I’m not pregnant. No. It’s a virus. Or cancer. Or some awful parasite I picked up from bathing in unclean water.

Not. Pregnant.

“Come tinkle on this.” Sydney holds up a pregnancy test. “I have two left. They’re both yours.”

“I’m not pregnant.”

“Then the test should be negative.”

“He’s leaving for Milwaukee on Saturday. And he’s a liar. And …”

Sydney grins. “He’s your baby daddy.”

I roll over, putting Sydney at my back so she doesn’t see my tears. But my body shakes with emotion.

“Ave … no …” The bed dips again as she crawls in next to me and hugs my back. “A baby, Ave. You could be having the one thing you didn’t think you’d have. And I know you want this. I’ve seen you with Ocean and Asher. You are so good with them. You have so much love to give.”

The nausea. The fear. The feeling of complete failure.

“I’m not married … and I don’t even have my own place to live. And I don’t h-have a g-good job … The timing is all w-wrong.”

“No. Nope. No way … You cannot talk to me about bad timing. Hello? You’re talking to the queen of bad timing. But, in case you haven’t noticed, my life is perfection. All the bad timing, all the pain, all the missed opportunities … they led me to here.”

I stare at the gray-blue wall while my sister hugs me.

A baby.

“Give me those sticks.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Jake

She doesn’t call or text. Part of me feels like I should try harder to make things right with her, but a bigger part of me feels like she needs space. It’s what brought her to my place the other night. I have to believe it will bring her to me again.

Maybe not today.

Maybe not even in a few weeks.

But … eventually.

I will wait. I’ll wait forever.

“When should we expect you again?” Seth asks as I close the tailgate to my truck, relishing the last day of balmy salt air as the sun stretches over the horizon.

“Hard to say. Couple weeks? Couple months?”

He chuckles. “What’s that supposed to mean? Why would you be back in just weeks? To check up on Aspen. She’s definitely worth checking up on.” He winks.

I give him a lifted brow. “Behave.”

He salutes me. “Would your indecisiveness have anything to do with her?” He nods to something over my shoulder.

It’s Avery pulling in next to my truck.

“Safe trip, man.” Seth pats me on the shoulder before heading back around to the cafe.

She came to say goodbye. That’s something. I think …