“Don’t worry about it, really. I just hope you feel better soon. There are two cans of ginger ale in there.”
Charlotte threw her arms around him and inhaled. “You’re the best.”
Patrick’s arms came up around her and squeezed. “We’ll raincheck when you’re feeling better. Call me if you need anything.”
Charlotte was peeling off her clothes and trying not to grimace when Addison arrived with a few plastic bags. In her room, Addison took out a few pregnancy tests, a large bottle of ginger ale, and a few snacks. For the rest of the night, the two of them watched movies, and Charlotte tried not to think about the pregnancy tests sitting on her dresser.
In the morning, while Addison was still fast asleep, Charlotte tiptoed into her bathroom. She ripped open the box and skimmed through the instructions. Her throat was dry when she set the stick down on the sink and reached for her phone to set the timer. After washing her hands, she went back into the room and did a double take when she saw Addison sitting up, hair a wild mess around her face.
Wordlessly, Addison patted the space next to her.
Charlotte climbed onto the bed and pressed herself against Addison’s side. She tried to ignore the fluttering in her stomach and the ringing in her ears.
Why was her throat suddenly very dry, like she’d run a marathon?
And why did it feel like she wanted to throw up?
Please, God, let it work. Please.
“What if it didn’t work? Please don’t hate me.”
Addison drew back to look at her, and her mouth fell open. “Are you crazy? I could never hate you. You’re doing this huge thing for me…Char, you’re my sister. No matter what happens, you and I are good.”
Charlotte swallowed and ignored the tightening in her chest.
When her timer went off, Addison followed her into the bathroom. With trembling hands, Charlotte picked up the test and held it up to the light. Her knees gave out when she realized there were two pink lines on the test. Addison caught her before she hit the floor and grunted.
“I’m going to call Mason,” Addison whispered into her ear. “How would you feel if we all went out for breakfast?”
Charlotte looked up at Addison’s beaming face and cleared her throat. “Sure.”
Now that she was actually pregnant, Charlotte couldn’t tell if the urge to throw up was because of her nerves or the baby now growing inside of her.
Or was it both?
Either way, there was no going back now.
Chapter Sixteen
She twisted in her seat, glanced around the half-empty café, and enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her back. Then, she turned back around and gestured to the waitress, who wore a green-and-black uniform and had her dark hair tied up in a ponytail. With a smile, Charlotte ordered a latte with half-and-half milk and a shot of caramel syrup.
Once the waitress disappeared through the double doors of the café, Charlotte took her phone out of her pocket and scrolled through her contacts. She stopped at Addison’s name, and her fingers hovered there. It had been two days since the pregnancy test that changed everything, and ever since then, it had been a flurry of activity, including a series of blood tests ordered by Dr. Reese.
With her scan looming on the horizon, Charlotte was still struggling to wrap her head around it all.
A part of her hadn’t expected the procedure to work the first time around.
Another part of her was relieved to know everything was in working order.
You’re the one who wanted to make a change. Couldn’t get a cat or take up pottery or an art class or something, could you?
It wasn’t as if she hadn’t considered those options.
Thanks to Savannah, she’d spent days scouring the internet, but nothing had jumped out at her or sparked the slightest bit of interest. While Charlotte was terrified about what came next, she wanted to go back to being excited and embracing her decision with open arms.
Otherwise, it was going to be a long nine months.
Libby appeared across the street; a hand lifted to her eyes. She scanned the street and smiled when she saw Charlotte wave at her. Then, she joined the throngs of people coming out of the Falmouth Hospital Thrift Shop. At the entrance to Cape Code Bagel, Libby stopped to take her phone out and frowned at it.
