Kelsey answered Gabby’s call with a laughed “Hello,” obviously amused by something Evan or Alex had done before she picked up. Such a sickeningly happy little family. But that was okay, because she loved them intensely. After everything they’d been through with past relationships, no one deserved happiness more than Evan and Kelsey.
“I have something to tell you,” Gabby blurted.
“Okay,” her beloved sister-in-law said, cautiously drawing out the word.
“First, if you’re in the room with my brother, I need you to leave it. He can’t know about any of this yet.”
Kelsey caught on fast that something major was up. “Sure,” she said brightly. “Hey, Alex’s cartoons are blaring. Let me go upstairs.”
She waited while Kelsey put distance between herself and Evan, listening to the phone bump along until finally a door closed. “Okay. I’m alone,” Kelsey said at last. “What’s going on?”
“Now I need you to sit down. And do not shriek.”
“Gabby! You’re scaring me.”
Freaking hormones. Somehow, the concern in Kelsey’s voice made Gabby’s eyes well. She couldn’t wait any longer to prepare her for this confession. “I’m pregnant.”
Dead silence met the announcement. So dead that she thought for a moment the call had been dropped. She checked her phone’s display. Yep, still connected. “Hello? Are you breathing? Do I need to hang up and call Evan to run up and start CPR?”
“Gabby,” Kelsey breathed, her voice barely audible. “How are you pregnant?”
It was too good to pass up. “Well, see, the man inserts his erect penis into the woman’s vagina, and—”
“I know how, you freaking idiot. I mean how, how did this… Oh my God! What man?”
“Shh! I haven’t told anyone but the man and you. I want to keep it that way for now, all right? I’m not ready for it to be out there. First I’m the dumped bride, and now I’m knocked up out of wedlock. I almost wish I could get out of here in a couple of weeks without anyone knowing.”
“You cannot do that. I’ll tell everyone before I let you do that.”
“You evil bitch.”
“Who is the father?”
“You wouldn’t know him.” Gabby pressed the heel of her free hand to her forehead. “Really. You wouldn’t.”
“Doesn’t matter. I want to know about him. You said he knows?”
“He knows. He’s, um…he’s one of Brian’s employees.”
“Gabby!”
“I know, okay?”
“Your mom told me you came home with a tattoo a while back.”
“I came home the next morning with way more than that, it seems.”
“So it was your artist? Does Brian not have…I don’t know, rules against that?”
Gabby scoffed. “Oh, please, he hooked up with Candace the first time because he gave her a tattoo. I’ll remind him of that little fact if I need to. But Ian’s worried what Brian will think about…all this. Yeah. That’s a problem.”
“I don’t even know what to say. What are you going to do?”
“What is there to do? I’m having a baby. I’ve thought of all my options. This is the only one I can live with.”
“What will you do about school?”
“I’ll just…I’ll deal with it. I’ll take a leave of absence when the time comes.” She remembered her and Ian’s conversation the night they conceived. “Take life as it comes at me.”
“Did you say the father’s name is Ian? What does he think about it?”
“I think he’s in shock. We’ve talked about it. He wants to be involved, but…I don’t know. We were only supposed to be together for one night. Now he’s someone I’ll have to deal with for the next eighteen years.”
“Oh, at least,” Kelsey said, not being helpful at all. “Do you like the guy?”
“Luckily, yes. I like him a lot. He’s…he really seems like a great person, from what I know.” She chuckled. “Damn, he’s hot. He’s literally wanna-have-his-baby hot. I think back, and it’s like, no wonder I got pregnant.”
Kelsey’s laughter rang out. “Well, it’s good you feel that way, I guess, considering you are having his baby.” There was a long silence after their humor died away. “God. I don’t know what to say. You have to tell your mom.”
She didn’t want to think about it. “I realize that.”
“You shouldn’t worry too much about it, you know. It doesn’t matter if you’re not married. She might freak at first, but the woman thirsts for grandchildren, and she’ll take them any way she can get them. She’s going to be overjoyed.”
“I hope so.”
“And you have to tell Evan.”
“No.”
“Then let me.”
“Kelsey, no. Not yet, please. He’ll tell Mom. He won’t be able to resist.”
“The longer you wait, the harder it’s going to be.”
“But I don’t have many answers right now, and I’m only going to be met with a million questions.” Even worse than the thought of telling her mom was telling her dad. She’d have to let her mother do it. “I’m not ready for that.”
“So you’re going to burden me with being the only other person who knows.”
“Please understand. I had to tell someone. Except for Ian, I kinda feel all alone.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way. We’d all be there for you.”
“For now, it does have to be that way.”
“I’m so worried about you.”
She wanted to seethe over that. She wasn’t sixteen. Problem was, at this very moment, she was as helpless and dependent as a sixteen-year-old. She had money that was her own, but certainly not enough to sustain herself and a kid for very long. Being reliant on her parents while she went to school was one thing; they were fine with it because they were so proud of her following her dreams. Being reliant on them for raising her extramarital child, though? They might not be so thrilled about that.
She could fix it, though the option wasn’t one she liked to consider. What if it they refused to support her now? What if the dream of medical school had to trade places with the dream of having children? One of them attainable, one of them all but gone. She could always go back to nursing, they might say. Pay for her mistakes. Nursing would support her and her baby, but she would have to kiss med school good-bye.
“I’m sorry you’re worried. But I’m trying to remain focused on the joy of the situation,” Gabby said a tad more icily than she intended. “Because if I don’t, I might go off the deep end.”
“I understand,” Kelsey said. “I don’t mean to make you upset. But please promise me you’ll tell your parents soon. You need emotional support. You hate me saying I’m worried about you, but I can’t help it. I’m a worrier. Have you been to a doctor yet?”
“No. I got three positive tests three days ago, and that’s where we are.”
Kelsey chuckled. “I think it was three for me too. I was in total shock.”
At least Evan had already proposed and their wedding plans had already been underway. Gabby managed to refrain from sharing Brian and Candace’s little secret. Apparently, they didn’t want to spread the word yet either, or Kelsey would be crowing about it. Gabby made a mental note to call Brian and check on them.
“Are you okay? Like, right this minute? You’re good?”
Gabby had to laugh. “Am I standing on a stool with a noose around my neck? No. I’m good. Promise.”
“I hate being so far away! Dammit. We need to get together. You and I, we’ll figure this whole thing out.”
“Can you come up for a few days?”