Page 66 of Three Pucks and a Baby

“Of course. I’m leaving right now.”

“But it’s not even your lunchtime.”

She shot me an exasperated look. “For fuck’s sake, Viv. Do I look like I care about that?”

“You should. I mean, you could lose your job.”

With a snort, she replied, “I’m Carlee Flannery oftheFlannery Hall here on campus. There would be hell to pay if they fired me.”

I laughed at her reference to the nepotism that had initially gotten her the job. “Fine. Come on then.”

“I’ll be there in half an hour.”

“See you then.”

Forty minutes later, Carlee arrived carrying a brown paper bag. At what must’ve been my questioning look, she said, “I thought this would be better than plastic since it wasn’t see-through.”

With a laugh, I replied, “You don’t have to be so secretive. I seriously doubt the university has spies hanging out in my bushes.” Nodding at the bag, I said, “Besides, it looks like you’re smuggling in alcohol.”

After reaching into her purse, she pulled out a small bottle of Moet. “When your tests come back negative, we’re popping this one open.”

Shaking my head forlornly, I replied, “I have the sinking feeling that is going to remain uncorked.”

Carlee shoved the bag at me. “We won’t know until you take the tests.”

Nodding, I then ducked into the half bath. Over the years, I’d had a few late periods, so I wasn’t completely clueless when it came to pregnancy tests. My fingers were crossed that I would have the same outcomes this time.

After guzzling two bottles of water while waiting on Carlee, I thankfully had enough in me to pee on three of the different tests. I set a timer on my phone and then prepared to wait.

My jangled thoughts immediately flashed on the three men who had potentially knocked me up. If I truly was pregnant, I couldn’t even begin to think how to tell them. It was one thing for me at thirty, but it was completely different for them. They were young men who had the rest of their lives in front of them. But for one of them, they were going to be a father.

The father of my child.

A knock at the door caused me to jump. “Well?” Carlee questioned.

Cracking the door, I replied, “It’s not time yet.”

“How much longer?”

I glanced at my phone. “A minute.”

“Christ. This has to be the longest five minutes of my life.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” I huffed.

Jerking her chin at the tests on the vanity, Carlee said, “You could probably peek by now.”

“I can’t.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of breaking the pregnancy test rules?”

Shaking my head, I replied, “It’s more like my nerves can’t take it.”

“Then can I peek?”

At that moment, my phone alarm went off. “I think we both can.”

Carlee stepped inside the bathroom. She then slipped her hand in mine. “Let’s do this.”

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