Forever After All by Kaylee Ryan

Chapter 26

McKenna

“Dawson Law Firm, this is McKenna,” I say into the receiver.

“Yes, I need to speak to McKenna Dawson,” my best friend says. She’s trying to disguise her voice, but it doesn’t work. I know it’s her.

“She’s not here. She’s having lunch with her best friend.”

“What the hell, Mac?” Laramie laughs.

“Got ya. What’s up?” I ask with a chuckle.

“We still on for girls’ night tomorrow tonight?”

“Yep.”

“Okay, well, how about we just hang out at my place? Colby said he would get Corbin and Rip to meet up at the Silver Star for dinner and a few beers.”

“Sure. What can I bring?”

“I figured we’d just order pizza.”

“Sure. Same time?”

“Yes, around seven. I think the guys are meeting at our place at seven, so I figured that’s easiest if you and Sara want to ride with them.”

“That works for me. I’ll see you then.”

“See you.” I end the call and go back to the court brief I’m reading when the phone rings again.

I don’t know how Gramps gets anything done when Mary’s not here. She went to high school with my mom and has worked for Gramps for years. She’s on vacation with her family this week, and her absence is apparent.

“Dawson Law Firm,” I greet the caller.

“Even your professional phone voice is sexy.”

Rip.

“Hey,” I say, feeling my face flush.

“Miss you.”

“You do?”

“Always. Are you sure you want to do girls’ night tomorrow tonight?”

“I am. Your sister just called. Change of plans. We’re hanging out at their place.”

“Perfect.”

“I mean, the girls are hanging out at her place. Colby is supposed to call you and Corbin for dinner and beers at the Silver Star.”

“I liked the first plan better,” he confesses. “That must be why Colbs called.”

“Did you not call him back?”

“No. I will. I was missing you and needed to hear your voice.”

I sigh a happy sigh into the phone. “What am I going to do with you, Rip Callahan?”

“Love me, baby. That’s all I want is for you to love me.”

“Done.”

“Good. You staying with me tonight?”

“I should probably stay at Gram and Gramps.”

“We’ll spend the day with them tomorrow before we have to leave, or Sunday. Just… please stay with me. It’s been a long day, and I need to feel your skin next to mine.”

How can I say no to that? “Okay.”

“I guess I need to call Colby back. You want me to pick you up?”

“I think I can drive that quarter of a mile to get to your place on my own,” I tease.

“Don’t fault a man for wanting to take care of the woman he loves,” he counters.

“I need to get back to work.”

“Me too. See you soon,” he says, and the line goes dead.

I have four more hours until this workweek is finished. Glancing at the calendar on my desk, I have it marked that my results from the bar exam could come in as early as next week. I’ve been checking the website for my grades religiously, even though I know it could take anywhere from eight to twelve weeks. Next week is eight weeks. I’m anxious to hear my results and hopefully begin working as an attorney.

Everything I’ve ever wanted seems to be falling into place. I can’t help but be skeptical of when the other shoe is going to drop. I’m trying really hard to not let my insecurities come between me and what I want for my future. Surely, it can’t be this easy to live your dream.

* * *

“Where are you going?” I ask Rip when I feel him climb out of bed.

“I’m going to go feed the animals. I gave Thomas the day off. I should be back around noon.”

“You want me to make you some breakfast?” I ask, sitting up, making sure to hold the sheet over my naked breasts.

“No, baby. Go back to sleep. It’s still early.” He sits next to me on the bed.

I look to the window and see that it’s still dark outside. “What time is it?”

“Five. Chores are never done on a farm,” he says, pressing a kiss to my forehead. He stands and makes his way to the door.

“Be safe,” I call after him.

He stops and turns to look at me over his shoulder. “Always, baby.”

Dropping back to the bed, I snuggle under the blankets that smell like him and drift off to sleep. A few hours later, I wake to the sun high in the sky. The alarm clock tells me that it’s just after eight. I debate on going over to visit my grandparents, and then I remember that Gramps said they were going to visit friends today. So, instead, I take my time in the shower and getting ready for the day.

