"You sure you don't want to come to the lacrosse game?" Lexi asked me after school on Tuesday as we made ourselves an afternoon snack at my house.

"I have that birthing class tonight, so I really need to get home and do my homework." It was kind of true. I really did have a class...but if I wanted to go watch Easton and Noah play in their game, I could have. I didn't have that much homework tonight.

She raised an eyebrow. She was cutting an apple into little wedges. "You're sure you aren't just pretending to be busy so you don't have to be within ten yards of my brother?"

So she had noticed how much Easton and I had been avoiding each other since Friday night. "I don't think he'd like me watching him. If they lost the game, I have a feeling he'd blame it on the bad vibes I was sending him."

"What exactly happened between you two?" Lexi pushed her glasses up higher on her nose. "I thought you asked him on a date. Then the next thing I know you're avoiding each other like the plague."

I shrugged as I pulled the almond butter out of the fridge. "Our date didn't turn out so great."

"Why? Ever since I found out about you two, I've been watching my brother. I've never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you. I'd almost say he's in love with you."

"I know." I swallowed the thick lump in my throat. I scooped almond butter out of the container and plopped it into a cereal bowl to dip my apple slices in.

"You know?" She paused.

I nodded. "He told me he loved me."

Her eyebrows squished together, and she pointed the knife at me. "And what? You told him you didn't love him back? Is that why things are so awkward?"

I put my hand out carefully to lower the knife she still didn't realize was about to poke me in the stomach. "No, I told him I love him, too."

"What?" She noticed what she was doing with the knife and set it on the counter. "Then why are you not talking to each other?"

I blew out a long breath. "Because when he suggested we get married and raise the baby together, I told him no."

Her eyes got wide and her mouth dropped open. "He did what?"

I thought over what I'd said and realized how crazy it sounded. What normal high school girl gets proposed to by her dream guy and turns him down?

Like hardly anyone. No one besides me that I knew of.

I leaned against the granite counter. "He only asked me to marry him because he thought it would convince me to keep the baby."

"Why would he even suggest that? Is he crazy?"

I sighed and dropped a handful of dark chocolate chips into my bowl. "I don't think he really thought it through. It just kind of happened."

At least I hoped that was the case. I never considered how my rejection would have been for him if he’d been serious.

But he hadn't been serious...

Right?

I sat at the kitchen table and dipped my apple slice in the almond butter, followed by the chocolate chips. "Anyway, I think we kind of went to the point of no return."

Lexi joined me at the table. "Do you think he'll be at your birthing class tonight?"

"I doubt it." Which meant, I'd probably be there alone with all those other happy couples who were actually mature enough to take care of their babies—since my mom couldn't make it tonight.

"I can probably get out of babysitting Grant if you want someone there with you."

"No, that's okay. I think they're just teaching us breathing exercises. I'll be fine on my own."

I found a seat in the back of the class hoping none of the other expectant parents would notice that the teen-mom was partner-less.

But I should have realized that today was the one day I needed someone there with me, because once we were all settled in, the instructor told us we'd be practicing focus techniques and ways that a support partner can comfort their pregnant partner during labor.

Which meant, I would look like a fool standing in the corner, pretending like I had someone there to fulfill that role.

"We'll start with a standing position," the instructor said. "In this first position, the partner in labor will wrap her arms behind the support partner's neck and then lean on him. This is a great position to help ease the pain of the contractions, and your support partner can massage your back to make you more comfortable."

I watched the other couples move into the position, kind of like they were slow dancing. Everyone was distracted with the exercise. They probably wouldn't notice if I slipped out of the room, right?

I was planning to get an epidural, anyway. I didn't need to know these positions if I would be numb from the waist down.

The instructor seemed to notice that I was standing alone, and she walked over. She asked, "Do you have someone coming tonight?"

I bit my lip and shook my head. And my hormones must have been really out of whack or something because I suddenly felt like crying.

Which was stupid. My mom would be there when I was going through the actual labor and delivery part. It wasn’t like I would be all alone then.

"My mom is still at the city council meeting."

The instructor nodded, but there was a look of pity in her eyes.

Of course, everyone felt bad for the pregnant seventeen-year-old in the room who wasn't smart enough to keep her legs closed.

"We have a volunteer on duty right now. I could ask her to help you if you wanted."

Was she suggesting I hugged on some stranger? What was the politest way to say, "Heck, no!"?

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I think I'll actually sit this one out. I'm sure my mom will know what to do."

"We'll be going over some breathing techniques, so I really encourage you to stay. You can have a seat if you don't want to take part in this portion."

I noticed that the rest of the class was watching me. How humiliating.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tall figure fill the open doorway. Was everyone in the hospital coming to gawk at me now?

But on second glance, I realized it was Easton. He had shown up.

I tried to wipe the moisture from my eyes as an overwhelming sense of relief washed over me. I didn't have to be the lone person in the room anymore. When our gazes met, Easton nodded and strode toward me. He looked like he had just showered after his game, his hair slightly wet and combed to the side.

