“What?” Sue pulled back from me and turned to watch Ari leaving. “Why does she have a pregnancy test?” she asked, looking back at me.

I just smiled.

Sue wiped the tears from my eyes and shook her head. “Oh holy hell, this house is going to be filled with kids soon.”

After Ari came barreling back down the stairs, she skidded to a stop. “Mom! Who’s watching Luke?”

Sue just looked at Ari. “I’ve raised two kids. I’m not that stupid. Your father is feeding him, or I should say your father is eating all the poor kid’s Hawaiian Delight.”

I let out a giggle. Josh, Gunner, and Jeff also loved that stupid baby food, and they ate it all the time.

Josh. Pregnant. There is absolutely no way I could be pregnant.

I let out a laugh again. “Sue, this is just silly. I’m on the pill, so there is no way—”

Ari let out a gasp and covered her mouth. “Oh my god! Oh my god!”

Sue turned and took the stick out of Ari’s hand. “What the hell is wrong with you? And when were you going to tell me you had taken a pregnancy test, young lady?”

Ari peeked down at her mother and shook her head. “Never mind that, Mom. Heather, remember when you were so sick right before the accident? Remember you had, like, all this shit wrong with you? Do you remember?”

“Of course I remember. I was sick for, like, two weeks. Why?”

Now, Sue let out a gasp before she started smiling. “Sweetheart, were you on any kind of antibiotics?”

“Yes…two different ones. Why? What does that have to do with me getting the flu again?”

Ari started jumping up and down as she grabbed on to her mother’s shoulders.

“What’s going on?” Ellie asked as she walked up behind Ari. “Alex is passed out in her swing, and you’re fixin’ to wake her up, Ari.”

“Oh, sorry, Ells! I’m just excited because Heather’s pregnant!”

“What?” Ellie and I both yelled out at the same time.

“Oh my god, Ari! I am not pregnant,” I said as I turned to Sue. “Sue, this is just insane. I’m not pregnant.”

“Humor me then,” Sue said as she put the pregnancy test in my hand.

“Fine!” I looked at all three of them standing there, staring at me. “Um, do think I could piss on the stick in private?”

Ari threw her head back and laughed. When she started jumping up and down, Ellie joined in.

“Yep! She is sooo pregnant. She keeps swearing!” Ari said as she hugged Ellie, who was laughing.

Smiling, Sue backed out of the bathroom and shut the door.

I just stood there and looked at the stick in my hand. I thought back to the last night Josh and I had been together. I closed my eyes as I remembered the sweet passionate love he’d made to me outside in the rain. It was one of the most romantic moments of my life.

He doesn’t even remember that night. He doesn’t remember our love. He doesn’t remember whispering in my ear how much he wanted to be with me forever.

I jumped when I heard knocking on the door.

“Piss on the damn thing already, you bitch!”

I smiled. God, I love Ari. Only she could make me smile when I was dying a slow death on the inside.

I did what they had said, and then I took a piece of toilet paper and put it on the counter. I set the test down without looking at it, and I washed my hands and opened the door.

“Well?” all three of them asked.

“I don’t know. I haven’t looked at it.”

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Look at it,” Ari said with her hands on her hips.

“I can’t,” I said, a tear rolling down my face. “If I am…then…I’m in this all alone.”

“What are you talking about, Heather? Josh will be a wonderful father!” Ellie said.

I shook my head as the tears started falling faster. “He doesn’t even remember being in love with me. He doesn’t even remember the night this child was possibly conceived. Why would he…why would he want…”

Sue walked up and took me in her arms as I lost it.

“Do you want me to look at it, sweets?” Ari asked.

“Yes.”

Ari walked by me and into the bathroom. I buried my face into Sue’s chest.

I can’t breathe.

Breathe, baby girl.

I looked up at Sue. “What did you just say?”

Sue looked at me, confused. “I didn’t say anything, sweetheart.”

I closed my eyes.

Just breathe…

My eyes flew open. “Daddy…”

“What?” Sue asked me.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. “Nothing, um…never mind,” I said as I turned to look at Ari.

She was just staring at me.

“Well? I was right, right? I’m not pregnant, am I?”

Ari quickly glanced over to Ellie and then at her mother before her eyes met mine again. She didn’t have to tell me. A part of me already knew.

I’m going to have Josh’s baby.

The moment I saw Heather’s car parked behind Gunner’s truck, my heart started pounding.

“So, you never did tell me how you like your new truck,” Jeff said with a smile.

Gunner shook his head and punched Jeff in the arm.

I still couldn’t believe I’d been looking at Fords. I’d always loved my Dodge truck. “I love it. Bitch has a ton of power. Too bad all you fuckers got my new leather seats wet,” I said as I helped Matt out of the backseat.

Then, he took off running up the stairs, yelling, “We’re home, fuckers!”

Jeff turned and gave me a drop-dead look. I couldn’t help it. I started laughing.

A minute later, Ari came storming out of the house. “Josh!”

Jeff walked up and leaned in toward my ear. “You’ve gone and done it now. She’s pissed. You better be glad you don’t remember shit right now ’cause you have no idea what the fuck is in store for your ass!”

“Fuck off!” I pushed his wet ass away from me.

The next thing I knew, Ari was standing in front of me. I could so see why Jeff was head over heels in love with her. She was spit and fire all in a beautiful package.

“Hey, Ari, how’s it going? You sure look beautiful today.”

“Don’t you even try that Southern charm on me, you twatwaffling, douche-bag idiot!”

Ouch. Girl doesn’t hold back the punches.

“Wait. Did you just call me a twatwaffling douche bag?”

“Idiot. Don’t forget, I called you an idiot as well,” Ari said with a slight smile on her face.

“Did we get along before? Because I’m sensing there might have been some conflict between us.” I gave her my sweetest smile possible.

“Don’t give me that dimple. Did Jeff and Gunner not talk to you about swearing in front of Matt? He adores you, Josh. He thinks you walk on water, and he does everything you do. He’s in the house right now, running around while repeating ‘Oh shit,’ ‘Ah, mudderfucker,’ and ‘What the fuck?’ Let’s not even mention how he said, ‘What’s up, fucker?’ to my father. After only one day with you, Josh. You were with him for one day. One. Day,” Ari said as she held up one finger in my face.

I glanced over to Gunner and Jeff. They were just standing there, letting me take all the heat.

“And…to top it off, he’s soaking wet! Why is he soaking wet?”

“That was not my fault! Jeff pushed me into the water, and then he tried to drown me. Gunner jumped in, and—”

Ari put her hand up to get me to stop talking. She looked at all three of us, just now noticing our wet clothes. Her mouth fell open as she glared at Jeff. “You let Matt swim in the freezing cold lake? Have you gone insane, Jefferson Johnson?”

“No! I didn’t let him swim. He just kind of…well, he just…he kind of saw the three of us in the water, and…well, I guess he wanted to join the boys.”

The look on Ari’s face caused me to start laughing. Then, Gunner and Jeff started laughing. By now, Ellie and Heather had come out. Ellie was laughing, and Heather was just standing there, smiling. The moment her eyes caught mine, her smile faded. It was quickly replaced by a panicked look. She almost seemed like she was about to get sick. She threw her hand up to her mouth, turned, and ran back inside.