“What?” my mother asked, confused.

“Yep. The first test showed two lines, and—”

My mother screamed loudly. “Steve! Oh my God, Steve! Get down here!”

All right then…clearly, my mother knows that two lines mean pregnant.

I pulled the phone away from my ear and hit Speaker. “Mom, please stop screaming in my ear.”

“Hush now, Courtney! Steeeve!”

I rolled my eyes as Reed began laughing.

“Is that Reed I hear?” my mother asked.

“Yes. I had to put your ass on speakerphone, so you don’t break my eardrum.”

“What in the hell, woman? Why are you screaming about Marie?” my father said.

I looked at Reed and whispered, “She put me on speakerphone!”

“Steve, it’s Courtney,” my mother said in an excited voice.

“How was the wedding, princess? Did that little fucker do you right?” my father said. My mother must have hit him. “What? He stole my baby girl, my second-born. He is a little fucker.”

“Dad, I have it on speakerphone, and the little fucker is sitting right here.”

Reed sat up and said, “Hello, Mr. Will, sir.”

My father cleared his voice and said, “You’ll know how I feel some day, son, when some little fucker—oh, I mean, when another man takes your daughter’s heart.”

I laughed as Reed’s expression turned to one of horror.

“Um…yes, sir, I’m sure I will.”

“He’s a polite boy. Keeps calling me sir. I like that.”

I shook my head and said, “Daddy, please.”

“Steve! Oh my God, Steve!” my mother started again with the yelling.

“Ten Hail Marys and twelve Our Fathers, woman. Settle the hell down.”

I covered the phone. “Catholic, remember?” I whispered as Reed’s look of terror turned to one of pure confusion. “My father has always said that. No one really knows why, but just go with it.”

“She’s pregnant!” my mom finally spit out.

Then, came the silence. Reed began sliding back down in the bed, and I started to join him. We pulled the covers over us, thinking it would protect us in some way.

Then, I heard my father choke back a sob. “Court? Baby girl…you’re…you’re…”

I instantly felt the tears building. “Daddy…I’m gonna have a baby.”

The sound of my father crying over the phone instantly made me cry. Reed immediately pulled me into his arms and began running his fingers through my hair.

“I found out yesterday when I was going to send Mom a picture of the test, and…” I couldn’t talk. I buried my face into Reed and cried.

Reed whispered, “Please tell me those are happy tears.”

I shot my head up and looked into his tear-filled eyes. “Yes,” I whispered back.

“Um…please remember your mother and father are listening to everything right now. I really don’t want to hate this boy before I even meet him,” my father said as he cleared his throat a few times.

Reed and I both laughed. I took the phone off speaker and talked to my father and then my mother for a few minutes. By the time I got off the phone, I was emotionally exhausted. I snuggled into Reed’s side as he lightly brushed his fingers up and down my side.

As I began to drift off into sleep, I kept seeing a figure standing in a corner, but it was dark, and I couldn’t make it out. I strained to see who it was, but finally, exhaustion took over.

I sat at Whitley’s kitchen table, sipping a cup of tea, as I listened to Mimi go on and on about the latest book she’d read that I had suggested.

“How could you, Courtney? I’ve never cried so hard in my life.”

I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. “It was a good book.”

Mimi turned and looked at Whit. “What did you call it, Whitley? What kind of crying did you do when you read it?”

Whitley let out a giggle. “I ugly cried.”

“Yes! I ugly cried,” Mimi said as she pointed at me and shook her finger around like she was drawing a circle in the air.

I laughed and sat back. “Did you read the other book, From Ashes? I promise you won’t ugly cry with her second book.”

Mimi took a deep breath and looked away. I sat up and smiled.

“You did read it, didn’t you? So, tell me, Mimi, did Gage get you hot and bothered? I know how you love those Texas boys.”

Whitley started laughing as Mimi jumped up, walked over, and poured herself another cup of coffee.

“I have no comment for you, missy. Besides, I don’t kiss and tell. Never have, never will.”

I took a sip of my tea. “Mimi, have I ever showed you the website for Lelo?”

Whitley dropped a plate, causing it to break, sending broken pieces of glass everywhere. She looked at me with a shocked expression on her face.

“Oh, dear! Whitley, darling, are you okay?” Mimi said as she quickly bent down and began picking up pieces of the plate.

I stood up, and Whit mouthed, No, to me.

I smiled and winked at her as I bent down and helped Mimi. As we picked up the broken pieces of the plate, Reed and Layton came walking in. I glanced over at them and about fell over.

Oh damn.

They were both covered in sweat with their T-shirts stuck to their bodies while they were both laughing. Reed’s laughter moved through my whole body and caused me to shudder as I attempted to tame the clenching feeling between my legs. I couldn’t pull my eyes away from him.

The next thing I felt was Mimi placing her finger on my chin and saying, “Let me shut your mouth for you, dear.”

Reed looked down and jerked his head back. “Why are y’all on the floor?”

Mimi laughed and said, “Whitley here dropped a plate. Now, Courtney, what is this Lelo website you were talking about?”

Reed and Layton both stopped and looked at me. Layton grabbed on to the counter to steady himself as he gave me a serious what-the-hell look. I slowly moved my eyes back over to Reed and took in every square inch of him.

“Um…Mimi, now might not be such a good time to discuss that.”

Whitley pushed me, causing me to lose my balance, and I landed on my ass.

Reed bent down and tugged on my ponytail. “Talking book boyfriends again, are we, angel?”

“I, um…I was just…”

We’d been back for two weeks now, and every time he looked at me like that, I thought I would come on the spot. I had asked Whitley if she found herself hornier while being pregnant.