Page 131 of Ink Me Three Times
Just Timothy.
Timothy: Of course we can talk! Meet me by the lake. Sunrise?
So I go.
It’s still early, the sky barely lit, fog draped over the water. Gulls cry somewhere in the distance, and the air is cool enough to bite my skin through the sleeves of my sweatshirt.
I walk along the shore, shoes in one hand, leash in the other. Pickle pads beside me, quiet for once, he knows I don’t have it in me to wrangle him this morning.
Timothy’s already there, standing near a driftwood log, hands tucked into the pockets of his hoodie. His silhouette is soft in the mist, but his smile is clear when he sees me.
“Hey, Ivy,” he says gently.
“Hey,” I manage, voice already too tight.
He doesn’t ask questions right away. Just nods to a spot beside him on the log. I sit. Pickle curls at my feet. He’s finally decided to be a good dog.
For a second, we don’t talk. The water laps at the shore, steady and slow, like the universe is trying to give me room to breathe.
Then I say it.
I just let it spill out.
“I’m pregnant.”
His body stills.
Just for a second.
He blinks, processing, as if I just changed the language on the conversation without warning. “You’re what?”
“Pregnant,” I repeat, quieter this time. “I found out a few weeks ago.”
He’s quiet, but I can feel the gears turning in his head.
“I thought I was just tired,” I keep going. “Then I took a test. Then… a bunch more. And then the ultrasound happened.”
I reach into my sweatshirt pocket and pull out the folded photo I’ve been carrying around as a secret. It’s a weight. I unfold it and hand it to him with shaking fingers.
He takes it, careful, like it’s breakable. His eyes scan it once. Then again.
His head jerks slightly. “Wait. Are those…?”
“Triplets,” I say.
He looks at me, stunned.
“Holy shit, Ivy.”
I almost laugh. Almost cry. Instead, I just shrug as if it’s not still hitting me in waves, too.
“Yeah. That was my exact reaction. Except more… on the floor.”
He stares at the ultrasound again, waiting for it to change if he squints hard enough. “Three,” he says. “Three babies?”
I nod.
“Damn.” He drags a hand through his hair. “I mean… wow. Are you okay?”
