Just Say Yes (Just Say Yes #2) (33 page)

We went back to my apartment, and Sasha left to go home. I was alone again for the rest of the day, so I took a long, hot bath to relax. Andy would be home sometime the next day, and I could talk to him face to face. I hoped someday he would get past the heartache he was feeling from losing a child he never knew about. I would never understand how his ex could be so cruel to him.

After I stepped out of the bathtub and dried off, I stood completely naked in front of my full-length mirror and placed my palms on my belly.
Is it possible that I am pregnant?
What was Andy going to do when I talked to him about it once he came home?

He is going to freak out, Zoey. That’s what he’s going to do.

He was going to go absolutely nuts, and from what he had said, I didn’t think it was going to be in a good way. I worried about what he mentioned to me before, about genes and DNA, and I began going nuts myself. What in the hell was I going to do? I already knew what I
wasn’t
going to do.

I would
not
be like his ex.

As soon as he was home, I would talk to him. The possibility of being pregnant was definitely not something I wanted to tell him over the phone.

The next morning, I woke up late and hopped in the shower after I fed James and started another load of laundry. While I was showering, James had curled up in a giant orange fluff ball on the middle of the bed. I dressed myself and played with him while I waited for the laundry to finish.

Once I took care of the laundry I made some French toast and scrambled eggs for breakfast. I still had a couple hours before I needed to leave for my mom and dad’s house, and I wondered if Andy was on the road yet to come home. I sent him a text, asking where he was, and then decided I needed to keep busy, so I cleaned my entire apartment from top to bottom.

Since I was kind of a neat freak, it didn’t take very long, so I went over to the shop and cleaned the office.

When I arrived home from the shop, I had a text from Andy that I missed by about five minutes. It said he was just getting on the road and to head over to dinner by myself. He would see me when I came home.

It would be a couple hours until he was home, so I had no reason to hang out and wait. I went to my parents’ and found my mom in the kitchen cutting up the meat for dinner.

“Hi, Mom,” I said as I hugged her from behind.

“Hola, Mija,” she replied cheerfully. “Where’s our Andy at? Did he not come with you?” My dad came into the kitchen and gave me a big bear hug.

“No, he’s not home yet. Things didn’t go so well in San Francisco. He still doesn’t know anything.”

My mom shook her head and muttered something under her breath in Spanish as she turned back to finish cutting up the meat. With my knowledge of the Spanish language, I understood that she called someone a fucking bitch.

Yes, she was where I acquired my foul mouth.

My dad and I chuckled when we heard what she said. I explained to them what happened with Andy trying to go to Michelle’s office and security getting involved. As I spoke, my dad sat shaking his head, unable to believe what was happening with Andy.

When my mom was finished with what she was doing, she washed her hands and turned to me. “I’m so sorry this is happening to both of you, baby girl. Andy is part of this family and it hurts to know we can’t do anything to help him. Just know we’re here for you and here for him when he comes home. Please let him know that.”

Tears flooded my eyes because my family had accepted him as one of their own, like they had me when I was adopted. “I will, Mom. He’s coming home today, so I’ll make sure he knows.”

As I helped my mom cook dinner, the rest of my family began arriving at the house. When it was ready, and everyone was updated on Andy, we gathered around the table to eat.

Jess sat next to me, leaned over, and whispered in my ear. “Is there something you need to tell me?”

I narrowed my eyes at her. What was she talking about? So much had happened since I saw her last.

She rolled her eyes at me. “Seriously, Z? I talked to Sasha.”

As visions of murdering Sasha went through my head, I let out a breath. “Fucking blabbermouth,” I muttered so only Jess could hear. “Later,” I whispered.

Jess let me get through dinner but cornered me in the kitchen when I went in for seconds. Yes, seconds. Again.

Of course, right as I heaped more food on my plate, Adam walked in the kitchen.

“Dang, Z, seconds again, huh? Looks like you’ve put on a couple pounds too.”

Yep, he was fucking brain damaged. I took the serving spoon full of refried beans I was holding and flung them at him.

A moment later, Angie walked in the kitchen and found her boyfriend covered in beans.

She shook her head at him. “What did you say this time, Adam?”

He unbuttoned his bean-covered shirt, pulled it off, and began wiping beans off his face and from his wavy, chin length hair with it.

“I said something I promise never to say again, that’s for sure. I don’t particularly enjoy wearing food,” he grumbled.

While he cleaned himself off, my mom came into the kitchen, took one look at him, muttered “
idiota”
then went about cleaning the kitchen.

After he was done, Adam walked over to me and squeezed me tightly. “You know I’m just messing with you, right, Z?”

I nodded. “Yes, and you know you deserved what you got in return, right?”

He kissed my cheek loudly. “Yep, I think we’re even,” he joked and left the room.

My mom sang while she cleaned, so Jess and I were able to talk quietly without her hearing. “Why didn’t you buy a pregnancy test yesterday? Are you crazy?” she asked in disbelief.

“Jess, I don’t see how I could be…
you know
…” I raised my eyebrows at her, willing her to understand what the fuck I meant. I was afraid to say the word
pregnant
now because it made me nauseous.

“I am calling the doctor first thing in the morning,” I said as I shoveled in a mouthful of food.

She looked at me and smirked, like she just knew
I was pregnant. Frustrated, I tossed my fork down on the counter and jogged to the bathroom.

I heard Jess call my name before I slammed the bathroom door and locked it. With my two best friends convinced I was pregnant, I was beginning to second-guess myself too. I was positive I hadn’t missed any pills, and I was so careful taking them at the same time every day.

Oh God, what if Andy was right? There could be something wrong with our baby if I were pregnant. Would we be able to handle it?

There was a knock on the door.

“Z, I’m sorry,” Jess said quietly. “Please open the door.”

I unlocked it and let my best friend in. I sat on the lid of the toilet while she settled on the edge of the bathtub. I explained my newfound fears of a possibly sick baby.

“Oh, Zoey,” she cried. “I am so sorry. I didn’t think about that.”

After I unrolled a few squares of toilet paper for both of us, I dried the tears from my cheeks as she dried hers. “It’s okay. It’s all hard to deal with right now, especially without him here and not knowing anything about it.”

We talked for a few more minutes before my nephew Jake started pounding on the door because he needed to use the bathroom. We went back to the kitchen for dessert, but I took mine to go, instead of staying to eat it.

I was so over the day, and just wanted to go home. I hoped Andy was home waiting for me.

It took a while to say my goodbyes to everyone, but I eventually left to drive home. I pulled my Audi through the Dutch Bros. drive-thru and bought a small, decaf Cocomo.

Jesus H, now I was convinced I was pregnant and ordering decaf fucking coffee. I checked my phone while I waited for my order. Nothing from Andy.

As soon as I was home, I parked on the street next to my building and ran up the stairs. All I needed was to see him and tell him of my suspicions. I didn’t want to waste time messing around with the gates to get into the parking lot.

I unlocked my door and went inside the apartment. I was expecting him to be sitting on the couch waiting for me, but he wasn’t. James was wandering around meowing for no apparent reason, so I picked him up and walked through the apartment to see if Andy was in another room.

When I walked into my bedroom, I found an envelope laying on my bed with my name scrawled across it in his handwriting. Next to the envelope was a key ring with a few keys on it and his cell phone. I dropped James down on the bed and picked up the envelope.

In my heart, I knew it was bad. Very, very, bad.

Inside the envelope, I found a long, handwritten note and the Tiffany & Co. receipt for my engagement ring.

Oh, please, no. No. No, no, no!

Anxious to find out what the note said, I sank down onto the bed and unfolded the paper.