Page 2 of Shameless
“What are you going to do?”
I looked up at him. “What can I do?”
He crouched down next to me. “I know you’re hurting, but you need to tell everyone waiting for the wedding to begin that it won’t.”
Another dagger twisted in my heart as I thought about standing in front of my family and friends and telling them. I knew they would have questions; since I didn’t have the answers, the mere thought of delivering the news turned my stomach.
“I can’t.” I got to my feet. “I need to get out of here.”
“You can’t leave,” Brandon stated.
“Why not? Stacey did!” I roared. Were her friends and family waiting or had she given them a heads up and we were the suckers in this charade?
My brother and I stared at each other for a few beats and then he said, “All right. I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you.” I moved to walk past him, but his words stopped me.
“Are you going to be okay?”
I blinked, not sure how to answer his question. “Would you be?”
“No,” he admitted and let go of me. “And that’s why I’m asking.”
“I just want answers.”
“I know. Go see what you can find out and I’ll handle the guests. Do nothing stupid, and call me if you need anything.” He drew me in for a hug. Having my brother’s arms around me and his support made me feel slightly better.
But I knew everything wasn’t okay.
2
Stacey
My phone buzzedin the passenger seat next to me as I drove Molly’s car. The poofy overskirt of my wedding dress made it hard to steer and see out the windshield. I knew immediately who was calling by his ring tone. Because I wasn’t ready to answer any of his questions—and also because I was a coward—I declined the call and then shut off my phone.
A tear slid down my cheek and I let it drip onto the off-white gown. When I woke up that morning, I had no idea I wasn’t going to marry Blake. It was supposed to be the happiest day of my life and now I felt as though I was in some sort of alternate dimension. The moment Molly joked I was pregnant changed everything.
“You needto go buy me a test,” I rushed out, my eyes wide.
“Now?” Molly blinked. “The wedding is going to start soon.”
“I have to know before I walk down the aisle.”
“And what will you do if you are pregnant?”
I shook my head and sighed, not knowing the answer. “Just please go.”
“Okay.” She grabbed her purse.
“And hurry.”
“I will.”
A few minutes later, my mom returned to the room balancing three mimosas the best she could. As she came near, I shook my head.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
I stared up at the ceiling, trying not to cry and ruin my makeup because if I wasn’t pregnant, I was going to marry Blake. If I was, I didn’t know what I was going to do. “Everything or nothing.”
