Chapter One Beautiful Dreams
Chapter One
Beautiful Dreams
Wolfville, Nova Scotia
“What are you doing here?” I ask as I descend the steps at the Manning School of Business, my heavy backpack slung over my left shoulder. It’s a dreary, damp day, and the chill in the air makes me shiver. “Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”
Jacob saunters toward me, and I can’t believe how relieved I am to see him, because for the past twenty-four hours, I’ve been staring into the abyss. But here he is—the one person in the world who can save the day. And save me.
I pause at the bottom of the steps and watch him approach. He wears faded blue jeans with sneakers and the brown leather jacket I gave him for Christmas.
Though we’ve been together for almost two years, I still feel as if I could fall over backward at the sight of him. He’s so beautiful in every way—especially when he appears unexpectedly as I’m walking out of the computer lab, about to suffer a nervous breakdown.
“The prof canceled at the last minute,” he tells me. “So I figured I’d come and meet you.”
I reach him on the asphalt path and kiss him on the cheek. “I’m happy to see you.”
He looks down at me with a slight frown. “Everything okay?”
He knows me so well.
Two girls walk past on their way into the business school, and I nod silently because I can’t tell Jacob the truth right now. Not here.
“Do you want to go to the cafeteria?” I ask. “I have an hour before Finance.”
“I can’t. I have to go back to the apartment for something, but I came to tell you that I have a surprise for you.”
I raise an eyebrow and incline my head. “A surprise?”
“Yes. Can you come over after class? I’ve got supper planned, and afterward, we can go for a walk.” He looks at me expectantly, and his boyish grin is so adorable that all the tension releases from my body.
“Supper and a walk sounds perfect.”
He smiles and backs away. “Great. I’m making your favorite.”
“Alphagetti?”
He laughs. “No. I got those frozen burgers you like. Sliced cheese. And sandwich pickles.”
My eyebrows fly up. “Burgers with sandwich pickles? You’re my hero.”
“I got carrot cake too.”
“You didn’t.”
“I did.”
I give him a questioning but flirtatious look, because something about this feels special. But I don’t pry. “I’ll see you later, then.”
Watching him walk off, I bury my stress until we can talk properly later, in private.
As soon as I enter my dorm room at Eaton House, I go straight to the phone on my desk. It’s a long-distance call to Dalhousie University in Halifax, but I don’t care. I need to talk to Becky.
Thankfully, she answers after the first ring. “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me. I’m glad I caught you.”
Becky and I have been best friends since seventh grade, when her family moved to Halifax and bought a house a block away from ours.
I was an only child, and at the time, all the kids in the neighborhood were older boys who played ball hockey in the street.
When Becky moved in, we formed an immediate bond.
Weekend sleepovers became the norm for the next six years.
“Sienna,” she says. “This is unexpected. What’s up?”
“Well . . .” I hesitate because I’m not sure how much to reveal. Part of me wants to tell her that I haven’t slept alone a single night since November because I’ve been staying with her brother, in his apartment. And now my period is late.
But I can’t tell her that, because Jacob needs to be the first to hear this.
And he will. I swear, in a few hours, over burgers, I’ll tell him.
But right now, I’m craving information, and if anyone would know what his “surprise” is—and if it’s what I hope—Becky is that person.
She’s his younger sister and greatest confidante.
But I can’t simply launch into it. I learned a long time ago that in order for our friendship to survive, I need to make time for Becky outside of my relationship with her brother.
“How’s it going with you?” I ask. “What happened with the volleyball player last weekend?”
Becky scoffs. “Oh, nothing. He was just a wicked flirt. God, I wish you were here to give me a good shake and remind me that not all guys who talk to me for more than ten seconds are Mr. Right.”
I laugh, but she isn’t exaggerating. Becky has always been a dreamer. She wants a house with a white picket fence, a husband, two kids, and a dog, so it takes nothing for her to fall head over heels in love with any potential Prince Charming at a Friday-night frat party.
But how can I criticize? I’m a dreamer too. I want to be an interior designer and own my own business, and like Becky, I often spend too much time mapping out my future. As a result, I forget to enjoy the present.
Becky’s tone brightens. “But enough about me. Why are you calling in the middle of the day on a Wednesday?”
I pick up a pen and scribble aimlessly on a notepad. “Well . . . Jacob said he has a surprise for me. He’s cooking my favorite supper tonight—burgers and pickles. He even got carrot cake, and he seemed a little . . . I don’t know . . . coy. Do you know anything?”
