Chapter 28

Rein

The knock on my gallery door made me feel instantly nauseated. I rested my paintbrush across the top of the paint pallet and untied my apron. I tossed it on the hook as I passed the kitchenette and hurried up the steps to the door, which I tugged open to reveal an immaculately dressed Gracie. She smiled at me with purple lips and dramatic winged eyeliner, and then she swept past me into the gallery.

She had a grocery bag in one hand that was emitting the most wonderful smell of baked bread. She brought it to the counter in my kitchenette as I closed the door and went to join her. I watched her pull out two sandwiches wrapped in foil. She slid one to me across the counter and began unwrapping hers.

“I thought you might be hungry,” she said before taking a bite. She closed her eyes and nodded. “So good.”

I set to unwrapping mine as Gracie passed me a can of soda. I took a bite of the sandwich and then popped the tab open on the can and drank thankfully. “This was nice of you.”

Gracie shrugged. “You’ve been holed up in here for the last couple weeks, and I figured you were probably neglecting your tummy.”

“Thank you, but I’ve been eating.”

“Glad to hear it. How have you been holding up?”

“Good. Getting a lot of paintings done and stuff.”

“Stuff?” Gracie put her hand on her hip and arched an eyebrow at me. “Stop beating around the bush, Rein. You called and asked me to come by. What’s up? You sounded stressed.”

Now that Gracie was here, I wasn’t sure I wanted to share the reason I had called her earlier. In a moment of weakness, I had reached out, desperate for someone to confide in. Now I was having doubts. It might be easier to keep things to myself for a while.

“Spit it out,” Gracie said as she sensed my hesitation.

I bit my bottom lip and put my sandwich down. “You have to promise not to freak out, okay?”

“Freak out?” Gracie’s eyes widened. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and fixed me with a hard stare. “If you make me wait any longer, I will do just that.”

I took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling. Then, when I was as ready as I could be, I looked my best friend in the eye. “I’m pregnant, Gracie.”

“Wait, what?” Gracie shook her head like it might make what I had just told her less true. Her eyes flicked back and forth between mine as she digested my words. Then she sputtered for a minute, trying to find the right thing to say. Instead, she simply asked, “How?”

“How?” I surprised myself by laughing and took another massive bite of my turkey sandwich. I chewed and washed it down with a mouthful of soda. “What do you mean, how? He put his—”

“You know what I mean,” she said defensively, holding up her hands to stop me from finishing my sentence. “Is it…” She trailed off like she was afraid to utter his name in my presence.

“Yes.” I nodded once. “It’s Brayden’s.”

Gracie put her sandwich down on the counter and blew out a long breath. “Wow. Okay. You’re sure? How many tests did you take?”

“I saw my doctor. I’m sure. I’m four weeks along already.” I put my hand absently on my stomach. “It’s so weird. I knew something was up last week. I felt off somehow but couldn’t put my finger on it. We were both so safe, I didn’t even entertain the idea that I might be pregnant. I mean, you know me, Gracie. I’m a careful person. I can’t believe I’m—” I broke off and shrugged one shoulder. It was done. Set in stone. “But I am. And now, here we are.”

“Have you told him?” Gracie asked.

I shook my head. “No.”

“Why the hell not? He has a right to know you’re going to pop out his baby in eight months, don’t you think?”

I shrugged again but said nothing. In my mind, Brayden had given up his right to know anything about my life. Screw him.

“Rein, come on. You have to tell him eventually, right?”

“Honestly, I really wasn’t planning on it. He made it quite clear that I wasn’t his first choice when he packed up and left again. As soon as he had the chance, he was out of here, and he didn’t look back.”

“You still haven’t heard from him?”

“No, and I don’t expect to.”

Gracie leaned on the counter and stared at her feet as she thought things over. I knew I had just dumped a lot of information on her head, and I saw no harm in granting her some uninterrupted time to get her thoughts in order.

“If you told him, things would be easier. How are you going to afford this, Rein? You’re barely making ends meet now. Add a baby to all this, and you’re going to be eating ramen for every meal for the next decade.”

“Thanks for reminding me.”

“You know what I mean,” Gracie said empathetically. “You have to consider the practicality of all this if you’re going to have a child. Jesus. You’re going to be a mom.” She pressed her hand to her forehead. “I think I’m going to cry.”

“You haven’t cried in three years,” I pointed out.

She shot me a warning glare, and I could see the glossiness in her eyes. She was actually getting emotional about this. “How the hell am I supposed to move to California when my best friend is going to have a baby? I want to be here for that. I want to be an auntie.”

I smiled and took her hands in mine. “Gracie, it’s all going to work out. I promise. I can handle this. And you’ll be an auntie regardless of where you live. Don’t be so silly.”

“You shouldn’t have to do this by yourself.”

“No, I shouldn’t, but I won’t be by myself. This town has a way of gathering around those who need a little extra help. I’m not ashamed to ask for it.”

Gracie sighed and dabbed at the corners of her eyes. “If you told Brayden, you wouldn’t have to ask. You’d be rich, just like that.” She snapped her fingers.

“Gracie, if I tell Brayden, he’s going to feel obligated to move back here.”

“As he should.”

“Hang on,” I said as I held up a hand. “I don’t want him to come back because he feels like he has no other choice. That’s a sure fire way to breed resentment. This isn’t his problem. I made my bed, and I can handle this on my own. I’m not what he wants, and I’ll be damned if I force him to come back and share his life with me all because of one mistake.” I shrugged. “Maybe it isn’t even a mistake. Maybe this is what I need.”

“You need to be a single mom?”

I rolled my eyes. “I need something to worry about that isn’t just myself.”

“Okay,” she said slowly. “But you’re wrong.”

“About what?”

“About this not being Brayden’s problem. It takes two to make a baby. Maybe if you tell him, he won’t come back here but he’d be able to help you out financially. Isn’t that something worth discussing with him? He could make sure you live really comfortably. Not only that, but think of the things you could have for your baby. The things he or she could do when they get older that might not be an option for them without Brayden’s money.”

“I don’t want to share my child with someone who lives all the way in Florida. It’s not worth whatever kind of cash he’d be willing to give me.”

Gracie blew out a deep breath, and her cheeks puffed up until she had fully exhaled. “Okay.” She nodded as she came to the conclusion that my mind was made up. I was in this alone, no matter what she said to try to change my mind. “Okay,” she said again, a little more firmly this time. She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. “You’re a badass, Rein. I have no doubt that you’ll be an amazing mom. But you don’t have to do it alone. I’m here for you always.”

I pressed my cheek to hers and inhaled her sweet perfume. “Thank you,” I whispered, and for the first time in a week, I did feel less alone.

I was lucky to have Gracie. She was the one person I could depend on time after time.