Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 97767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
“What’s that look?”
My head shakes. “Nothing.”
Dolly’s eyes narrow, her no-nonsense expression settling in. “Austin,” she says firmly. “I’ve known you too long for that ‘it’s nothing’ bullshit. Spill.”
Gio shifts in her lap, grunting softly, but even he seems to be waiting for my response.
I sigh, my shoulders sagging under the weight of what I’ve been holding in.
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” I repeat, softer this time, finally glancing up to meet her gaze. “But I haven’t gotten my period yet.”
The words hang in the air, heavy and terrifying, and for a moment, Dolly stares at me, her mouth slightly open.
“You mean you’re late?”
I nod, a lump forming in my throat. “Yeah. By a few days.”
Her eyes widen. “Austin! Why are you just now saying something?”
“Cause! There are no other symptoms. And why would I be pregnant, we’ve only had sex like…” I try to add up all the times we’ve had sex in my head, but the math isn’t mathing.
“Girl.” She stares at me like I’m an idiot. “Have you taken a test?”
I shake my head quickly. “No. I mean, it’s probably just stress or something, right? I’ve been busy with work and... Gio.” My voice falters at his name, and I grip the blanket tighter.
Dolly’s expression softens, but her concern doesn’t fade. “Okay, first of all, stressing isn’t going to help. Second, it might be nothing—but it also might not be nothing, so you need to know for sure. Have you told him?”
My stomach twists at the thought.
“No,” I confess. “I don’t even know how to bring it up. It’s just a missed period? It happens, right? So what if I say something and that makes things awkward and they didn’t have to be?”
Dolly sets Gio the dog gently on the floor and slides closer to me on the couch.
“Listen to me,” she says, her voice steady and calm. “You’re not doing this alone, okay? Whatever happens, we’ll figure it out.”
Gio has never given me a reason to doubt him—if anything, he’s shown me time and time again that he’s solid, dependable, and, most importantly, all in. But this feels different.
This is serious!
“What if he’s not ready for something like this?” I ask, my voice barely audible.
Dolly squeezes my shoulder. “Then he’ll have to get ready. That’s what grown-ups do. And from everything you’ve told me about him, I think he’ll step up.”
I take a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside me.
“I’ll tell him. After I take a test.”
“But you won’t know until you’re sure,” Dolly says, her tone firm but kind. “Do you have a test laying around?”
I blink at her. “No, why would I just have pregnancy tests laying around?”
“Uh—cause I do? Just in case?” Dolly whips out her phone with determination. “I’ll DoorDash us some.”
“You can DoorDash pregnancy tests?” I ask, eyebrows shooting up.
“You can DoorDash pretty much anything,” she replies, her thumbs flying across the screen. “This is what convenience is all about, babe.”
I bite my lip, watching her with a mix of gratitude and nerves as she scrolls through the app. “I feel so weird about this. Like, what if the driver judges me?”
Dolly snorts. “Trust me, they’ve seen weirder. Besides, they don’t know you. For all they know, I’m the one taking the test.” She flashes me a cheeky grin before holding up her phone. “Okay, I’ve got three different brands in the cart. Extra sensitive, digital, and one of those fancy ones that tells you how many weeks along you are. Anything else?”
“More snacks?”
She grins. “Oh look at you, pregnancy munchies already.”
I’m not amused. “That’s not funny.”
“Sorry.”
Forty-five minutes later, and Dolly springs to her feet like it’s Christmas morning.
“I’ll get it!” she announces, dashing toward the door. Gio barks excitedly, spinning in circles as if he knows something monumental is happening.
I sit frozen on the couch, my stomach churning as the reality of the situation sets in. Pregnancy tests. Three of them. My entire future could change with one tiny little plastic stick. My hands are clammy, and I rub them on the blanket draped across my lap, trying to ground myself.
Dolly returns triumphantly, holding up the discreet brown paper bag like it’s a trophy.
“Voilà! Our DoorDash hero didn’t bat an eye. Now,” she says, dropping the bag onto the coffee table. “Let’s get down to business.”
I stare at the bag as if it might bite me.
“I don’t know if I can do this.”
Correction: I don’t want to do this.
I’m scared shitless.
Dolly sits beside me, her tone gentle but firm. “You can. Whatever the result is, we’ll deal with it. Together. You’re not alone, okay?”
I nod, swallowing hard. “I know.”
She pulls out the tests one by one, lining them up on the coffee table like some sort of bizarre science experiment. “Alright, we’ve got options. The digital one is probably the easiest—no deciphering faint lines. Or we can go old school with this one. Your call.”