Oops, I've Fallen

But that relief disappears when I see Ryan sitting in the kitchen, still dressed in his suit, concern creating a line across his forehead.

“W-what are you doing here?” I question, and he’s on his feet.

“My dad told me I needed to get home immediately,” he says and pulls me into his arms. “Whatever is going on, sweetheart, we’re going to deal with it together, okay? Whatever you found out at the doctor, it’s going to be okay.”

Oh, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me.

I shut my eyes for a brief moment and then look over Ryan’s shoulder to where my mom stands beside Sal. Both of them have giant, huge, ridiculous smiles on their faces that I have the urge to smack right off.

“Well, I guess good news travels fast, huh?” I say, enunciating each word and glaring at my mom.

“Good news?” Ryan leans back and searches my eyes. “What are you talking about?”

Oh, here we go…

“Maybe you should sit down for this,” I say, and he shakes his head.

“Carly, what’s going on?”

“Are you sure you don’t need, like, a glass of water or something?” I ask and try to extricate myself from his hold, but he’s persistent.

“Carly, what I need right now is for you to explain to me why my dad told me I needed to leave work right away.”

Shit.

“So…funny story,” I start, and I’m so terrified about his reaction, I can’t even maintain eye contact with him. My gaze fixates on my shoes. “Remember when you proposed on our mountain and I said yes?”

He furrows his brow. “Yeah…”

“Well, I was kind of sort of wrong about you not wrapping your sausage.”

“Huh?”

Just say it, Carly. Just freaking say it.

“I’m pregnant!” I blurt out, and Ryan blinks what feels like a thousand times.

“You’re pregnant?”

I nod.

“You’re pregnant?” he asks again.

“I’m pregnant,” I repeat, but my voice is so small, I’m surprised he even hears it. “I’m so sorry. I really thought not using a condom wasn’t a big deal, but I was definitely wrong.”

That takes him back a step. “Why are you sorry?”

“Because I know this wasn’t a part of the plan. With the wedding and—”

“Carly, besides saying you’ll marry me, you just told me the best news of my life.” And to my surprise, he kneels, places both hands gently on my stomach, and gazes up at me. “Our baby is right here,” he says, his voice filled with awe and fresh emotion. He slides my T-shirt above my belly and presses his lips to my bare skin. “Our baby.”

“Our baby.” I place my hands over his, and tears stream down my cheeks at the joy in his voice and the way his heart is now in his eyes.

“I can’t fucking believe it!” And then he’s on his feet again, lifting me up into his arms and laughing and smiling and spinning us around. “We’re having a baby!”

I giggle through my tears, and when he steadies us to a stop, he presses his lips to mine.

“I love you, Carly. So damn much.”

“I love you too.”

Ryan wraps me up in his arms again, hugging me and kissing my forehead, and before I know it, Sal and Stella are joining in.

“I can’t believe our kids are giving us a grandbaby!” my mom exclaims, and Sal chuckles.

“I know one thing, Stell.”

“And what’s that?”

“This baby is about to be the most loved little person on the planet.”

His words encourage fresh tears to fall down my cheeks, and Ryan pulls me back into his arms, kissing my lips with ardent fervor. “I don’t like to make a point of agreeing with you, Dad, but I can say with certainty, you’re right about that.”

Sal grins while my mom blubbers into his shoulder.

And I stand there, wrapped up in my fiancé/stepbrother/baby’s daddy’s arms, feeling like the happiest girl in the whole wide world.

“I can’t believe I’m having my stepbrother’s baby,” I say through a giggle, and Ryan laughs, smiling down at me.

“Best life ever.”

Yeah. It certainly is.

“This almost too much good news to comprehend!” my mom exclaims, her face still semi-muffled by Sal’s shirt. “Not only do I get to plan another Sunny Creek wedding, but a Sunny Creek baby shower, too!”

Ryan looks at me with entertainingly big eyes. “A Sunny Creek wedding?” he questions, his voice only loud enough for my ears. “There’s no fucking way.”

“You don’t want to get married at Sunny Creek?”

He shakes his head. “No. Not at all.”

“But wouldn’t it be fun?” I ask with a little grin.