Page 38 of Afterglow

I give them both a sheepish look while Becca smirks at me in an I’m glad it’s not me sort of way.

The sun has already set, so the view outside the windows is dark. We take our places around the table and fill our plates, but everyone’s eyes are glued to me.

My throat is so dry I have to clear it a couple times to make space for the words I’ve prepared in my head.

“So, I do have news. Hopefully good news.” I let my gaze jump from Alex to Delia, and their attention is rapt, anticipation thrumming through the air. Becca smiles in encouragement and my hesitation lifts a little. “I met someone over the summer and”—I swallow, forcing myself to hold Alex’s studious gaze—“she’s pregnant.”

Alex slow-blinks as the words sink in. My gaze tracks to Delia only to find her with her mouth dropped open.

“I… Hold on… You’ve been seeing someone?” she asks. Her voice isn’t accusatory, only curious. “Why didn’t we know this?”

She glares at Becca, as if it’s somehow her fault.

“It wasn’t a matter of keeping it from you. She and I… It’s complicated. We aren’t together, exactly.”

“Ohhh,” Alex chimes in, smile lines taking shape around his eyes, and Delia looks at him questioningly.

“‘Ohhh’ what, Alex?” Delia asks with a sass she passed down to both her daughters.

I step in to prevent this from going down a very awkward path. “She’s a friend—”

Becca snorts into her lifted glass, causing her to inhale some water and splutter. Good, serves her right. I shoot her a glare, and she holds up her hands—either to stop herself from choking or to placate me so I don’t toss my dinner roll at her.

“A friend?” Alex asks, looking between his daughter—who’s still attempting to clear the water from her lungs—and me.

“We’re still figuring things out. We don’t know each other that well—”

“On the contrary, it sounds like you know each other quite well,” Alex quips with a grin.

I hang my head and chuckle quietly, feeling a bit of the tension leave my body.

Delia laughs too and admonishes her husband with a hushed “Alex.”

“I’m just saying,” he responds with a shrug.

At least we’re all on the same page now, and I didn’t even have to use the words one-night stand.

I take a deep breath. Now for the hard part. “I know this is probably really weird for you guys, but I hope eventually—with time—you’ll be able to—”

Delia interrupts my rambling with a wave of her hand. “We don’t need time, Bryce, goodness. We don’t need anything; this isn’t about us. This is about you and…” She pauses and waits for me to fill in the rest.

“Leanne,” I offer, my voice softening around her name.

“Leanne,” she echoes, testing it out with a small smile. “How are you feeling about this?”

“It’s been a bit of a shock. For both of us, really.” Understatement of the year. “We didn’t plan for this to happen, but now that it has, I’m excited… and terrified.” I scrub my sweaty palms against my thighs under the table.

They both nod in unison, with complete understanding of what I'm feeling.

“And Leanne, how is she feeling about… everything?” Alex asks.

“She’s overwhelmed, but I think she’s excited too…” I glance at Becca and she smiles supportively, giving me a nod. “She wanted a baby—maybe not this way, but she does want this, and I do too. It’s different than how either of us would’ve expected to become parents, but maybe doing it different will work for us?”

“Maybe,” Delia encourages, then turns her attention to Becca with a pointed look. “And how did you end up on the inside of this situation, hmm?”

Becca glances at me and I nod, giving her permission to tell them. “I’m Leanne’s doctor for one, which came about when this big guy called me all freaked out because she was really sick early on.”

Delia’s face is a sight to behold. She’s beaming with pride for her daughter, and when she looks my way again, I think she might be proud of me too.