Chapter 19 - Nora
I rolled out of bed once I smelled coffee. I made my way downstairs and found Kaleb sitting at the island, his phone in hand. Two mugs of coffee were sitting on the island, one he was sipping on while the other sat next to him.
I walked over and slid into the second seat. “Morning.”
He looked at me and softly smiled. “Morning. What are your plans today?”
I thought of yesterday and the extra animals that we brought back from the pet shop. There were extra mouths to feed at the shelter, so I wanted to get to work early.
“The shelter.”
Charlie barked, catching both of our attention. He was sitting on the couch, still half asleep, but he looked comfortable and happy. Kaleb looked at me. “Someone is starting to feel at home.”
I couldn’t help but smile in agreement with him. Things between us were still off, but at least we were getting along. When this was all said and done, maybe we would be okay.
“And your plans?”
“I have a meeting with Brandon to go over what the plan is after yesterday.” I thought of the mess that was there. The injured people and how their Alpha refused help. How the animals didn’t matter. We knew that was only the beginning of their problems. The hybrids were making their mark quietly.
“Do you think the town is going to end up like the other one had?”
Kaleb didn’t say anything, but his face gave it away. He did. It was only a matter of time.
“Brandon requested a meeting with their Alpha, so we shall see if he accepts. He would be an idiot not to. Or at least just to fricken meet and discuss things. He knows what’s out there, so he can’t exactly turn a blind eye to it.”
I looked down at my coffee. I felt that same twist I’d felt last night when we left. All those people who needed help but wouldn’t accept it. Their Alpha refused it.
“Oh, I made you some eggs and bacon. It’s in the microwave.” Kaleb pulled himself up and set his mug beside the sink. “Do you have plans tonight?”
I shook my head. “No, why?”
“How about another date?” he asked, pausing next to me. “We could go do mini golf. They close up this weekend, but the weather is supposed to be nice tonight.”
I thought about it, considering it might be a good idea. Not under dimmed lights and food, but rather outside doing something. It would be a nice change of pace.
“You know what, that sounds lovely.”
He smiled. “Great, I’ll be home around five, and we can go. They have some really good food there that we can grab when we are done.”
I nodded as he headed out. I took a few sips of my coffee, feeling my stomach stir. I ignored it, knowing I was starving from yesterday. I didn’t have the stomach to eat anything last night, and I was hungry.
I opened the microwave and inhaled the smell of bacon and eggs. But instead of smiling, I felt my stomach flip violently, and I could feel puke form in the back of my throat.
I slammed the door shut and turned, covering my mouth as I skittered across the floor toward the sink. I gagged as I leaned over, puking up the pile of coffee I had managed to drink.
I felt hot for a moment and pressed my forehead against the sink faucet as I turned it on.
I took a few slow breaths, wondering if I caught a bug. I’d been stressed to the max, and I knew that with the cold weather coming on, it made sense. But I glanced at the microwave, knowing that wasn’t it.
I remembered when Jade first got sick. We were in her kitchen cooking up fajitas, planning to relax and discuss school. But I saw the way her face went pale, and she went running when that smell filled the room.
I shook my head, trying to count back. There couldn’t be. Kaleb and I had only done it once. There was no way it was possible.
I headed upstairs into the bathroom and dug into my bathroom bag. I looked at my tampons and realized I was late. Only a few days, but late nonetheless.
“Shit.”
I dug some more until I found the pregnancy test. It was from the same box that Jade had used years ago. I should have thrown it out, but I just shoved it into the bag and never really thought about the fact that I still had it.
I scowled, knowing it was expired, and they say you shouldn’t use expired ones, but in the moment, I didn’t care.
I shut the door and yanked my pants down as I ripped the test free from the box. I bent over the toilet and peed, thinking about how Jade had been through this.
I remembered going to her house after she called me. She was sitting on her bathroom floor, numb. She held the pregnancy test up, looking so broken. I didn’t know what to do, how to make her feel better. It was something neither of us was expecting.
I cleaned my hands and paced while I waited.
I tapped my finger on my thigh, trying to think of how this wasn’t possible.
Sure, Jade got pregnant from one change, but that was because we were young.
It was two different people with two different bodies.
There was no way lightning would strike twice.
And honestly, the chances of getting pregnant the first time were low. I was just overthinking this. I was stressed from everything going on and making a mess of myself.
