Page 131 of More than Paper

“What is it?”

“Could you be pregnant?”

“No, Jamison and I—” I throw my hand over my mouth. “Oh, God.”

“Have you missed any periods?”

I try to remember my last one. “At least two.”

“I’ve been in town working on a big branding project for the last month. The apartment I’m renting is a block away. Do you want to get a test and see what’s going on?”

My heart beats fast. All the things Jamison and I discussed about whether we should have kids or not and what the issues were are on replay in my thoughts. But I no longer care about any of it. All I hear is him telling me that we would raise our kids together. I start to cry.

Cindy pulls me into her arms. “Hey, it’ll be okay, no matter what the situation is.”

“What if I’m pregnant, and he never comes back?” I cry out.

She strokes my head. “Shh. He’s going to come back.”

“How do you know?”

She doesn’t answer my question.

I cry some more, and when I finally calm down, she says, “Let’s go to the store. Do you want me to buy the test?”

“Would you?”

She laughs. “Sure. I’ve never had to buy one personally, so why not.”

I start to laugh.

She puts her arm around my shoulder and leads me out of the bathroom. “Come on, then. Let’s find out what is going on.”

The store isn’t far. We pick out a test and go to her apartment, which is only another block away. “Have you had anything to eat?”

“No.”

“Okay. Why don’t I make dinner, then?”

I nod. “That would be nice. Thanks.”

She hands me a glass of water. “No thanks needed. I think I’ve been going crazy by myself. I don’t know anyone except my work colleagues here, and I can’t exactly talk to them about this.”

“Sometimes, that is better than everyone knowing your business.”

“I can see that. Your friends giving you a hard time over this?”

“No. The crazy part is all my friends are paired up with Jamison’s friends.”

“Noah, Xander, and Chase?” She smiles at me.

I smile back. “Yes.”

“They are all terrific guys. Your friends are lucky.”

“You know them well?”

“I wouldn’t say well but well enough. Valeria speaks highly of them and has told me a lot of stories.”

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