45

I pulled her closer, the question lingering in the air between us, but I didn’t need to answer with words. The way I held her, the warmth of my embrace, said everything. “Mad?” I repeated softly, my voice rough. “Why would I be mad?”

She pulled back slightly, her hands still trembling, but her eyes searching mine, as though looking for the validation she needed. “I don’t even know how it happened. I didn’t plan for this. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do.” She exhaled sharply, a shaky breath escaping her lips.

Dave and Evan  had fallen silent, each processing the news in their own way. Dave’s brows furrowed as he leaned back, his eyes dark and full of thought, while Evan  remained eerily still, like he was trying to make sense of the moment.

“Do you know… who the father is?” Dave’s voice was quieter than usual, his usual sharpness replaced by uncertainty.

The question hung in the air, as heavy as the tension that had thickened the room. I could feel Becca  stiffen, the weight of the uncertainty pressing down on her. Her lips parted to speak, but no sound came out.

“I don’t know,” she whispered, barely audible, her eyes flicking to me, then to Evan , then to Dave. “I… I don’t know who it is. I just… I’m pregnant.”

The room fell into another stretch of silence, the air thick with a thousand unspoken thoughts. The way Becca  clutched her stomach told me how overwhelmed she felt, how deeply this news had unsettled her. I could see it in her eyes—the confusion, the fear, the uncertainty. And I could feel it in my chest, too.

“Becca ,” I murmured, brushing my hand lightly over her knee. “You’re not alone in this. We’re here for you. And we’ll figure it out, together. This isn’t something you have to carry by yourself.”

She looked up at me, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “But what about the baby? What if… what if I’m not good enough to be a mom? What if—” She stopped herself, her voice cracking. “What if none of you want this?”

Her words hit harder than anything I’d ever heard before. I could feel my heart tighten at the idea that she might think we wouldn’t be there for her—or for the baby. I wanted to scream at the unfairness of her doubt, but all I could do was hold her.

“Becca .” My voice was firm now, strong with certainty. “I’m not going anywhere. None of us are. This isn’t just your responsibility. It’s ours, too. And we’ll make it work, whatever it takes.”

She looked at me, eyes searching, looking for the truth in my words. I gave her a soft smile, one I hoped would ease some of the fear in her chest.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice so small I could barely hear it. “I don’t know what to do. I’m so scared, Cole.”

“I know,” I whispered back, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “We’ll take it one step at a time. You don’t have to know everything right now. We’ve got time to figure it out.”

Evan , who had been eerily quiet, cleared his throat, stepping forward. His usual coolness seemed to have slipped, his expression now unreadable. “Becca ,” he began, his voice deep but steady, “this isn’t just a problem we have to solve. It’s… well, it’s something that will change all of us. But it doesn’t have to be a bad thing.”

She nodded, but I could see the walls inside her slowly rising again. The fear was still there, still suffocating her. She wanted answers, certainty, and there was none to give.

I reached out, gently pulling her back into me. “We’ll face this together. All of us. You’re not alone in this, Becca . And that baby will know how loved they are, no matter what.”

For a moment, she didn’t say anything, just sat there in my arms, as if trying to absorb the words I’d said. Her breathing slowed, her body relaxing just a little, and I hoped it was enough to calm some of the storm inside her.

Dave’s voice broke the silence next, quiet but serious. “We need to talk about what happens next. About how we’re going to handle all of this.” His eyes flicked between Evan  and me, then back to Becca . “But for now… you’re not going through this alone, Becca . Not now, not ever.”

Her tears finally broke free, but they weren’t filled with fear. They were the first signs of relief I’d seen from her. She buried her face in my chest, clutching me tight, and for the first time since she walked through the door, I felt like we might actually be able to face this—whatever it was—together.

“We’ll figure it out,” I whispered again. “One step at a time.”

Dave ran a hand through his hair, a frustrated gesture that mirrored my own. “We can’t let her give up on her future. We need to make sure she knows that.”

Evan  leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, and his lips curled into a thin line. “The last thing she needs right now is more pressure from us. She’s already drowning in it. If she wants to quit, we can’t stop her. But we can help her find a way to balance it all.”

Dave shot him a glare, but I could feel the tension growing thicker between the three of us. Evan  had a point, but I wasn’t ready to let go of the idea of Becca  finishing her degree. I knew what this meant for her, how much it meant to her, and the last thing I wanted was for her to feel like she was being forced into a corner where she had no way out.

I turned back toward Becca , who was still on the phone, speaking softly to the receptionist at the clinic. Her voice trembled, and she glanced up at us briefly, her eyes a mix of fear and determination. She hadn’t looked this fragile in front of us before, and it made my chest tighten with something I couldn’t name.