Chapter 51 Melanie
MELANIE
Ishoved more clothes into my suitcase, hands shaking as I zipped it up.
Loco whined at my feet, sensing the tension in the air.
I bent down, scooping him up as I tried to steady my breathing.
Abigail and Colt were already on their way to the airport when I called, which meant I was lucky Josh was still in town.
He had one more week before heading back to college, and he’d been generous enough to pick me up.
Now, I just had to get out before Nick came home.
But as I grabbed my suitcase and turned for the door, my chest ached, like I was leaving something behind that I couldn’t afford to lose. It was stupid. We weren’t even a real couple.
So why did this hurt so damn much?
I shouldn’t want to be pregnant. I knew that. But a small, irrational part of me had hoped for the fairy tale—something like what Abigail got. Something normal. A life that didn’t feel like it was constantly on the verge of shattering.
I shoved the thought down. It didn’t matter.
“Okay, let’s go,” I muttered to Loco, and before I could change my mind, I threw my suitcase into the back of Josh’s car.
Josh arched a brow, crossing his arms. “Now, are you actually gonna tell me what the hell is going on? Did he cheat? Because if this is just a fight, Melanie, I don’t want to get in the middle of it. Nick already looks at me like he wants to put me through a wall.”
“Just drive,” I said, climbing into the passenger seat. “I need time to think.”
Josh sighed but slid into the driver’s seat anyway. “Fine. But you better start talking once we’re on the road.”
For the first five minutes, he stayed uncharacteristically silent. But I knew him—Josh was dying to say something.
Then my phone rang. Again.
I glanced down. Nick.
My stomach twisted. My head was a mess, torn between answering and pretending like I hadn’t seen it.
I wanted to hear his voice, to make sense of what the hell this was between us.
But I also needed space. I needed to find out if I was pregnant before I let him or anyone else dictate what came next.
Josh caught my hesitation. “That’s him, isn’t it?”
I nodded.
“Well, answer it,” he said, exasperated. “You two need to talk. I know you suck at communicating, but if you’re leaving, at least tell him.”
The thought of leaving Nick made my chest tighten. Why did it feel like I was breaking my own heart?
“He didn’t cheat,” I finally admitted.
Josh blinked in surprise. “Wait—he didn’t?”
“No.” I let out a breath, raking a hand through my hair. “He came home and thought I was hiding alcohol. But it wasn’t that. It was a pregnancy test.”
Josh went silent.
“…Okay,” he said slowly. “I’m missing something here. You two are married. What’s the big deal? Yeah, it’s a little soon, but his mom will probably throw a goddamn parade.”
“Stop saying that.”
Josh scrunched his nose. “Saying what?”
“That I’m pregnant.”
“Well… aren’t you?”
I turned to glare at him. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know?”
“Is there an echo in here?” I snapped. “I haven’t taken the test yet.”
Josh stared at me like I’d grown a second head. “Why the hell not?”
An image of Nick’s face flashed in my mind—the fear in his eyes, the sheer panic when he realized what I was holding. It wasn’t just the idea of being a father that scared him. It was being a father to my child.
“Because it wasn’t part of the deal,” I murmured. “And if I am… it changes everything.”
Josh was quiet, but I knew him well enough to see the wheels turning in his head. He was trying to piece it all together, trying to understand.
If I could trust anyone in this world. It was Josh and Abigail. And If I told them my secret…they’d carry it to their graves. And if I told them everything… maybe they’d be able to give me the advice I so desperately need.
I set my phone onto the coffee table and curled into the corner of the couch, hugging a pillow against my chest. My thoughts swirled in chaos.
“You make me want to have a drink,” Abigail muttered through the speaker, her voice sharp with exasperation.
Josh, sitting across from me on the couch, cracked open a beer and took a slow sip, eyes locked on me. “Yeah, well, I already beat you to it.”
Abigail sighed heavily. “I called you back the second Colt left for his photoshoot. When you said it was urgent and then didn’t answer right away, you damn near gave me a heart attack. Don’t you know not to make a pregnant lady worry?”
Guilt twisted in my chest. I traced small circles on the couch cushion with my finger, focusing on the soft fabric instead of their concerned faces. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “I figured it was easier to FaceTime you with Josh here rather than repeat the whole thing.”
It should have felt like old times—late-night talks in college, confiding in each other about everything. But this wasn’t carefree nostalgia. This was my reality unraveling, and I had no idea how to fix it.
“I just wish you had told me sooner about all this, Mel. We’re supposed to be best friends.”
“I know. I’m sorry,” I said softly.
