Page 256 of Wild Card

One of the fourteen positive pregnancy tests is in her hand.

“I peed on that.”

Yes, that came right out. Apparently, pregnancy has given me a case of Tourette’s Syndrome.

Dad sits on one side and she on the other. She takes my hand. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I’m pregnant. What’s there to talk about?”

“How do you feel?”

“Like I’m on one of those pirate ship rides at the fair that swings back and forth.”

“Is that an analogy or are you nauseous? Because the one and only time you rode that, you threw up.”

I recall the memory and how Rylee and Chase made fun of me forever.

“I’m not constantly nauseous, just at the mention of certain foods. More like I’m suspended in the air with a ball of nerves constantly turning.”

“Was this… was this a surprise?”

“Yes, Mom.” I roll my eyes with my best sarcastic draw. “I didn’t set out to be single and pregnant while my dangerous, heroic baby daddy is somewhere saving lives and playing Captain America.”

Her eyes mist over, and I realize I called her Mom for the first time in over a year.

“It’s one hell of a shock to my perfectly laid plans, but in the most wonderful way,” I relay with less satire.

“How far along are you?” Dad inquires cautiously, like he’s scared of my answer.

“I don’t know. It’s all very new. I took the tests a few days ago.”

“We need to get you to the doctor.” He stands, ready to take charge. “Then we need to visit Robbie and tell him to get Talon’s ass back here.”

I clasp his wrist as he digs for his cell. “No. I’ll agree to the doctor, but no one can know. Not yet. This is my secret, and hopefully soon, Talon will be home. Once he knows, we’ll decide when to tell people. This is a lot to dump on him, and he needs to process without outside influence.”

“It’s not dumping anything, Willow. You’re having a baby. My guess is he will want to shout it from the rooftops and hire a skywriter to announce it.”

I smile at Mom. ”I think he’ll be happy, but it’s definitely not something we planned on this early.”

“Is that why you came by today? To talk to me about the pregnancy?”

Dad’s question has me squirming and guilt swallows me. “Not exactly.”

But now that one secret is revealed, might as well let the other cat out of the bag.

In for a penny, in for a pound.

“I was planning to surprise you when you got home from work. But there’s more, I also needed a distraction from my overactive and endless thoughts. My pregnancy isn’t the only thing on my mind.”

They wait patiently, hanging on my every word. What could be more serious than your unwed daughter popping up pregnant without a job?

“I took my board exams this morning. It seemed like a good idea to speed up the process.”

Mom inhales sharply, her grip tightening.

Dad’s eyebrows shoot up. “Does anyone know?”

“Nope, another locked away gem in Willow Richards’ vault of secrets.”

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