Forty-five minutes later, I’m in the kitchen toasting a bagel when my cell rings. “Hello.”

“Hey,” Laramie greets me. “What are you getting into today?”

“Nothing. Rip is working. He gave Thomas the day off,” I explain. “I was going to clean house a little since it’s something we usually do on the weekends. I figured I could get it done while he’s working, and we can spend the day together tomorrow. What about you?”

“Nothing much. Colbs is working. You want some company?”

“Sure. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Of course. I’m fine. Why?” She’s quick to ask.

“You just sound funny.”

“Nope. I’m perfect. I’m going to head over now if that’s okay. I need to run an errand, but I should be there in say, half an hour?”

“That works for me.”

“Do you need anything?”

“Nope. We’re all good. I’ll see you soon.”

Placing my phone back on the counter, I eat my bagel while unloading and reloading the dishwasher. We were both too tired to bother with doing it last night. By the time I’m finished, I’ve eaten the rest of my bagel and wiped down the counters. Next, I sweep the floor and move on to the living room. I’ve just finished dusting and sweeping the living room when Laramie knocks.

“Come in!” I call out, placing the cordless sweeper back on the charging stand in the closet.

“Hey, hey.” She smiles.

“It’s weird that I just invited you to enter your brother’s house.”

“Why? You might as well say you live here too.”

“No.” I shake my head. “No. I don’t live here. I do stay here frequently at his request, but I don’t live here.”

“Why not?”

“It’s too soon.”

“You know that’s bullshit, right?”

“Can we not talk about this?” I ask. “Come sit down, tell me what’s up with you.”

She follows me to the couch and takes a seat, turning to face me. “What’s in the bag?” I ask, looking at the reusable shopping bag with our local pharmacy’s logo on the side.

“That’s part of why I’m here.”

“Okay.”

“I’m late.”

“Did we set a definite time?” I ask, confused.

“No, Mac, I’m late. As in my period is late.”

“Oh. Oh! How long?”

“A few days.”

“That’s not so bad.”

“I stopped taking my birth control the day before the wedding. We decided we’ve wasted so much time that we’re ready to move forward. That included marriage and babies.”

“Really?” I ask, feeling hot tears well in my eyes. “I’m so happy for you, Lara.” I lean into her, and she meets me in the middle for a tight hug.

“Anyway,” she says, wiping at her eyes. “I wanted to take a test, but I didn’t want to do it by myself. And Colby is so excited I didn’t want him to be disappointed if it’s negative.”

“Isn’t it too early to tell? I mean, don’t you need some time before the home test can pick it up?”

“Yes, but there are some home kits that detect early. I bought one of every kind.” She points to the bag.

“I can see that.” I laugh, looking at the bag.

“How long will Rip be working?”

“He said he’d be home around noon.”

“That gives us about an hour and a half, give or take, before he comes home.”

“You sure you don’t want Colby with you when you take them?”

She nods. “I’m sure. Mac, I wish you could have seen his face when we talked about starting a family. He lit up like a Christmas tree. I don’t want to disappoint him. If I’m not, we’ll continue to try, and he won’t be disappointed. Besides, I really doubt that I am. I mean, it’s been a month and a handful of days since I stopped my birth control pills. From what I’ve read, it could take some time.”

“Okay, well, let’s head up. We can use the spare bedroom, just in case Rip happens to come home early.”

“Good idea.” Laramie stands and grasps the bag. “Can you grab a couple of bottles of water? I drank two on the way here, but I might need more.” She holds up the bag as proof.

“Sure, I’ll be right up.”

In the kitchen, I grab four bottles of water just in case. She’s got several tests in the bag. Stepping into the bedroom, I see the tests spilled out on the bed, with one of the boxes open. “Laramie, I’ve got water.”

“I’m good for now. I’m starting with one, and we’ll go from there,” she tells me through the bathroom door.

