26. Chapter Twenty-Six #2
Ana slides closer, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. “Sweetie, that’s, like, the number one rule of fuck buddies,” she says softly, pulling back just enough to meet my eyes. “You’re not supposed to fall in love.” She lets out a gentle laugh, brushing the tears off my chin.
My face scrunches, more tears slipping free. “Well… somebody should’ve told me that,” I murmur.
She pulls me in again, and I bury my face in her shoulder, the tears coming in waves I can’t hold back.
Eventually, my breathing slows, and the sniffling eases up. I sit up, wiping at my face with the sleeve of my hoodie.
Ana gives me a small, closed-mouth smile. She opens her mouth like she’s about to say something; but then hesitates.
“So… are you?” she finally asks, her voice careful.
I blink. “Am I what?”
“Pregnant,” she says quietly.
And suddenly, I’m eighteen again—sitting on Ana’s bed, crying my eyes out because I’d just found out I was pregnant with Charlotte.
I shake my head, trying to clear the thought. “I really don’t think so. I’m on the pill, and I take it every day.”
She tilts her head, giving me a look. “Okay, that’s great,” she says, then raises an eyebrow. “But did you guys use protection ?”
I don’t answer right away. My eyes drop to my lap as guilt creeps in.
I feel like a total idiot. I’m an RN. I know better.
I’ve had this exact conversation with patients—hell, I’ve given the lecture more times than I can count.
And here I am, sitting on my bed, wondering if my birth control failed me.
Ana pulls her phone out of her pocket, thumbs tapping fast as she stares at the screen.
“What are you doing?” I ask, trying to sneak a glance.
She shrugs, still typing. “Texting James. Asking him to grab a test.”
My heart leaps into my throat. “You can’t do that!”
“Already did,” she says with zero remorse, turning the screen toward me.
James
Yeah, no problem. I’ll leave them on the porch, and no, I won’t tell Jax.
I shake my head, my cheeks already burning with a mix of embarrassment and disbelief. “I can’t believe you texted James .”
Ana just shrugs, completely unfazed. “Well, you need to know, Allie. You can’t just sit around, possibly carrying Jax’s love child and not do anything about it. You’re a nurse, you know how important the first trimester is.”
“It’s too early to tell anyway!” I nearly shout. “It’s been three weeks. It wouldn’t even be accurate.”
“Allie, I love you, but you forget I was there for both of your pregnancies,” she says, matter-of-factly. “You found out with Lydia at this stage.”
I roll my eyes, not wanting to entertain the idea anymore.
What if my birth control failed? What would we do then? Would it change anything between us? Can I handle the stress of a surprise pregnancy while still figuring out life with the girls I already have?
Before I can further descend into my spiral, Ana’s phone buzzes.
“He’s here,” she says, standing from the bed. “I’ll be right back.”
She heads downstairs, and when she comes back, she hands me the test like it’s some kind of contraband. I slip into the bathroom, trying to get it over with as fast as possible.
Sitting on the edge of the tub, the test gripped tightly in my hand, I stare at the blinking clock. Anxiety has me in a chokehold, making it feel like I can’t breathe.
Maybe I should’ve waited for Jax. How would he even handle something like this? We’ve only been seeing each other for three and a half weeks.
My heart’s pounding in my chest, creeping closer to panic attack territory.
I pinch my eyes closed and blow out a long, shaky breath.
When I finally open them, my eyes fall to the test in my hand. NOT PREGNANT .
I should feel relieved, right?
Why does it feel like there’s a small weight in my chest, like a lingering disappointment I can’t quite shake?
It’s definitely for the best, but something in my gut tells me Jax wouldn’t be the type to leave me high and dry.
He’s going to make an amazing dad one day.
There’s a soft knock at the door, three quick taps, before it creaks open.
“It’s been like ten minutes. Didn’t want you to, you know, fall in or something,” Ana jokes, giving me a smile before stepping inside. “So… am I gonna be an aunt again?”
I shake my head and show her the test before tossing it into the trash.
She places a hand over her heart and lets out a low whistle.
“Thank God.” She laughs, but her tone softens almost immediately.
“And I don’t mean that in a ‘thank God because you’re a terrible mom’ kind of way,” she adds, walking over to sit beside me.
“I just think you and Jax should probably know each other a little better before you start bringing insanely talented, redheaded musical prodigies into the world.”
I chuckle, glancing up at her. “Don’t worry, I know what you mean.”
She leans over and gently tilts my chin so I meet her eyes. “It’s okay to feel disappointed. You know that, right?”
I nod, then rest my head on her shoulder, letting out a long sigh. “Thank you for not being mad at me.”
“I actually have a confession to make.” Her voice is soft, but I can hear the hesitation in it.
I glance up at her, my brow raised, waiting for her to continue.
“I actually already knew you guys were together.”
My mouth falls open. “How?”
She laughs lightly. “It was obvious. I told Jax earlier. He was going to tell you, I’m sure, but… well, you know.”
I slouch, letting the weight of that sink in. “So Nora had a point,” I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper.
“She did,” Ana admits, nodding. “But she went about it the wrong way. She said some things that weren’t fair.”
“Do you think she’ll still come tomorrow?”
“She better,” Ana says firmly. “That wouldn’t be fair to the guys if she doesn’t. The barbecue’s to celebrate their record, so if she bails, that’s pretty messed up, especially since she’s with Gareth.”
I nod, the uncertainty still gnawing at me. “Hopefully, we can fix this.”
Ana smiles softly. “You guys will. Just give her time,” she says, standing up. “Come on, let’s go eat some Ben & Jerry’s.”
I shake my head slowly, a small laugh slipping out of me as I rise from the edge of the tub. My eyes immediately flicker to the test in the bin, and I quickly glance at it again to make sure I read it right.
Do I tell Jax this was even a possibility? Or just leave it alone?
Can I fix my friendship with Nora, or has it already gone too far?
So many damn questions, with no time to sort them all out. But by tomorrow… hopefully, I’ll have the answers.