Tessa Teevan - Inflame

FUCK, I'M gonna be a dad.

The thought goes through my mind, and I keep repeating it to myself as I try to process everything that happened since we left the bar.

I begin to replay the last thirty minutes in my head. When Lucy and I left Chris's show tonight, it suddenly dawned on me that she'd been acting weird all night. I figured she was still recovering from the illness that'd been bugging her over the past week because she hadn’t had anything to drink and she’d been quieter than normal. When we got to the parking lot, I tried to press her up against her car, to move in for a kiss, but she pushed me away.

"Not tonight, Kale," she protested—something she rarely does.

"Come on, Lucy," I coaxed, wrapping my arms around her. "We haven't gotten together since you've been sick. I've missed you."

Even though she and I are just the whole friends-with-benefits thing, I do miss her when she's not around. The truth is, if I were ready to settle down, it'd be with someone like her. But for now, we're both comfortable keeping it casual and fun. At least that’s what I kept telling myself.

She relented at my words, and when she nodded, I leaned in for a kiss. "Your place or mine?" I asked.

"Let's go to mine. Last time we were at your place, I found a tiny thong underneath your bed," she said, wrinkling her cute little nose.

Groaning at the memory, I shook my head. "I told you those were from a long time ago. I don't even remember whose they are."

"You're such a man whore, Kale Montgomery."

Not since you, I thought, but I played into it. "Yeah, and you love it."

Rolling her eyes, she got in her car and told me to follow her. When we got to her apartment, we were barely inside when I pulled her into my arms and pressed my lips against hers.

"I really have missed this," I admitted again, causing her to sigh against my lips as she wrapped her arms around my neck before returning the kiss.

Slowing down, she began speaking in between kisses. "Kale. We need to talk." Then she pulled away, breathless and flushed.

Not wanting to stop, I grasped her waist and pushed her back against the couch. "We'll talk after, babe. For the third time, I've missed you, and I can't wait any longer."

She lay down on the couch and pulled me down on top of her, pressing her hips into me. "Fine. We'll talk after," she relented.

For the first time in almost two weeks, I sank into Lucy Dawson, and it felt like heaven.

When we finished, she quickly got off the couch, dressed, and then began pacing the living room floor. A part of me was worried she was about to put the kibosh on our arrangement. I felt like she'd been pulling away lately, and I'd been worried there'd been more going on than just her being sick.

"What's going on, Lucy?" I asked, having never seen her like this—nervous, wringing her hands, and not looking at me. She's normally carefree and relaxed, things that drew me to her in the first place.

She stopped and finally looked at me as I was lounging naked on the couch. What do they say? If you've got it, flaunt it? Yeah, words to live by.

"Can you please put some damn clothes on? I can't concentrate when you're all sprawled out naked on my couch."

I grinned at her, but I complied by putting on my boxer briefs and jeans before sitting back down on the couch.

Watching as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, I started to wonder what the hell was going on, not expecting what she was about to say.

Her eyes locked in on mine, and she set her jaw. "I think I'm pregnant."

Oh shit. "Whose is it?" I asked, and her eyes narrowed at the same time I realized that was the wrong fucking thing to say.

Putting her hands on her hips, she glared at me. "Considering you're the only person I've slept with in the last six months, why don't you take an educated guess?"

Oh. Shit. Was. Right.

"Ummm, are you carrying the next Holy Child?" I asked, joking around.

Apparently I was oh-for-two because that comment earned me another glare. Note to self: Do not joke with a potentially pregnant woman. Looks might kill.

"How was I supposed to know that? I have no idea what you did this summer, and our pillow talk never involves other people," I said. My heart started to race as the impact of her words began to penetrate my mind.

"Kale, I know we have this 'arrangement,' but that doesn't mean I'm sleeping around. I don't care what the hell you do, as long as you're safe, but I never screw two people at once."

"Hey, if I find the right girl, I might be able to change your mind," I joked, already forgetting my former note to self. Out of nowhere, a shoe hit me in the side of the head. "Hey!"

"Can you please be serious for once in your life?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly. I could hear the emotion in it, and I knew I had to take this seriously.

I exhaled slowly as I stood up. After crossing the room to her, I placed my hands on her shoulders to stop her from pacing. "Hey, come on. Maybe you're wrong. Have you taken a test?"

She sniffed, and even though she was avoiding my gaze, I could tell she was on the verge of tears. "No, but I'm late, can barely keep any food down, and my boobs are killing me."

I started telling myself that she was just being paranoid and everything would be fine.

"Do you have any tests here?" I asked, and she nodded.

"I'm too scared to take one, Kale. My life could change in three minutes and I'm not sure I'm ready."

"Our lives, Lucy. Come on. We’ll do this together," I told her. Gently taking her hand, I led her to the bathroom. "We might as well find out."

She rummaged around in a drawer before pulling one out. "Wait in my room, okay?"

"Sure thing, babe," I said as I pulled her in for a hug. I gave her a kiss on the forehead and started to leave, but I turned around at the last second. "Either way, everything's going to be fine," I let her know, even though I was trying not to panic myself.

So here I am, pacing her room, waiting for Lucy to piss on a stick, an act that might change my life forever.

I hold my breath when I hear the door open. She enters the room and immediately I know. Her eyes are rimmed red, and when they meet mine, she nods in confirmation.