“Don’t be,” Abigail said quickly, but then she hesitated. “Actually… maybe a little. I mean, this is kinda your fault.”
“Abs.” I shot her a warning look, but she held up her hands in surrender.
“Sorry, sorry. I just mean… anyone could have forgotten to take their birth control with everything you’re dealing with. I’m just mad because I wish you had told me you needed help, about your diabetes, all of it. You shouldn’t have gone through this alone.”
I exhaled, rubbing my temples. “I wanted to tell you. But Nick didn’t want to risk anyone finding out. We could get in serious trouble.”
“I know.” Abigail’s voice softened, and for a moment, there was silence. Then she suddenly moved away from the camera, disappearing from view.
I sat up, frowning. “Where are you going?”
When she reappeared, she was holding a thick book. She dropped it onto the table in front of her with a dramatic thud.
“Okay,” she said, flipping through the pages. “What’s Nick’s birthday?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Seriously? You’re pulling out a zodiac book right now?”
Josh snorted, shaking his head. “This is why I drink.”
“Hey,” Abigail defended, still scanning the book. “I’m just trying to give you some direction. I already know yours—September seventh.”
I rolled my eyes. “June twenty-third.”
“Ooooh, cusp baby,” she mused, running her finger down the page. “Those cusp babies are my favorite ones to figure out.”
Josh took another long sip of his beer. “I’m gonna need something stronger.” He set the beer can down and stretched.
Abigail ignored him and kept reading. “Alright. Nick is the cusp of magic, and you, my dear, are in the week of the enigma. Your relationship is labeled Assertiveness Training.”
I let out a dry laugh. “That’s… weirdly accurate.”
She continued. “‘This relationship’s great lesson is to teach both partners how to assert themselves and develop a sense of inner authority. However, they must not direct this assertiveness at each other, but outward.” She paused, then looked up.
“You guys should channel your joint intuitive strength into something meaningful—philosophy, social causes, whatever. Apparently, that’s what will hold you together. ”
Josh and I exchanged a glance. “What?” we both said at the same time.
Abigail grinned. “Oh, here’s a fun one! Gemini-Cancer and Virgo pairings often keep their love affairs highly secretive.’” She arched an eyebrow. “Fitting.”
I groaned and buried my face in my hands, gripping my hair. “And how exactly is this supposed to help me?”
“Well,” she continued, flipping pages, “your strengths together are philosophical, inspirational, and authoritative. Your weaknesses are repressed, conflicting, and hidden. Best match, work. Worst match, marriage.”
I threw my hands up. “Fantastic. Guess we should just call it quits now because the damn zodiac book says so.”
“There are signs everywhere,” Abigail said, smirking.
I grabbed the nearest pillow and screamed into it.
Josh chuckled, running a hand through his hair. “Okay, can we at least take a pregnancy test before we start overanalyzing the stars?”
“No!” Abigail and I shouted in unison.
Josh held up his hands in surrender and reached for his beer again.
Abigail tapped her fingers on the book’s cover. “You could list the pros and cons of Nick. That’s what I did with Colt.”
“You did?”
“Yup,” Abigail laughed, pushing herself off the couch. “Let me just grab a snack. Chloe and I are hungry.”
I blinked. “Chloe?”
She shrugged. “Yeah, I’m testing it out. It’s the only name Colt and I agree on. Chloe Rae Killian. Or maybe Chloe Faye Killian, in honor of Faye.”
I smiled. “I love it.”
Josh nodded. “Yeah, it’s got a nice ring to it.”
When Abigail returned, she stretched, then clapped her hands. “Alright. Time for pros and cons.”
I groaned. “Are we really doing this?”
“Do you want to figure out if Nick’s someone you have true feelings for or just see if you’re pregnant, decide what to do if you are, and then go on life never knowing because you were too scared to face your fears?
” she said, already heading toward the kitchen.
“I forgot water, got to keep me and Chloe hydrated.” She grabbed a bottle from the fridge, sat back down, and pulled out a notepad
Abigail clicked her pen, the sharp snap echoing in the quiet room. “Okay. Let’s start with the cons. Get the bad out of the way. Hit me.”
I braced myself, already dreading the list I knew too well. A sigh escaped my lips, heavy with exhaustion. “Uh… he’s controlling. Everything has to be done his way, on his terms. He’s almost too punctual and organized. And he’s secretive.”
Abigail, lounging on the bed, raised an eyebrow.
“We both are,” I admitted, running a hand through my hair. “But did you know I still don’t know what happened to his dog? Or—”