Feels Like Home (Southern Bride 5)

“Christ,” Robert mumbled. “You two could have made me a fortune.”

Anson laughed and rolled his eyes. Then he winked at me, and I felt butterflies in my stomach.

“Just a few more tweaks, I think,” Logan stated. “Do you want any other musicians to come in and record?”

“No. Let’s keep it organic like that,” Anson said.

“You’ve got it, Boss.”

Anson stood and reached out for my hand. “If you’ll excuse us, gentlemen, I’ve got to get my bride-to-be back to Texas.”

One minute I was recording a song in Anson’s studio, the next, I was on a private plane heading back to Texas.

I curled up next to Anson, fighting to keep my eyes open. I had no idea why I had been so exhausted the last few days. Anson hadn’t even woken me up in the middle of the night to make love to me, and he let me sleep in this morning. Something that I never did.

I fell asleep in the arms of the man I loved with a smile as big as Texas on my face.

I sat on Mindy’s bathroom floor and stared at nothing in particular.

Mindy cleared her throat and asked, “Are you convinced now?”

I looked up and saw the pregnancy test and felt my stomach lurch once more. It was the fifth test I’d taken, and each of them read positive. The realization that I was pregnant hadn’t yet sunk in. Or I was too terrified for that. I was still trying to get used to the idea of being engaged, and now I was pregnant.

Slowly, I shook my head. “I was supposed to go to the doctor’s to get on the pill, Mindy.”

“Well, looks like you’re not going to need it now.”

She pushed the home pregnancy tests I had taken out of the way.

“Did you really not believe them when they said you were pregnant?”

“No! We only had unprotected sex once! Once!”

She grimaced. “I hate to tell you this, but that’s all it takes. And a guy’s sperm stays active for like five days or something. Plus, condoms aren’t a hundred percent effective.”

I buried my face in my hands. “Why! Why is this happening now? We just only got engaged! Everything was…perfect.”

She pulled my hands away from my face and looked at me. “It still is perfect. It’s just another part of God’s plan. It’s fate.”

“Fate? Oh my God. Anson is going to freak! He has a tour this summer in Europe. He wants me to go!”

“You can go. My God, Bristol, you’re pregnant, not dying. You even told me that it was okay to have fun before you have a baby.”

I shook my head and tried to figure out how in the hell this was all happening. Two days ago I was sitting in Anson’s recording studio singing a song for a damn record, and now I was sitting on my best friend’s bathroom floor freaking out because I found out I was pregnant while trying to get on birth control pills to keep from getting pregnant.

“It’s going to change everything. Anson isn’t going to be able to be in Comfort full-time. I know that. I was fine with that. But now a baby. How often will he be able to see the baby? How much of this am I going to have to do alone?”

I buried my face again.

“Oh my God! I’m already complaining! What in the hell is wrong with me?”

Mindy laughed and peeled my hands back once more.

“Listen to me, Bristol. It’s going to be okay. I know this baby wasn’t planned and the timing is off. But it’s happening, and y’all will figure it out. You’ve got plenty of time to do so.”

I nodded. “I know. I know.”

With a deep exhale, I stood and leaned against the sink. “And I am honestly over-the-moon happy that I’m pregnant with Anson’s baby. I am. But is he going to be happy?”

She laughed. “He’s going to be so freaking happy. Trust me.”

“Our future is so up in the air. I mean, yes, we’re getting married, but we just told our folks yesterday. Anson’s still trying to work things out with his father. And now we’re throwing a baby into the mix.”

My shoulders dropped as my head fell back. “I just wanted to spend some time with Anson. Now I’m going to be fat and sick all the time.”

“Um, excuse me? Is that how you see me?”

Laughing, I grabbed her hands in mine. “No! Of course not.”

I took a deep breath and got back to the point. “Anson mentioned the record company wanted three more albums. We’ve both followed his career—you know how much time he needs to travel to promote them.”

“That was then, this is now. He’s made a name for himself. He’ll probably have more of a say on his tours.”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“You’ve got all of us here. Me, Drake, your folks, Anson’s parents. Irwin and Ida. There’s a whole load of people who are here for you.”