"Sorry I'm late. The game went into overtime."

I was speechless for a moment as my mind tried to wrap itself around the fact that he was even here.

"I didn't expect you to come."

He looked around at what all the other support partners were doing and pulled me closer so his arms were around my waist.

I hesitantly reached my arms toward his neck, and my body was stupid enough to like how close we were, even though we were supposed to be experiencing irreconcilable differences.

"Even if we don't agree on everything, I'm still going to be there when the baby is born," he said quietly in my ear. "If you'll let me, that is."

I nodded and tried to keep my heart from swelling in my chest, telling myself he was only doing it for the baby, not me. "That's fine. Thanks for showing up."

The instructor spoke again. "Now support partners, this is a great time for you to help provide relief to your partner by massaging her back. If your baby is posterior, it can cause painful back labor and the right amount of pressure can go a long way in reducing the pain."

She taught us how to breathe during contractions and then reiterated how important it was for us to have a focus image.

I had no idea how she expected me to picture the sandy beaches of Hawaii when I was screaming my guts out...but I drew in a deep breath and tried to picture the beach in Kauai where my mom and I had gone on vacation two years ago. I imagined the way the waves had lapped gently at the shore and how it felt to dip my toes in the water.

I relaxed against Easton as I got more into the meditation, letting the way his hands were rubbing across my back soothe me. My back had been hurting a lot lately, thanks to the huge counterweight it had to support constantly, so the massage felt amazing.

The instructor spoke again. "Support partners, your main job during labor is to make sure she’s as comfortable as she can be. Labor can be incredibly overwhelming, and she really needs to hear your voice, so she knows she's not alone in this process. Touching her and kissing her, or just holding her hand, are all great ways to comfort her and help her know you're there for her when the contractions become intense."

At her mention of kissing, my eyes opened, and the image of the beach was gone. Easton wouldn't try kissing me, would he?

We went through a few more standing and sitting positions, ending with one where Easton sat in a chair while I sat backwards on another so I could lean my back against his chest.

"You'll most likely be on the hospital bed for this position, but this will give you an idea of how this works."

Was I really going to be doing all these things with Easton when the baby came? Or would my mom be in this spot?

I scrunched my nose at the thought of sitting like this with my mom. As awkward as things were with Easton, it would be way weirder to have my mom do these things with me. We weren't that close.

"Just rest your head against your partner's shoulder and take a deep breath in through your nose," the instructor said. "And then out through your mouth."

I did as she said, noticing how good Easton smelled right now. He wasn't wearing any cologne, but his soap smelled heavenly.

The instructor turned on some calming music and we just kind of sat there for a while.

"This is a good position for massaging your partner's shoulders and gently rubbing her stomach as the contractions come. Just make her feel loved and appreciated," the instructor said.

Easton's hands softly touched my belly. "Is this okay?" he asked.

"Yeah." I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the feelings of attraction that were coming over me. Being close to Easton always made that happen.

He gently massaged the sides of my belly like the instructor told him to do, his cheek right next to mine.

I breathed in deeply, telling myself to just enjoy this moment with him and not worry about what the future held for us.

As I listened to the sound of Easton's breathing and felt his heart beating strongly against my shoulders, I had a hard time remembering why we were fighting in the first place.

The baby kicked a second later and Easton gasped. "Did he just kick?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I think he likes this, too."

Easton's hands stilled for a moment as he waited for the baby to kick again. And he didn't have to wait long.

"He's getting strong, huh?" Easton said in a soft voice.

I opened my eyes for a moment to take in his expression. He was smiling down at my stomach. "He's probably five or six pounds now," I said.

"Does he ever kick you really hard in the kidneys or anything like that?" Easton asked with an amused tone.

"I don't know about the kidneys, but he really enjoys banging his head on my bladder these days. I think that's his favorite thing to do, actually."

Easton smiled. "Really?"

I nodded. "Yep. Pretty sure he’ll be all about torturing his future sister's best friend, kind of like you."

Easton nodded, but he didn't smile like I'd expected. Instead, he got a far-off look like he was thinking about something else.

He broke from his trance a second later and said, "Hopefully, he'll be nicer than me."

We were quiet again as the baby continued to move around. Easton gently rubbed his fingers along my stomach with just the right amount of pressure.

I looked at the clock on the wall. Our class was about to end and then we'd have to go back to being two people who couldn't agree on what to do with their baby.

I wanted time to just stand still.

Easton slid his hands up my arms and massaged my shoulders and neck.

"How does this feel?" he asked softly, his words caressing my ear.

"Really nice," I said, resisting the urge to moan because I didn't realize how tight my shoulders were until that moment.

"Good." He pressed his thumbs into my tight muscles before placing a light kiss at the base of my neck.

Heat flashed across my skin at his unexpected touch, my breath caught in my throat. Did he do that on purpose?

Maybe he was just taking to heart the instructor's speech on how holding, cuddling, and kissing could release the powerful hormone of oxytocin.

Maybe.

But when he did it again, I had the feeling that it was more than just the instructor's words behind the action.