Page 57 of Perfect Chemistry

Lacy looked around the table like she was looking for a life line. “I haven’t told anyone about Amy being pregnant!” she gloated.

Several things suddenly happened at once. Amy, who was drinking a glass of water, sprayed it back out of her mouth. Bradley nearly dropped his beer, but caught it as the bottle bounced on the table. Val dropped her head in her hands to hide her face.

I took all of this in. Amy and Bradley were expecting baby number two, and Bradley had no idea yet. Val didn’t even know, which was, to Lacy’s credit, an amazing feat.

“Um… Congrats?” I offered.

“You’re pregnant?” Bradley asked, eyeing his wife. “When?”

Amy’s face blushed red. She looked so shy looking back at her husband. “Yesterday. The doctor confirmed it yesterday. I wanted to tell you tonight after dinner. I was saving it for the good in case of bad news,” she explained to him in the sweetest, softest voice.

“Get out,” Bradley said, quietly never looking away from his wife.

I grabbed my beer and ran out of the room with Lacy and Val scurrying behind me.

“You are SUCH a blabbermouth!” I barked out laughing when we were outside in the back garden.

Lacy looked so ashamed, while Val was doing her best to not laugh at her wife’s blunder. We sat there for a half hour before Bradley and Amy joined us.

Bradley held Amy in his arms and smiled. “WE’RE HAVING A BABY!” whisper-yelled so as not to wake the children or disturb the neighbors.

As I stood to congratulate them, my phone pinged. I opened up the message and just stared.

“Is everything okay?” Val asked.

“Did someone die?” Lacy asked.

Bradley scowled at Lacy, “Don’t tempt me.”

“Kai?”

“I got in.”

Chapter 20

Katie’s Point of View

“No! We-we just got married!” I cried.

“Sir, tell them they are wrong! Tell them!” I shouted at my platoon leader.

His lips trembled as he held back his own sorrow. “Pres-I’m so sorry-”

I didn’t want to hear their apologies. “NO! NOOO! Not him! We just got married! I haven’t even met his parents! Do they know? Do they hate me?” I sobbed.

“They know, Gunny,” Marie whispered beside me.

Oh god. “What-What do I do?” I cried, my voice cracking and breaking.

I couldn’t breathe. I grabbed at my chest and struggled to breathe as the world around me went dark. Again.

* * *

“READY……….AIM………FIRE!”

*Boom* The volley of rifle fire filled the air.

“READY……….AIM………FIRE!”

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