Swear (Landry Family 4)

“Hey, Ford!” Mallory calls.

I turn to look at her.

“I told you I saved the best for last,” she winks. “Does this mean I’m right?”

“No,” I say, heading to the door. “It means you stepped in shit and just happened to come out smelling like a rose.”

Ellie

I SLEPT LIKE CRAP IF I even slept at all.

All night, I was buzzing around like I’d drained a pot of coffee. I cleaned the kitchen cabinets, scrubbed the bathroom floors, and found and matched up all the socks strewn around the laundry room. Basically, I did all the chores I put off because I couldn’t sit still.

My emotions went in waves.

Phase One: excitement would rustle in the pit of my stomach as a vision of Ford’s grin or a whisper of his scent would strike my memory.

Phase Two: I’d be planning our future, complete with a dog and a complete set of matching pots and pans from an online wedding registry.

Phase Three: Images of us with a baby would begin to flicker through my mind and the excitement would sour. Almost instantly, I’d be scrubbing with extra vigor fueled by an anger I’ve known for a long time.

“Ford?” I say his name with a hesitation, with a fear that I can taste. My chest heaves as I try to stick to the plan I made up last night after I found out. “I need to tell you something.”

“What is it?” He brushes my hair off my face as I look up at him. My head is on his lap as we lie in the back of his truck. It’s so peaceful, the sun so warm, I want to close my eyes and pretend all of this isn’t real.

Tears kiss my eyes. He looks at me with a slight grin, like he’s waiting on me to tell him I gave my lunch away again today to a kid that didn’t have one or that one of the girls in chemistry was mean to me again. Instead, I rock his entire world.

“I think I’m pregnant.”

“Earth to Ellie,” Violet singsongs. “I know you’re all dolled up today, but you could pretend to be a worker bee like me.”

“Sorry.” I point to the blue card in her hand, trying to shake away the hollowness the memory left behind. “I like that one. Red is too bold.”

“Blue it is,” she sighs. “Do you need another coffee or something? You’re out in la-la land today.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m just exhausted.”

She twists her lips. “Anything you want to tell me?”

“I’m tired because I didn’t sleep because I was cleaning the house last night.” I stand from the table. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”

“Nope. I wanted to hear you didn’t sleep because you were—”

“Don’t say it.”

“You don’t even know what I was going to say!”

“Yes, I do,” I laugh.

“Then tell me.”

“I’m not saying his name.”

“Whose name?”

“Stop it, Violet.”

“You mean . . . Ford’s name?”