Page 11 of Falling Stars

And it’s definitely his.

I’m having a baby with Sean Cooper.

I wish I was more excited. Don’t get me wrong—I am excited about the baby. I’ve always wanted kids. Except this isn’t the way I wanted to go about it. Of course, my mom loves my older sister. But Mom got pregnant before getting hitched to my father, who, let’s face it, has not been the paragon of paternal love.

And after they got divorced, he strung my mom along for another several years. It goes without saying that the man is dead to me. I’m just glad my mother finally cut him out of her life.

Call me old-fashioned, but I was hoping to do this in a more traditional order. You know, date someone, get married, buy a house, and then have a child.

Sean doesn’t even live in my part of Texas yet.

I try to focus on the good part, the little soul growing in my belly.

As I stare at the highway in front of me, an evil voice in my mind whispers,It should’ve been Maverick’s.

I roll my eyes at myself. Sometimes my subconscious is a shit-stirring little bitch. I read about this in my online psych course. It’s called an intrusive thought.

Regret over all the lost time spent on a man who will never love me makes my heart heavy.

Despite how badly that “kiss your best friend” challenge went in high school, it took me years to get over Mav. It wasn’t until he brought Kira to Rhett and Paige’s wedding last summer that I finally took the hint. Yes, that’s a long damn time to pine for someone.

He’d never brought a girl home before. Seeing him with Kira made something click for me.

Because I want what I never had—a happy family and kids and the white picket fence. I want stability and a future with a partner who’s going to have my back and not ditch me for a pair of perkier tits, the way my father ditched my mom for a younger woman. Or the way he’d ditch her every time he got called up to the Majors.

And I’m sure as hell not going to get that with Maverick Walker, the New York Vipers’ newest hotshot tight end.

I met Sean a few weeks after that wedding, and we hit it off.

I thought it was a sign.

Like the devil knows I’m thinking of him, Maverick texts.Hey. Missed you at my party last weekend.

Sure he did. Well, I miss my best friend, but we can’t always have what we want.

Frankly, I didn’t want to watch him stick his tongue down Kira Stafford’s throat like he did after he got drafted this spring, so I skipped his graduation shindig.

He’s off in New York now, living his dream as an NFL player, probably fucking groupies, and being a celebrity. I wish him well. Look, I’m not a coldhearted bitch—I sent him a gift with a note that said I was proud of him and hoped he got everything he wanted in life. And that’s all true. But it’s been easier to get over him when we don’t talk all the time.

To be clear, I wouldn’t have started dating Sean if I thought Istill had feelings for Maverick. It’s just that sometimes, old feelings crept in, which is why I needed space from Mav, real space to move on.

At least I still have Paige, but she has her hands full with Ella. Otherwise, I would’ve dragged her with me to talk to Sean.

Ignoring Maverick’s text, I tighten my hands on the steering wheel.

Rory, who looks like she’s still trying to find a way to confess something, motions to the gas station at the next exit. “If you need a ginger ale or something to eat, we can stop.”

The expression on her face tells me I haven’t been as stealthy as I thought. So much for secrets. I sigh. “Do I look pregnant?”

She shakes her head. “Not at all. It’s just…”

I lift my brows.

“In the mornings, you get a little green. And then sometimes I hear you throwing up in the bathroom.”

Damn it. I thought the vent was loud enough to block that out. “Does the whole salon know?” I’ve missed my mom, but I’m glad she’s not here right now. I can’t handle any lectures at the moment.

“The stylists are too preoccupied with their social media and trying to make their hair videos go viral.”

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