“Are you sure you want to go all the way—”
“Yes. God, yes.”
Two towns over, maybe even four. God, buying a pregnancy test in the Cove was asking for my damn name to be on the front of the newspaper by morning. Not to mention The Cove Facebook group. I’d seen exactly how that had worked with Vee from Brewed Awakening. And she wasn’t even pregnant at the time.
The viral gossip-fest heated up the minute someone had the stomach flu, for God’s sake. Flu or baby flu? The whispers started immediately. Even more than a few years ago.
Now it was a near pandemic in this town. And I was pretty sure I had it.
My hand slid over my still very flat belly. Yes, I’d gained a few pounds, but it was more of a…suck it in in and zip those pants a la high school. Okay, so I’d done the button expander thing, but it wasn’t like I had to buy a whole new wardrobe.
Yet.
That little voice needed to be squashed.
Zoe and Maggie had been very understanding—especially Zoe. She even told me I could ask any questions I had.
And more importantly, she said she wouldn’t tell Ian or Rory.
It might be a false alarm.
It might be gas.
It might be ice cream.
It might be denial.
Kinleigh reached over and took my hand. “Everything is going to be fine.”
I nodded. “I know.”
Sort of. The terror was abating the farther we got out of town. Now it was just knots of nerves and confusion. We’d been careful. Had it happened in the car? That had been wild and careening toward insanity.
All it took was one swimmer. Didn’t every teacher say that to strike terror into teens in high school? I knew my teachers had. Enough that teen pregnancy was barely a thing in town. I could count the number of them on the fingers of one hand.
We didn’t speak for most of the drive. We went to the one lone 24-hour pharmacy halfway to Syracuse. I bought two tests. I was tempted to buy the entire aisle of offerings, but I knew in my heart I already was. This was just a formality.
So many things made sense.
By the time Kinleigh pulled into my driveway, I’d shredded the bag handles. I looked up with a puzzled frown. “I thought you were bringing me back to my car.”
“Pretty sure you shouldn’t be driving at the moment.” She unbuckled her belt.
“I think I need to do this alone.”
Kinleigh’s eyebrows snapped together. “Bad idea.”
“I just…I kinda just need to—”
“Fall apart alone? No, ma’am.” She opened her door and stalked up the driveway.
Sighing, I shoved the bag into my purse and followed. The light was on, but August’s truck still wasn’t there.
Maybe it would be better if she did stay with me. I wasn’t ready to keel over about this anymore, but I was suspiciously numb. As if it was simply a foregone conclusion.
I lifted my chin and breezed through the door. I dumped my keys in the bowl on the table inside the door just like always. The kitchen light was on and Kinleigh was sitting on one of the bar stools with her arms crossed.
“I’m not leaving.”