Page 97 of Rockstar Baby

It might be denial.

Kinleigh reached over and took my hand. “Everything is going to be fine.”

I nodded. “I know.”

Sort of. The terror was abating the farther we got out of town. Now it was just knots of nerves and confusion. We’d been careful. Had it happened in the car? That had been wild and careening toward insanity.

All it took was one swimmer. Didn’t every teacher say that to strike terror into teens in high school? I knew my teachers had. Enough that teen pregnancy was barely a thing in town. I could count the number of them on the fingers of one hand.

We didn’t speak for most of the drive. We went to the one lone 24-hour pharmacy halfway to Syracuse. I bought two tests. I was tempted to buy the entire aisle of offerings, but I knew in my heart I already was. This was just a formality.

So many things made sense.

By the time Kinleigh pulled into my driveway, I’d shredded the bag handles. I looked up with a puzzled frown. “I thought you were bringing me back to my car.”

“Pretty sure you shouldn’t be driving at the moment.” She unbuckled her belt.

“I think I need to do this alone.”

Kinleigh’s eyebrows snapped together. “Bad idea.”

“I just…I kinda just need to—”

“Fall apart alone? No, ma’am.” She opened her door and stalked up the driveway.

Sighing, I shoved the bag into my purse and followed. The light was on, but August’s truck still wasn’t there.

Maybe it would be better if she did stay with me. I wasn’t ready to keel over about this anymore, but I was suspiciously numb. As if it was simply a foregone conclusion.

I lifted my chin and breezed through the door. I dumped my keys in the bowl on the table inside the door just like always. The kitchen light was on and Kinleigh was sitting on one of the bar stools with her arms crossed.

“I’m not leaving.”

I walked over to her and hugged her. She pressed her cheek to my shoulder. “I’m supposed to be hugging you.”

“So, hug me back.”

Her arms came up around me. “It’s going to be all right. I’m here for you. Every step of the way.”

“I know. It’s not like it’s dire. I want a baby.” I even wantedhisbaby. I wasn’t ready to say that out loud though. Because one-sided love wasn’t really enough. Enough to make a baby, evidently, but I wasn’t sure about the rest.

“Yes, we both want kids. You’re supercharging our timeline there, woman.”

I laughed. “We don’t know yet.”

But I did.

I dug into my bag and took one of the tests out. “I’m going to go do this.”

“You want me to come in there with you?”

“And watch me pee? I love you, girl, but not that much.”

She laughed. “Okay. I mean I wouldn’t like it, but I’d do it.”

“Because you’re my rockstar.” The lump in my throat made my eyes burn. I had to use that phrase? Really?

“You better believe it. I’ll be out here waiting. But you know, wash your hands.”