Page 2 of Knocked Up
“No. Don’t you have to get home to your husband?”
“Procrastination will only make me more rabid, you know.”
“Yeah, I know.” She runs a washcloth under water and returns, pressing the cool rag to the back of my neck. “That feels so good, Jenna. Thank you so much.”
“You know I’m here for you, right?”
I nod into the toilet. Now that my skin is cooling, I don’t feel like puking. “I know. You’re the best.”
“Don’t forget it, either.” She kisses the top of my head and cleans up all the evidence of my one night of indiscretion.
And yes, I know it’s Braxton’s because while I’m twenty-four, I’m also very…particular. I’ve had three lovers in my life. That’s it. A whole three. Awesome. I have sex so rarely I wasn’t on the pill. I figured I’d meet a guy, take my time, and when it felt right,thenI’d go on it.
A one-night stand at my best friend’s wedding isn’t only cliché, it’s so far outside my zone of normal operating behavior I wasn’t the least bit prepared. Apparently, neither was Braxton. At least not that fourth time.
Ugh. Damn, it was good sex, though.
So is the guy, which makes all of this so much worse.
I push away from the toilet and splash cold water from the sink onto my cheeks. She’s at the doorway, arms crossed, brows furrowed. “I’ll be okay, Jenna. Thanks for coming today. I needed you.”
“All right. But I’m here when you need to talk too, you know?”
“I know.” She slides her purse onto her shoulder and pulls on her teal ballet slippers. I’m about to let her walk out the door, knowing I’ve hurt her by my secrecy, when I stop her.
“Jenna?”
She spins around, brows furrowing again at my tone. “What is it?”
Another wave of nausea hits and I prop my hand on the counter, steadying myself. “I’m…I’m going to need Braxton’s number from you or Dan.”
She jolts backward and her jaw drops. “What would you—”
“Six weeks.” I continue before she can finish the ridiculous question. “Count back six weeks to what we were doing.”
“You didn’t.” Her head shakes frantically. Blond hair flies all over the place as I stun her into silence, which is a feat in itself. “You…what? My…”
I have to put an end to this blubbering. I walk to her and close my hands over her shoulders. Giving her a little shake, I snap her back into the present. “Yes. Six weeks ago. Your wedding. Braxton and I, well…Braxton and I spent the night together. And I didn’t tell you because you were on your honeymoon and then I just wanted to forget it. Okay? There. Yes, Braxton is the dad and I need to call him. But…” I wring my hands together. Good grief, I’m muddling all of this up. “I need some time, Jenna. I need time to figure out what I’m going to do, what I’m going to tell him, okay?”
“Oh, sweetie.” She quickly closes the space between us and wraps me in her arms. “Of course I will. I’ll do anything you need.”
Chapter 1
Cara
ONEMONTHLATER
There are certain moments in life a young girl believes are absolute certainties.
Fairy tales are not only real, they really do come true.
Unicorns fly through the sky spreading glitter in their wake.
Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy and girl get married. Girl has a baby.
I’ve dreamed of and planned my wedding since the first time I saw Cinderella’s blue ball gown.
My wedding was going to be romantic. It would have white roses all over the place, twinkling lights hanging from the ceiling. I would wear glass slippers and my father would walk me down the aisle, glowing with a mixture of pride and pain as he handed me off to my groom. It was going to be classy, but excessively beautiful and extravagant.
