Chapter 33
Kia
After everything that happened last night with Laiken, the morning feels deceptively normal.
Elody chatters from the back seat the entire drive to school, her feet swinging as she tells me about a dream she had where her teacher turned into a dragon.
I laugh in all the right places and nod at all the right moments, but my mind keeps drifting back to Laiken’s bed and what it felt like to wake up there this morning.
When I drop her off, she hugs me tight before running toward the doors.
“See you later,” she calls over her shoulder. “Don’t forget that I like the cookies with pink sprinkles the best from the bakery.”
“I won’t,” I promise.
By the time I pull up outside Lakeshore Sweets, nerves are dancing low in my belly. The bell over the door jingles as I step inside, the familiar scent of sugar and espresso wrapping around me, settling the chaos in my mind.
Callie stands behind the counter, her hair pulled into a messy knot. Lilah and Rina sit at the corner table with mugs in hand as Sloane leans back in her chair, her posture relaxed and eyes sharp. I get the feeling that there’s not much that gets past her.
“Okay,” Sloane says with a tilt of her head as her gaze rakes over me.
“Either you slept really well, or you spent a regrettable amount of money online shopping at three in the morning.” She takes another beat to assess me, lips pursed in mock seriousness.
“My guess is that a ton of packages will be showing up within the week.”
Lilah snorts into her drink. “Why can’t it be both? Maybe she shopped and then slept really well.”
I laugh despite myself, the sound coming easier than it has in a while, as Callie rushes around the counter and pulls me into a hug.
“You look good.” She holds me at arm’s length in order to study my face. “Almost like you’re glowing. Working for Laiken obviously agrees with you.”
My pulse ticks up at the casual mention of his name, and there’s no way to calm it.
After I settle at the table, Callie sets a mug of herbal tea in front of me. The small kindness makes my throat burn. With each passing day, I find myself valuing their friendship even more.
At first, we stick to safe topics. Callie talks about a new pastry recipe she’s testing out.
Sloane relays the latest nonsense from the Railers Rumors site.
Lilah teases Callie about how River stops by every day after practice like clockwork and has apparently started helping out in the back, which makes the bakery owner blush and mutter something about needing the extra hands.
It feels so normal. Easy. Almost as if the world hasn’t shifted on its axis.
Throughout it all, Rina watches me without asking questions or prying.
From what I’ve noticed, she has this way of waiting until you’re ready to speak instead of dragging the truth out of you.
It’s like she can sense something big sitting just beneath the surface, something I’m still trying to wrap my own head around.
Even though we haven’t known each other long, there’s a quiet understanding between us.
A connection that goes far deeper than the fact that she’s with my brother.
Maybe it’s because she recognizes the look in my eyes.
Or maybe she just knows what it’s like when your life starts to tilt in a direction you never saw coming.
Whatever it is, I’m grateful for her support. Especially now.
I take a slow breath to steady myself. “Sooo,” I say, even as my stomach flips and my pulse skitters. “There’s something I want to share with all of you.”
The four women at the table still in a way that’s almost comical. Callie sets her mug down carefully, as if she doesn’t trust her hands to hold it steady. Sloane lifts a brow, already suspicious. Lilah smiles, her posture shifting as if she’s bracing for something big.
When I glance at Rina, she gives me a small nod of encouragement.
“I’m pregnant,” I blurt.
For one suspended beat, no one speaks.
Lilah reaches for my hand. “Wow. That’s huge. Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I answer, the truth of it surprising me. For the first time since I found out, the world feels somewhat solid beneath my feet. “I am.”
Callie’s eyes shine as her hand presses to her collarbone. “Oh my God,” she breathes. “Kia…”
Sloane leans back in her chair, lips pursed. “Well, that explains a lot.”
Rina squeezes my hand, her grip firm. “You’re not in this alone,” she says without hesitation. “We’re all here for you.”
My muscles loosen. It’s like I’ve been bracing without realizing it until this moment.
“And,” I add, because there’s no gentle way to ease into the next part, “I’m getting married.”
Callie gasps while Sloane chokes on her coffee, coughing and sputtering before grabbing a napkin to wipe her face.
Lilah’s eyes widen. “You’re getting married?”
Rina’s mouth falls open. She might have known about the baby, but not the marriage.
I nod. “Yes.”
“To who?” Lilah asks carefully. “Do we know him?”
Heat creeps up my neck as I bite my lip. “Yeah. It’s Laiken.”
For a second, no one says a word.
Then all at once, their voices collide, disbelief and curiosity crashing over me.
“Laiken as in the Railers’ Laiken?” Sloane blurts.
“Wait. Our Laiken?” Callie demands, her voice pitched somewhere between surprise and excitement.
“Yeah,” I say with a wince. “That Laiken.”
Rina’s eyes narrow like she’s trying to solve a puzzle. “How the hell did that happen?”
“I’m more interested in when it started,” Lilah says, tightening her grip on my hand.
Sloane wipes the last dribble of coffee from her chin. “I feel like I missed a few episodes of a show and now I’m totally lost. Can we rewind and start from the beginning?”
“He asked me yesterday,” I say.
Which is technically true.
Lilah’s brows shoot up. “That’s… um, fast.”
“I know,” I admit. “And I realize how it looks. All I can say is that it feels right. There’s no other way to explain it.”
The words land differently here than they did with Laiken.
Saying yes to him felt instinctive. Private.
Like something I could tuck between us and keep safe from the outside world.
Saying it out loud here makes it real in a way I can’t take back.
Like I’ve stepped over a line and there’s no retreating.
Lilah studies me for a long moment before nodding. “I get that, and I couldn’t be happier for you. He’s a good man.”
I smile. “He is.”
“What about Oliver?” Callie asks gently. “Does he know yet?”
My stomach dips at the mention of my brother. “No,” I admit. “I still need to talk to him. About everything. So, if you wouldn’t mind keeping this to yourselves for the time being, I’d really appreciate that.”
The table goes quiet again, the weight of it settling over us.
Rina’s hand tightens around mine. “Just remember that your brother loves you,” she says. “I’m sure he’ll need a minute to wrap his head around all of this, but he’ll get there. And if you want, I’ll be there when you break the news.”
When emotion pricks my eyes, I blink hard before nodding. “Thank you, I’d like that.”
Lilah glances around the table. “Well, that officially makes three of us pregnant.”
As soon as her gaze settles on Callie and Sloane, color blooms in Callie’s cheeks.
With a shake of her head, she laughs. “Trust me, River is working on it. Like every day.”
Sloane snorts. “Unless immaculate conception is a viable option, you can count me out for the foreseeable future.”
The table erupts in laughter. It’s the kind that spills over before chasing away any lingering tension. Callie laughs so hard she has to wipe her eyes as she tries and fails to regain control.
As the conversation shifts to Lilah’s and Rina’s pregnancies, stories and jokes weave together easily. I wrap my hands around my mug, allowing the warmth to seep into my palms.
It catches me off guard to realize I feel steadier than I have in a long time.
Not because everything is solved or neatly tied up with a bow.
There are still conversations I’m dreading, decisions I haven’t fully made peace with, a future unfolding faster than I ever anticipated.
But sitting here, wrapped in laughter and the comfort of familiarity, the weight of it all feels lighter.
I’m no longer bracing for impact or feel like I’m suffocating.
Part of that steadiness comes from this group of women and the way they didn’t flinch when I told them about the baby and the marriage. Instead of questioning my decision, they closed ranks without hesitation.
They didn’t ask for explanations or justifications.
They just welcomed me in.
And it’s exactly what I needed.