“I wish I could help, but I don’t know a thing. I swear.”
I lay my hand on my belly. I look down at it and wonder if I’m just bloated. Then the dreadful worry returns.
“Maybe he’s just in the mood for carrot cake,” I say. “And I was looking for an excuse to call you anyway.” I rest my forehead against the wall and let out a heavy sigh. “I wish you were here.”
I also wish we could go back to the days when we were in total control of our futures.
“Is everything okay between you guys?” she asks. “Are you having relationship troubles?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. We’re fine.” I pause. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
Except that I do. I’m terrified that I’m pregnant. How will Jacob take the news? He wants to be an engineer, and he has two more years of school. I don’t want to get in the way of that.
And how will I tell my parents?
I bite my lower lip and wish I could keep this news to myself, at least until I tell Jacob, but my stomach is in knots, and I need to talk to someone. Not just someone. Becky. My best friend.
“I’m late,” I say.
There’s a weighted silence on the other end of the line.
“How late?” she finally asks.
“Ten days.”
She ponders this for a few seconds. “But you’ve never been regular. You’re always late.”
“A few days maybe,” I reply. “A week tops. But never this late.”
“You use protection, though, I assume?”
“Of course. But it’s not foolproof. I honestly don’t know how this could have happened. We’re always so careful.”
“Have you told him yet?” Becky asks.
“No, I’m planning to do that tonight, so please keep this to yourself.” The words spill out of me with desperate pleading.
“It’s in the vault,” she replies. “But you should get a pregnancy test. Like . . . right now.”
I check my watch. “I can’t. I have Finance in twenty minutes.”
“Can you skip it?”
“No, I have to give a presentation, and it’s worth thirty percent of my grade. But I’ll go to the pharmacy right after. I’ll take the test when I get to Jacob’s place.” I realize I’m on the verge of tears. “God, I’m a wreck.” I twirl the phone cord around my finger.
“Try not to worry,” she says. “Maybe it’s just the stress from exams that’s making you late. But if not, we’ll figure it out. No matter what Jacob says, I’m here for you.”
I want desperately to believe that everything will be okay and that I haven’t ruined my life. Or Jacob’s.
“Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” I really mean it. I love her like a sister. “And remember . . . please don’t tell anyone.”
“I won’t breathe a word,” she promises. “But call me later, after you take the test. I won’t be able to sleep tonight if I don’t know.”
“I will—I promise.”
“I’m glad you called,” she says. “I miss you.”
“I miss you too.”
We say goodbye and hang up, and I hurry off to class.
“How did the presentation go?” Jacob asks. He’s sitting outside the front door to his apartment, halfway down the wooden steps. He rises to meet me as I approach.
“Good.” It’s a struggle to sound cheerful.
“I’m sure you did great.” Jacob pulls me into his arms, hugs me, and kisses the side of my head. “Remember when I said I have a surprise for you?”
How could I forget? I step back, nod, and pray it’s a ring.
At least that way, when we break the news to my parents—that I got knocked up at college—we could lead with an engagement.
It would lessen the blow. The future would be settled, no more unknowns, and we could all start making plans.
If I have to put my degree on hold, so be it.
I’m young. I can readjust my career goals, maybe learn about business and interior design through a correspondence course.
Jacob leads me up the steps. “I haven’t told a soul about this.” We reach the landing outside his door. “Close your eyes.”
“Okay.” I shut them and listen to the sound of him opening the door. It squeaks on its hinges. Then he ushers me across the threshold, and I hear a whimper from inside.
I open my eyes, and what do I see? A puppy. A sweet little yellow Labrador retriever, staring at us from a gigantic red cushion on the floor.
I raise my hands to my mouth. “Oh, my goodness!”
The puppy’s tail starts to wag, and my insides turn to jelly. All I want to do is pick him up and cuddle him.
“Where did you get him?” I slowly move closer to the cushion and get down on my knees.
Jacob kneels beside me. “A guy in my class was giving them away because his dog had a litter.”
The puppy ambles toward me, and I sit cross-legged to welcome him onto my lap. I run my hand over his soft little body, and he licks my wrist. His tongue is soft, and it tickles. As I pat his small head, I can’t stop smiling.
“What’s his name?”
“Scooter,” Jacob replies.
I snuggle Scooter close to my chest and kiss the top of his silky-soft head. “What a good name for you.”
When I meet Jacob’s gaze, I realize he’s been watching me with affection. “Do you like him?”