Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49006 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 245(@200wpm)___ 196(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49006 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 245(@200wpm)___ 196(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
“Well, surprise, I’m pregnant!” I say with a smile plastered on my face. It’s not fake in the least. Growing Tysen’s child inside my belly is everything a girl grows up believing she’ll have one day. Okay, he’s not a horse, and there’s no castle, but still, this is my fairy tale and happily ever after all wrapped in one delicious package.
“Girlfriend, I’m so happy for you.” Samuel jumps up from his seat, bringing me with him, wraps me up in his arms, and rocks me back and forth.
“Need air,” I tell him when he squeezes me a little too tightly.
“Oh, right. Sorry. I bet that doesn’t help with your running to the bathroom all the time. Which, oh my god, how did I not put two and two together?”
“Well, the same could be said for myself. Apparently, I was either in denial or completely oblivious. I mean, I did have my period, so I thought everything was normal. Except it only lasted a day or so, and from what Tysen’s friend Luke, who is a doctor, by the way, said, that can happen.” I take a breath, and we sit back down again.
“I’m going to be the best gay uncle there is. Tell Tysen his friends will just have to learn to share.” I’m thinking with as many children as are in and coming, his friends won’t mind in the least. I can’t believe nine childhood friends are now adults, and they’ve kept their bond the entire time, plus they make it work with intermingled businesses, too.
“They’ll be fine, believe me.”
“All those fine and good-looking men, and you land the hottest one to be your baby daddy.” Samuel fans himself, and I throw my head back, laughter filling the cabin. “What? Where’s the lie? Keep going. I can tell you have more to say.”
“I haven’t met them all, only Luke. A few from his group did move all of my boxes from my parents’ house to Tysen’s. My mom unpacked everything, and yes, we both did the meet-the-parents deal, too. I love his mom, by the way. She’s the sweetest, makes the most delicious cake you’ve ever put in your mouth. Oh, by the way, this weekend, Asher is throwing his Sunday cookout with everyone. Please say you’ll come,” I practically beg. The group text I was added to made me feel warm and welcome, but it’d be nice to have a friend there, too. I mentioned to Tysen if I could invite Samuel, and he told me on Sundays, it’s a the-more-the-merrier situation. All he said was for him to bring his own drinks and a side if he wanted to.
“I don’t know. All those fine men being around me, I might melt into a puddle.”
“I’m sure one of them will toss you in the pool to cool you off,” I say with a wink. I grab his hands in mine and get serious for a minute, “I haven’t said this enough, so I’m going to say it now. Thank you, Samuel. You’re my one true friend, and you’ve done everything in your power to help me succeed in not only work but in life in general. You’ve listened to me through this whole experience, from leaving Vegas and Chad the chode, to my one-night stand with Tysen, and having no idea what to do with the wide range of emotions I had going on. You never judged, you cared, and you gave advice, which is why I’m going to ask you to be our child’s godfather.” I’ve spoken to Tysen about this the other day. I had a suggestion, he told me to shoot, and I gave him the lowdown. Tysen being the man he is didn’t even question if I thought Samuel would be a great fit. He knew my judge of character, and also, like Tysen said, he’d been working with the man since the day he opened the company. I’m paying high dollar to keep him on, and he made damn sure you were there with him. It’s an easy yes from me. He’s taken care of you, and he’ll take care of our child. I watch as Samuel blinks away the tears. Mine are already streaming down my cheeks faster than I could ever dash them away.
“Maci, you’ve given me the greatest and most precious gift ever. I’d be delighted to be your child’s godfather. The other stuff about being there for you and listening, honey, you have got to find some decent human beings to be around. Better yet, don’t. I’ll lose my friend, and I’m kind of touchy when it comes to others taking the people I love away.” I lean into him, my arms going to his shoulders, and this time, it’s me hugging him.
“I love you, too,” I mutter while we have our little sob fest. It takes us a few minutes, and both of us use the back of our fingers to gently wipe the tears away in order not to ruin our makeup. Samuel is a skin care fanatic, and when you’re in the air, the best way to preserve your skin is to create a barrier. Those are Samuel’s words, and he deems them as gold. I just go along with it.