t makin’ that decision again.”

“Good. You deserve better.”

She turns and faces me, handing me my cup. “I took a pregnancy test, Noah.”

I hold my breath as I wait for her to tell me exactly what I know she’s going to say.

Tears fall down her cheeks. “It was positive.”

“Aw, sweetie.” I walk around to the side and open the door, then engulf her in a hug. “I’m not sure if I should say congratulations or not but—”

“I dunno either,” she admits, crying as I keep my arms wrapped around her.

She pulls back and wipes her cheeks, then fidgets with her fingers. “That’s not the worst of it.”

“What’s worse than being knocked up by your ex?”

“I slept with someone I really like after him, and now I’ve ruined any chance at a relationship. He’ll never want me once he finds out I’m havin’ another man’s baby.”

“Magnolia! I leave you for a couple of weeks...” I laugh, but I’d never shame her. She’s young and can have as much fun as she wants. Albeit she shouldn’t have had that fun with Travis, but it’s a little too late for that lecture. “You’re sure he ain’t the father? What happened to those Magnum XL condoms I gave you last year? Surely you didn’t go through an entire pack already.”

“Trust me, Travis doesn’t need XL, but we did use one. It was either expired or broke.” She scowls. “And yes, I’m sure. I track my period and ovulation cycles on an app. By the time I slept with the other guy, I woulda already been pregnant. I just obviously didn’t know.”

I’m on pins and needles as I wait for the news so I can finally sharemynews with her.

“Alright, so who is it?”

She lowers her eyes, and my heart jumpstarts with her reaction.

“It was Tripp.”

And now it just flatlined.

“Wait...” I scratch my head as if my brain’s trying to figure out a calculus equation. “MybrotherTripp?”

She winces at my raised voice I didn’t mean to release. Clearing my throat, I try again.

“Tripp, as in the guy you’ve crushed on for nearly a decade and has never shown an interest in you, Tripp?”

“Yep.” She sucks in her lip as she nods. “Turns out he does kinda like me.”

Fuck. This is going to crush him.

“If he truly does, he’ll accept you and the baby,” I tell her. “But he might not be ready for that, which you’ll need to prepare yourself for that possibility.”