Placing the water bottles on the nightstand, I take a seat on the bed and pick up one of the tests, reading the box. My mind wanders to my last period, and I freeze. I can’t remember. Wait, I do. It was the week before I took the bar exam. I remember being relieved that I wouldn’t have to deal with Aunt Flo while testing. That was— “Oh, no.”

“What?” Laramie asks, appearing beside me. I stare up at her, but I can’t seem to form words. “McKenna, talk to me,” she says, reaching for my hands.

All I can do is shake my head, over and over again. This can’t be right. This can’t be happening. I’m just starting my career, and then this thing with Rip is new. He’s going to think I trapped him. Just like my father. It’s too soon. I refuse to let him feel like he has no choice but to be with me because he got me pregnant. Oh. My. God. I might be pregnant.

“McKenna!” Laramie says forcefully. “Talk to me.”

“Lara—” I start and swallow hard. “I’m late.”

“What?”

I hold up a pregnancy test. “I… was thinking about you and how happy I was for you, and then I realized I couldn’t remember my last period. I had to think, and it was the week before the bar exam.”

“Okay. Well, that was stressful, as well as your gramps having a heart attack. You’re worried about your results, and you’re in a new-ish relationship. That’s a lot going on. I’m sure your cycle is just thrown off.”

“I can’t be pregnant.”

“Would it be that bad?” she asks. “I mean, you’d make me an aunt.” She smiles.

“It’s too soon. It’s my parents all over again,” I tell her, and her smile drops from her face. “I’m so stupid. Here I am trying to make something of myself, and instead, I let history repeat itself.”

“First of all, I don’t want you to refer to yourself as anything like your parents. You and I both know that you’re nothing like either of them. Second of all, my brother isn’t trapped. He’s in love with you.”

“We’ve been dating for like a minute, Laramie. This is what happened with my parents too. Dad felt trapped. He felt like his only option was to marry my mother. Only they never made it to the altar. He disappeared, and she slipped into a state of depression and got hooked on drugs after I was born. I caused that. It was me and my existence. I can’t do that to him. I can’t.”

“Let’s start with one of these.” She holds up a pregnancy test. “Before you start jumping to conclusions, let’s see what we’re working with. And as far as your existence, he’d be lost without you, McKenna. I know your parents messed you up, but believe this when I tell you that Rip loves you. If the test is positive, he’s going to love your baby too. Do you need to call Maggie?”

Laramie is the only person other than my grandparents who knows that I’ve seen a counselor since I was seven. It’s not a frequent thing, usually two or three times a year, just to keep those insecurities that I live with at bay. “Okay.” I wipe the tears from my cheeks. “I’m glad you’re here. I couldn’t do this on my own.”

“Regardless of the results, you won’t be alone. You have my brother, me, our friends, your grandparents, my parents. You have a huge support system.”

“What did your test say?” I ask, realizing I’ve made this moment about me when it was supposed to be about her.

“I haven’t checked yet.”

“Go. Go look.” I push on her arm, and she laughs.

“Come with me.”

She grabs another pregnancy test, I’m assuming for her to take another, and one for me, and together we make our way into the bathroom. Together, we stare down at the test that’s flashing the word pregnant.

“Oh my,” she whispers. “I’m-I’m going to have a baby.” Her arms wrap around me in a fierce hug, and her body shakes with her tears.

“I’m so happy for you,” I tell her. I am. She and Colby have waited a long time to start their lives together. I understand they wanted to be older and make sure that the love they found as teenagers was real. It was a good plan not to rush into anything. So to see them starting the next phase of their life as a married couple and soon-to-be parents makes my heart swell for them. I couldn’t be happier.

“I’m going to take another,” she says, releasing me and wiping the tears from her cheeks. “And you need to take the first.” She hands me a box. “I’m going to step out of the room. Let me know when you’re ready.”

“I don’t know that I’ll ever be ready,” I tell her honestly. At least not right now. Not when I’ve been dating the guy for almost two months, and I’m already pregnant?

Yesterday I was wondering when the other shoe would drop. I guess I got my answer. I knew it was all too good to be true.