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“What the fuck?” I mutter. I stare at the photo and scroll to the video just below it. I watch it again for the hundredth time since it was posted.

I don’t know the exact date it was taken, but I scan the article to try to find the information when my eye catches on the headline once more.

Cooper Noah spotted with pregnant ex! Is it his?

Right below the headline is a photo of a very pregnant Stacy.

Is it his?

Nine months ago was before he met me but he never mentioned going back to his ex for seconds after they broke up. In fact, I feel like I know him well enough to believe he’d never do that.

Still, it hurts to see the photo. It hurts to see him talking to her at all even though it shouldn’t. He can talk to whoever he wants to, and that was true when we were together or now that we’re apart. But it doesn’t change the fact that my chest tightens and my stomach hurts looking at this photo.

She can give him everything he ever wanted.

But so can I.

He never wanted it with her.

I think he wanted it with me.

He left anyway.

“I’m so, so sorry,” Mia says.

Yep, that’s right. Mia. She showed up at my door with the photos when I got off work. She came over full of apologies and wanting to get our friendship back, and I guess she thought showing me my ex with another woman was the way to do that.

I don’t even know how she knows Cooper is my ex other than the Dylan connection. I sure haven’t spoken to her about it.

“How did you even know about this?” I ask.

“Dylan took the photos.”

Of freaking course he did. “You can see yourself out.” I spin and start to walk away, but her voice stops me.

“Are you kidding? I came here to try to fix things. Why are you being like this?”

“You came here to prove that your boyfriend has access to my ex that I don't have. You came to brag that he sold photos to some celebrity gossip site that I don't even give a fuck about. You did not come here to fix our friendship. You came here to one up me and to show me that he deserves the social media job more than I do. I don't even care about that job anymore. You know what? I'm withdrawing my name from the running for it. Please go.”

She stares at me with her jaw slackened for a bit, and then she spins and walks out the front door, slamming it behind her.

I want to cry over it. I want to be upset over it. But it just feels like the hits keep coming, and I'm at a point where I'm starting to get numb to them.

She doesn't know I'm pregnant, and she's not the kind of friend that I'm going to tell that to anymore. She drew a line in the sand. She decided to choose her boyfriend over her best friend, so I guess that makes me her former best friend.

A text from Kaylee comes through.

Kaylee: Back in Vegas. Tight Fit in the morning?

She has been really good about not pressing me or asking questions about what happened between Cooper and me, though she has checked in on me every day via text. I think she wants me to talk about it, and I’m guessing this invitation for tomorrow is the vehicle she’s going to use to get us there.

Me: Sure. See you at 6:30.

She responds with a party horn emoji expressing her excitement.

I make some dinner and settle into another movie with Ruby Sue, and I fall asleep on the couch.

I wake up at five in the morning and get a little work done before I head over to the gym. It's crowded as it always is at this time in the morning, but considering Kaylee is married to the owner, we tend to get preferential treatment here.

Kaylee is standing by the doorway when I walk in, and she squeezes me into a tight hug.

I can’t help it. I burst into tears.

“Oh, friend,” she consoles me softly. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“Thanks,” I manage. I draw in a deep breath as I force the sobs away before this gets real ugly in here. “I keep waiting for it to get easier, to stop hurting so much…but it’s just not.”

She lets me out of the hug and keeps her arm around my shoulders. “I’ve been there, and maybe there’s still hope. I thought it was over with Ben, but we found our way back to each other. You know, once he got his head out of his ass.”

I can’t help a small laugh at that.

“But I have to tell you, I felt the same way you're feeling right now when it was over with him. It felt like there was a weight so heavy on my chest I couldn't breathe. You two will find your way back, too.”

“I just don't see a way.” I shake my head sadly. “He chose the game over me. He's had the game since he was five years old. He's only had me since August.”

“Love makes men do crazy things, babe.” She side squeezes me.

“Yeah,” I whisper. “I just wish it was his love for me that made him do the crazy thing and not his love for the game.”

“I have faith you two will figure this out,” she says as we walk through the gym toward the classrooms at the back. “I know Cooper pretty well, and I’ve gotten to know you well, too. You two belong together, so keep your chin up and keep the faith. Now let's go sweat our asses off and make ourselves feel better.”

I nod and follow her to the kickboxing room where a session is just about to get started.

“Oh,” I stammer. “Can we, uh, do something else this morning?”

Her brows knit together. “No kickboxing? But that’s, like, our thing .”

I nod. “I know. I’m just feeling maybe treadmill or cycling today. I haven’t done kickboxing in months and I’m out of shape.” It’s a feeble excuse.

She studies me for a beat, and my heart races. I feel like she can see right through me, but she doesn’t say anything about my reasoning. Instead, she just nods. “Sure. Whatever you want, girlfriend.”

We head over to the treadmills, and I can’t help but think I just dodged a bullet.

But I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep the baby from Kaylee, and once she finds out, I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep it from Cooper, either.