I turned and grabbed my phone, calling Jade. I heard it ring a few times before she picked up. “Jesus, do you even know the time?”
“Hey, uhm…are you busy?”
I stopped pacing and looked at the test.
“No, because it’s the ass crack of dawn. Why do you sound off?”
“Can you come over?” I grabbed the test and stared at the pink line. “And bring a pregnancy test.”
Jade was over twenty minutes later. She came into the bathroom, looking out of breath, her hair a mess, and her jacket half on. She looked at me with wide eyes. “What the fuck.”
My eyes went to the bag in her hand, and I knew she got me what I needed. “Hi.”
“No, don’t hi me.” She kicked the door shut and pulled the pregnancy test out. Her eyes then went to the sink where the other one was. She walked over. “Holy shit! Are you serious!? Did you take one already?”
I snatched the box from her and frowned. “Please, just…let me pee on this first before you start asking questions.”
Jade picked the test up. “Why did I bring you one when you have one?”
“That’s from your box.”
I yanked my pants down and ripped the box open, pulling the test out.
“You still had a test from when I was worried?” Jade turned around, looking at me like I had grown another head. “Why?”
“I got it in a deal, two for one. I threw the other in my bag, and sort of forgot about it.”
“That was over three years ago. This has expired.”
“Hence why I called you to bring me one.”
She looked back at the test. “It’s positive.”
“Stop talking, please.” I placed my head in my hands, trying to get myself to pee. I was nervous now, mostly because of the test in Jade’s hand. If this was really happening, I was fucked.
I finally managed to pee on the test and wash my hands. Jade had perched herself on the small bench by the window. “So, who are you having sex with?”
“It was one time,” I countered. “Not like I’m doing it regularly.”
Jade frowned. “Was my child not enough of an example of what not to do?”
“It’s not the same, Jade. You were fricken eighteen. I’m twenty-two.”
She snorted. “The point still stands. Why didn’t you use a condom?”
I ran my hands over my face. “We didn’t think.”
“Clearly,” she said. She tilted her head. “Who is it?”
I set the test down and sighed. “Your brother.”
Her eyes widened. “Holy shit!”
I pulled my hands up. “And you can’t tell him!”
Her mouth dropped open. “What! You can’t put that on me.”
“I might not be.”
She grabbed my first test. “It’s positive.”
“That’s expired!”
“Jesus, Nora. You can’t keep this from him.”
“We don’t know for sure.”
Jade sighed. “I thought you guys were faking this. Are you guys really dating now?”
I shook my head. “No, we’re not really dating. We aren’t anything. It happened one time. It was a heat of the moment.” I started to pace again. “Fuck, this is not what I need right now.”
“What are you going to do?”
I didn’t know. I hardly had my life pulled together before this, and to think about adding a child to the mix. I leaned against the wall and slid down. I pulled my legs close and sighed. “I don’t know. I just keep thinking about when you were the one on the floor, and I was the one comforting you.”
Jade gave me a hurt smile. “It’s not the same.”
“Isn’t it?” I asked, feeling my voice crack. “Your brother has made it very clear that he doesn’t want children. He doesn’t want a wife.”
“My brother is an idiot. He doesn’t mean that.”
I looked away, chewing on my cheek. I looked down at my hands and the test that was tightly wrapped in them. I slowly unfolded my hands and stared at the test. The pink plus line stared back at me.
A few tears built up. “Well, looks like you’re going to be an aunt.”
It took Jade twenty minutes to get me downstairs onto the couch. She offered me a cup of tea and sat across from me. I stared at the test on the table, questioning how I got here to begin with.
“It’s going to be okay.”
“I’m going to be a single mom,” I said softly.
Jade shook her head. “No, Kaleb will be here.”
“We won’t be together, Jade. I’ll be a single mom.”
“You have to tell him,” Jade added.
“You mean like you told Brandon?”
Jade frowned. “I made a mistake not telling Brandon. Do not make the same one. Brandon also left, so I didn’t exactly have a way to tell him.”
I looked at my tea. “I just can’t believe it.”
“I get the feeling.” Jade leaned back. “This is Deja vu.”
I looked at Jade, who smiled at me. “As scared as you are right now, you have to know this is a blessing.”
I thought of the first time I met Ilsa. She was this little bundle of cuteness. Jade looked like a different person afterward. For Ilsa, she would do anything.