I laugh. “I feel so much better talking to you instead of holding it all inside.”
“I can only imagine. You will feel a million times better once you tell your family and Dean. Go make a reservation for a plane ticket and schedule a call with your brothers.”
“I wish I didn’t have to do it over the phone.” I sigh. “Duke is going to have a stroke when I tell him.”
Becca pats me on the shoulder. “Good luck. Duke has one hell of a temper. I wouldn’t want to see it if I were Dean.”
“He likes Dean, even though he gives him shit. All my brothers do. My dad adores him.”
“Yeah, but how will they feel about him once they know he got you pregnant and then went off to play hockey in another city?”
“It’s not his fault. I never told him.”
“True but look at it from your dad and brother’s point of view. They will assume that he knew since Dean is your best friend.”
“It will look like he abandoned me,” I mutter, deflated.
“Uh-huh.”
“But Dean would never do that.”
Becca gets up from her chair and grabs both of our lunch trays. “We know that but do your brothers?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
As she walks away from our table to dispose of the trash, I wonder if she has a point. My family might not see things the same as me. The twins will feel betrayed by Dean. Duke will be angry that I proved him right. Austin will be upset that I was too afraid to tell him. But my dad will be the most disappointed of all.
Can I do this? Do I have the strength? I held off on making this decision for a reason. But was it even a good one? I guess it’s time to do the right thing.
With my entire family living in different cities, I had no choice but to schedule a meeting with them over the phone. When I was younger, we did this all the time. It was my father’s way of keeping up with our lives when he was on the road.
I sit on my bed, lift the receiver with a shaky hand, and call Austin first since his voice puts me at ease. Like Dean, Austin always knows the right things to say. Then, I conference in Theo and Tucker, who scream into the phone, followed by Duke and my dad. I saved them for last because telling them terrifies me the most. In some ways, I see Duke as an extension of my dad.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Dad yells into the phone as if he’s trying to talk over a crowd. “What’s up? I’m on the air in about thirty minutes.”
“I need to tell you all something important. Are you sitting down?”
“What did you do?” Duke growls.
“Why would you assume I did something wrong, Denny?”
He blows into the receiver, annoyed because he hates that I use his real name. “Sorry.”
“What I want to tell you guys is hard for me to say. Can you just let me get it off my chest without interrupting me?”
They all agree.
I suck in a deep breath and let it out. Nervous energy shoots through my body in waves, setting my skin on fire. Becca was right. The stress is bad for the baby. The more anxious I get, the more I notice him kicking me. It’s as if he can sense my moods and is upset along with me.
“I’m pregnant,” I blurt out.
Relief washes over me now that I have gotten my secret off my chest.
“You’re what?” Dad says. “Did you say you are pregnant, Kat?”
“Yes, Dad. I am pregnant. I wanted to tell all of you in person, but our schedules never line up.”
“Are you sure? Did you go to the doctor?” Dad asks.