Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
“ I know. I know.” Charlotte ran a hand over her face and grimaced. “I’m not trying to avoid Patrick. Things have just been busy.”
“I don’t know how different dating is nowadays, but I’m pretty sure if you keep putting it off, he’s going to think you’re not interested,” Libby replied after a brief pause. “I know it’s none of my business, but is this because of—”
“No,” Charlotte interrupted with a shake of her head. “It has nothing to do with that. I’ve just been busy preparing for the play.”
With nothing to do but wait for news of a pregnancy, Charlotte had thrown herself into work. She spent her mornings in the auditorium, making changes to the script and playing the songs through her Bluetooth speaker. In the afternoon, she sat down in one of the seats to have her Addison-approved lunch. After lunch, she spent a few more hours at school, going over the drawings for the set.
In her mind, everything was coming together beautifully.
Except for not knowing if she was pregnant.
It had been two weeks, and although they had done everything within their power to time the procedure while she was ovulating, the doctor had cautioned them against getting their hopes up. In most cases, it took a few tries before it worked, and Charlotte didn’t want to keep glancing longingly at her calendar.
Because it wasn’t going to do her any good.
She needed to focus on getting the play ready for when the kids came back. In the meantime, she tried not to think about what would happen if she didn’t get pregnant. More and more, she was beginning to imagine going through the experience and feeling her body transform with each growth, each heartbeat, each milestone. While a small part of her was still terrified and couldn’t quite believe she’d gone through with it, the other part of her was thrilled.
Going through with the implantation had given her life a whole new meaning.
Even though she knew she couldn’t keep the baby, she had nine months of nausea, mood swings, and food aversions to look forward to. Nine months of doctor visits, ultrasounds, and excited conversations with Addison, who had taken it upon herself to act as Charlotte’s guardian.
Every morning, Addison showed up with a cup of coffee and a bagel.
She insisted on walking Charlotte to work and waited till she was behind the glass double doors. When Addison walked off, Charlotte tried to ignore how her stomach dipped and fell with worry.
What if it didn’t work at all?
What was Charlotte going to do then?
With a slight shake of her head, Charlotte turned her attention back to the phone call, only to realize that Libby’s voice was disjointed. She hung up and tried to call her back, but she couldn’t get a signal. Sighing, Charlotte placed her phone on the stool and went back to work.
Patrick came in when she was on a ladder, trying to pin a sign to the wall.
He raced over to steady the ladder. “You sure you want to do that? It looks dangerous.”
Charlotte flashed him a grateful smile. “I’m okay, thanks.”
Patrick steadied the ladder as she climbed down and dusted herself off. “I’m sorry we haven’t had the chance to go on our date.”
“I’m the one who should be apologizing. I feel like I keep getting distracted. How does tonight sound?”
Charlotte’s heart missed a beat, and her stomach was doing odd little somersaults.
She couldn’t believe it was finally happening.
Now , of all times.
But she wasn’t about to miss her opening; otherwise, who knew when she’d have an opportunity like this again?
The butterflies in Charlotte’s stomach had erupted into a frenzy, and her mind was spinning, dizzy and elated with possibility and hope.
Go for it! You deserve to be happy. Worry about the rest later.
Charlotte finally smiled and let out a nervous breath. “Tonight sounds perfect.”
“I’ll pick you up at seven.” Patrick flashed her a smile on his way past, the kind that made her want to melt into a puddle at his feet. Charlotte waited until he was gone to do a little shimmy. Then, she straightened her shoulders and went back to work.
Hours later, she was rifling through her closet and throwing clothes over her shoulders. Her bedroom looked like a tornado had ripped through it, leaving things turned upside down, with clothes littering every surface. With a frown, Charlotte glanced at the clock on the wall and pulled out a knee-length, dark green, sleeveless dress with a sweetheart neckline.
Charlotte hummed to herself as she peeled off her clothes and got into the shower. Steam filled the bathroom as she lathered up shampoo and scrubbed every inch of her body twice. Then, she wrapped a towel around her chest and went into her room. She couldn’t stop smiling as she pulled the dress on and shoved her feet into a pair of sandals.
She was examining her hair in the mirror when the doorbell rang.
Hastily, she gave a few quick spritzes of her Guess Girl perfume and ran into the living room. When she opened the door to reveal Patrick in a pair of dark jeans and a checkered button-down shirt, she nearly giggled like a schoolgirl. With a smile, he handed her a bouquet of roses and leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek.
Her skin was tingling as she beckoned Patrick forward and went into the kitchen. She touched two fingers to her cheek and grinned while she waited for the vase to fill up. Then, she set it down on the kitchen counter, pausing to give the cats a meaningful look. Patrick stood at the mantelpiece with one hand shoved into his pocket and the other hanging limply at his side.
“I’m just going to grab my purse, and we can get going.”
During the car ride to the restaurant, Patrick held her hand and brushed his thumb along the inside of her wrist. He kept one hand on the wheel and nodded along to the music as they drove past the Dairy Queen and the Vista Veterinary Hospital. The restaurant’s pulsing red sign stood in stark contrast to its cream-colored surroundings. Patrick pulled up into an empty spot opposite the New Peking Palace and switched off the engine.