Holy fuck. I'm going to be a dad.

Kale

“JESUS, MONTGOMERY. What the hell’s gotten into you?” Charlie Davenport asks, grinning as she pretends to shake off the weak jab I just got in.

I usually never hold back when boxing with her because she’d kick my ass if I did, but today I’m in rare form, my heart not really into sparring. It’s been two days since I found out that Lucy is pregnant. And it’s been almost two days since she’s answered the phone when I called.

When she came out of the bathroom, she simply handed the test to me without saying a word. It didn’t even register that I was holding the stick she’d just peed on. All I could see was the big, bold digital word PREGNANT glaring back at me. Once the initial shock wore off, I set the test down and pulled her into my arms, but she didn’t return my embrace. Instead, she was stiff against me, unmoving even when I tried to hold her tighter.

“Come on. Talk to me,” I pled as I pulled away to look at her, but she was gazing down at the floor. I was about to force her head up when she finally lifted it. Tears were streaming down her face, and I felt helpless to stop them. I was still reeling from the shock of it all, and I wasn’t sure I could find the right words to comfort her.

Slipping my hand into hers, I led her to the bed, where she let me undress her. It was different than all the other times I’d taken her clothes off. The act wasn’t sexual by any means, but it felt more intimate than we’d ever been, and it was slightly unnerving the way I cared more about putting her at ease than stripping her down to her underwear. The only time I pulled away from her was when I stopped to take my own jeans off. Without speaking, we both lay down on the bed.

Lucy turned on her side, away from me, and I moved in behind her. When I wrapped an arm around her bare waist, my hand came up to rest on her flat stomach. Thoughts of how her belly would swell began to cross my mind, and surprisingly, excitement rushed through me.

There had been a time in my life when I wanted nothing more than a family and was thrilled at the idea of one, but that dream had been ripped away from me before I’d even begun to truly cherish the thought. Ever since then, I’d never let myself think about the prospects of my own family. That is, until now.

I pulled her into me, closer than usual when we slept in the same bed. I didn’t know why—if it was the sudden shift in our relationship or what—but I just wanted to be near her, to hold her, to comfort her even if I couldn’t find the words to do so.

Leaning in, I placed a kiss on her cheek before settling back in behind her.

“Everything’s going to be fine, Luce,” I told her, told myself, and prayed to God that I was right.

THE NEXT day, I woke up to a still sleeping Lucy in my arms, her legs tangled with mine. She must’ve turned in her sleep, and for once, I didn’t mind. We’d only actually done the whole cuddling thing once, so this was unusual for us. Taking a moment to look at her, I noticed how young and beautiful she looked while she was asleep, especially when she wasn’t all made up. Her dirty-blonde hair was falling around her shoulders, and a smile crossed my face when I noticed the freckles peppering her face. The bronze tan from the summer in the sun had barely faded.

When my eyes started traveling down her body, the memories of the night before came rushing back in. Pulling the sheet down, I took in the sight of her bare skin, covered only by a tiny bra and even tinier panties. Her breasts, small and perky, were rising and falling in rhythm with her breathing, and the thought of them growing had my morning wood getting even harder than usual. The idea of watching her body change as my child grew inside her was overwhelming. Before I could dwell on it, her eyes slowly opened and the green in them widened when she realized we were wrapped up in each other.

“Mornin’, babe,” I said, smiling at her as my hand rubbed small circles on her stomach. Her hand came up to mine and stilled my movements.

“Oh God,” she moaned, squeezing her eyes shut. Um, okay… Not exactly the response I’d been expecting.

“Lucy…” I started, but seconds later, she jumped out of bed, hand covering her mouth as she darted into the bathroom.

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what was going on, and even though the sight of puke makes me want to vomit myself, I got out of bed to make sure she was okay. She was hunched over the toilet when I walked in. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I sat down on the edge of the tub and replaced the hand she was using to hold her hair out of the way.

I’m not sure how long we spent in the bathroom, but eventually her stomach must’ve calmed down. That or she had nothing left to get rid of. Sitting up, she flushed and then looked at me, her face pale as she gave me a sheepish smile.

“I’m sorry you had to see that, Kale,” she said as she rose to her feet and went to brush her teeth.

Knowing I inadvertently helped contribute to the cause of what I was guessing was morning sickness, I shrugged it off. “Has it been like this the entire time?" I asked once she was finally done at the sink.

“Two weeks straight. I’m fine now though,” she replied as she walked back into her room.

As I followed her, I could almost feel the chill in the air as the vibe between us changed. Everything had always been so comfortable and easy with our friendship, relationship, whatever you want to call it. We never put a label on it. It’s fallen somewhere between friends with benefits and a little bit more than that, but neither of us had ever voiced that we wanted something exclusive. At least, not until last night when she told me she hadn’t been sleeping with anyone the whole time since I’d been back from Afghanistan.

The truth was, neither had I, and while the thought of her possibly being with someone else pissed me the fuck off, I wasn’t ready to make claims, and I didn’t think she was either. Now I’m wondering if I was wrong about that. In fact, I’m pretty damn sure I was, but last I knew, she was getting out of a relationship and wasn’t interested in another one. The way she was looking at me nervously when I walked back into her bedroom had me starting to worry. When I’d seen the test, I’d known that everything was about to change, but I guess I just hadn’t realized it would be this soon.