Chapter 9 Madelina #2
“I had everything planned out,” she says with a heaviness in her tone.
“The Manhattan opening was going to be big. I lined up these influencers, plus a celebrity whom I won’t name yet because you’ll freak out.
The house is almost complete, but I wanted to focus on the gardens next and make it extra special.
I was thinking of making it look like a meadow. ”
“Like where Edward and Bella were chilling?”
“Yes,” she replies. “Our wedding was going to be at the property once it was completed. It was going to be small, but still beautiful. And then our dream honeymoon, traveling to Australia so we can hug koalas.”
“Koalas give you chlamydia,” I tell her, then shake my head. “But that’s beside the point. You can still do all that with a baby. It just means plans have to change a little. What does Aston think?”
Her lips quiver as tears glisten in her eyes. Instinctively, I reach for her hand, wanting to provide comfort, and then it strikes me. “Aston doesn’t know, does he?”
She shakes her head, a single tear slipping down her cheek like a tiny waterfall of worry. Aston will be over the moon, and maybe a little freaked out. He’s never expressed interest in having children, but this is Eva, the love of his life.
“Why not tell him? I guarantee he’ll be just as shocked as you are.
You two can navigate this wild ride together.
” I offer her a warm smile, hoping to illuminate the potential beauty in the chaos.
After all, it is a baby, and babies are cute, especially when they’re extra chubby with rolls of fat on their thighs and cheeks, which look like balloons.
“And what if he bolts?” she asks, fear flickering across her face as if it’s a real possibility.
I can’t help but let out a snort of laughter. “My brother? Bolt on you? Please. He’s like a puppy around you, always trailing behind. You’re stuck with him for life.”
“Nice analogy,” she replies, a hint of a smile creeping across her lips. “I don’t know whether to be offended or flattered.”
“You know exactly what I mean.”
Eva bites her bottom lip, her eyes flickering nervously to her phone lying on the table between us, as if she expects it to spring to life at any moment. “He thinks you invited me over because you needed a girls’ night.”
“Oh, girl. Why would you lie to him?” I exclaim, my frustration spilling over as I lean forward, my heartbeat quickening with a mix of concern and annoyance.
“Aston is relentless, and my phone is completely…” I remember my phone on the kitchen counter.
Hopping off the sofa, I pull it off charge only to see its lifeless screen.
I glance at the wall and see the charger only half plugged in. “Dead. I need to charge it.”
“Please don’t tell him,” Eva pleads, her voice trembling and laced with desperation. “I need time to process. I’ll tell him when the time is right.”
“You kind of have to tell him,” I insist gently, hoping to weave some optimism into her. “It’s going to be tough to hide being pregnant for long. What do you have? Like maybe two weeks at best before your stomach starts to swell and your boobs look like Pamela Anderson’s?”
“She removed her implants,” Eva says faintly, as if that even means anything.
“Okay, but just imagine those little tiny baby clothes… and that sweet smell of bab—”
“I know what you’re trying to do,” she interrupts, the light drained from her eyes. “And it’s not working.”
“I’m trying to make you see that this isn’t a bad thing!”
Suddenly, she springs off the couch, her arms crossing tightly over her chest as if to protect herself from the weight of the world. “Maddy, you’re not listening! This is not a good thing. It’s going to ruin everything!”
“Hey, calm down,” I say softly, desperate to soothe her fraying nerves. “I get it.”
“You can’t possibly understand,” she retorts, her eyes blazing with hurt.
“When things got tough for you, you just ran away. I can’t run away from this!
There is no excuse for me making this mistake apart from being stupid one night and taking my birth control late.
I should have known better.” With that, she strides angrily down the hallway and into the dimly lit bedroom.
I sit for a while to collect myself, feeling the sting of her words as they sink in. Yes, I ran away, but why must I always be portrayed as the villain in everyone’s story? It’s as if marrying Myles would have made everything easier. Everyone would have been happy, except for me.
Outside, the sun has set and the night has fallen upon us.
Eva is lying in bed, hugging the pillow, fast asleep.
I slip into my pajamas and crawl under the covers beside her, wishing I could flip the narrative and make her see how great this is.
Wrapping my arms around her, I feel the warmth radiating from her body as she whispers, “I’m sorry, Maddy.
Everything I said…” She sighs. “I’m just really angry with myself. ”
“It’s a lot, I really get it. A big change,” I respond carefully, sensing the fragile state she’s in. “I honestly don’t know how to help you.”
Turning to face me, she offers a small, tentative smile. “Ice cream would be a fantastic start.”
A chuckle passes through my lips, the tension easing ever so slightly. “Okay, bestie. I’ll make a run for it. Chocolate or vanilla? Or are you craving something weird like pickle-flavored ice cream?”
Eva scrunches her nose. “Vanilla is just fine.”
I throw my coat over my pajamas, but leave it unbuttoned, because I can’t be bothered changing.
With my keys in hand, I step out into the night.
The slight chill bites at my skin, and my mind races with a whirlwind of thoughts.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think Eva would have a baby with my brother.
There were no signs back in high school of her being into him, but the moment their forbidden affair came to light, I realized some people were always destined for each other.
The universe dealt its cards, and this is no different.
Eva will have so much support. So why does she think she’ll be alone in this? Then, I start to think about Aston. I can’t imagine him as a dad since our own dad wasn’t paternal.
As I walk the dark street, lit only by the lampposts, I’m lost in a haze of emotions until, suddenly, two firm hands grip my arms, pulling me from my reverie.
Fear shoots into my chest with a potential kidnapping on the horizon.
I glance up quickly and see Elliot in front of me.
His features are shadowed, but there’s an unmistakable tightness in his eyes.
“Oh my God, I completely forgot about tonight!” I gasp, my heart leaping.