Inside, there were red booths with tablecloths and calming music playing in the background. Waiters in black-and-white uniforms rushed past in either direction. Patrick waited for her to sit down before he slid into the seat opposite her. She was sipping on her water and scanning the restaurant while Patrick studied the menu.
“Everything looks good,” Patrick said, pausing to glance up at her. “What do you feel like having?”
Her stomach grumbled as a waiter carried a tray with steaming hot chicken and vegetables drenched in a thick and creamy sauce.
“I don’t know. How about you pick?”
Patrick frowned. “Are you sure?”
She nodded and draped an arm over her stomach. “Yeah, I don’t know if I can choose for myself. My stomach is feeling a little iffy.”
Patrick lowered the menu, and his eyes tightened. “Do you want me to get you a club soda or some ginger ale?”
“Either would be fine.” She stood up and tossed her hair over her shoulders. “I’ll be right back.”
In the bathroom, she saw the thin sheen of sweat on her forehead and felt the hammering of her heart. Charlotte splashed cold water on her face and counted backward from ten. Then, she studied her reflection in the mirror above the sink and waited for her breathing to even. Once she came out, she saw plates of appetizers laid out on their table.
She forced herself to nibble on a dumpling.
Patrick kept sneaking glances at her. “Are you sure you’re okay? I can take you home, and we can do this another day.”
Charlotte’s stomach clenched when a plate of crisp noodles was set in front of her. “No, I’m okay, really. So, the other day, you were telling me about this idea you had for the science fair.”
Patrick blew on a spoonful of creamy vegetable soup. “Yeah, I was thinking that I would try and pair people up or certain groups. My idea is to encourage them to work on their projects separately but then write a report together about the common factors they share. Science is an interdisciplinary study, and what better way to teach that?”
Charlotte nodded and pushed the food around her plate. “I love that idea.”
Patrick smiled, and his entire face lit up. “Thanks. So, what made you want to be a teacher?”
“Honestly? I kind of stumbled onto it. I didn’t find teaching. It found me.”
Patrick used the napkin to pat his mouth. “I know what you mean. I was thinking of going into the military or something, but it just didn’t feel right.”
Charlotte’s stomach grumbled again, louder than before. She placed an arm over it, and it gave a violent lurch. When she staggered to her feet, she tasted bile in the back of her mouth. Her legs were unsteady as she made a beeline for the bathroom and stumbled into the nearest empty stall. Her knees sank onto the tile floor, and she barely had time to lean over the toilet before she began to throw up.
Her eyes watered, and the back of her throat burned.
Charlotte used the back of her hand to wipe her mouth and blindly groped for the toilet roll. Another wave of nausea hit her, and she ended up emptying the remaining contents of her stomach. When she was done, she pushed herself to her feet and went to the sink. Her face was covered in sweat, and her eyes were glazed as she splashed cold water on her face.
It can’t be, can it?
It took Charlotte a few tries to get her phone out of her purse and scroll through the calendar. Her eyes widened when she saw the date, and she sent Addison a message, her hands trembling the entire time. Patrick was waiting for her by the door, his brows furrowed. In spite of her protests, he took the containers of take-out food and led her to the car.
“I’m so sorry,” Charlotte said when he dropped her off in front of her apartment door a short while later. “I really don’t know what happened.”
“Don’t worry about it, really. I just hope you feel better soon. There are two cans of ginger ale in there.”
Charlotte threw her arms around him and inhaled. “You’re the best.”
Patrick’s arms came up around her and squeezed. “We’ll raincheck when you’re feeling better. Call me if you need anything.”
Charlotte was peeling off her clothes and trying not to grimace when Addison arrived with a few plastic bags. In her room, Addison took out a few pregnancy tests, a large bottle of ginger ale, and a few snacks. For the rest of the night, the two of them watched movies, and Charlotte tried not to think about the pregnancy tests sitting on her dresser.
In the morning, while Addison was still fast asleep, Charlotte tiptoed into her bathroom. She ripped open the box and skimmed through the instructions. Her throat was dry when she set the stick down on the sink and reached for her phone to set the timer. After washing her hands, she went back into the room and did a double take when she saw Addison sitting up, hair a wild mess around her face.
Wordlessly, Addison patted the space next to her.
Charlotte climbed onto the bed and pressed herself against Addison’s side. She tried to ignore the fluttering in her stomach and the ringing in her ears.
Why was her throat suddenly very dry, like she’d run a marathon?
And why did it feel like she wanted to throw up?
Please, God, let it work. Please.
“What if it didn’t work? Please don’t hate me.”
Addison drew back to look at her, and her mouth fell open. “Are you crazy? I could never hate you. You’re doing this huge thing for me…Char, you’re my sister. No matter what happens, you and I are good.”
Charlotte swallowed and ignored the tightening in her chest.
When her timer went off, Addison followed her into the bathroom. With trembling hands, Charlotte picked up the test and held it up to the light. Her knees gave out when she realized there were two pink lines on the test. Addison caught her before she hit the floor and grunted.
“I’m going to call Mason,” Addison whispered into her ear. “How would you feel if we all went out for breakfast?”
Charlotte looked up at Addison’s beaming face and cleared her throat. “Sure.”
Now that she was actually pregnant, Charlotte couldn’t tell if the urge to throw up was because of her nerves or the baby now growing inside of her.
Or was it both?
Either way, there was no going back now.