Sinful Ever After (Sinful Serenade Book 5) - Crystal Kaswell Page 0,32

hand under the table as he turns to Mom. "She always 'lets' me cook for her."

Mom laughs. "Kara is excellent with grilled cheese, mac and cheese, anything with cheese."

Is loving cheese a crime? Grilled cheese is fantastic. Especially with tomato soup. Maybe I like carbs more than I should. The evidence of my love affair shows in my hips, my stomach, my thighs, my—well, my everything.

Truth be told, I like my curvy figure. Sure, it would be nice to have abs, but my boobs and butt fill out a tight dress like nobody's business. If only I could do something about being five feet tall.

We take our seats and serve ourselves. The lasagna looks amazing, and I'm hungry. I've been starving lately. Usually, I'm not big on meat, but the beef smells amazing. I want to eat a million pounds of it.

And the tampons...

And the nausea.

No.

There's no way...

There's no way I'm pregnant. I had my period recently. Didn't I?

I try to work backward, to do the math, but I can't remember any specific cycle. School makes all the days run together.

It can't be possible. I'm religious with my pill.

Only traveling makes it difficult to keep track of time zones.

I want to have a family with Drew. One day. I want a little girl. I know everyone says boys are easier. I know Drew would be less overprotective of a boy. But I still want a girl. I want to dress her in those tiny Converse and cozy sweaters. I want to put her in dance classes until she finds a style she likes, the way my mom did for me.

If she hates dance, she can try soccer or karate or gymnastics. She's going to be a strong girl, physically and mentally. I can see the three of us at the park or the beach or her first day of school. I know I'll annoy the shit out of her, fussing over her hair and clothes for pictures. But she'll appreciate it when she's older, especially when she's old enough I can teach her how to tame her thick hair. Drew's hair is short, but it's nearly as thick as mine.

I can see a great life for us, the three of us...

But it's five or ten years away.

Now... he's still touring half the year. I'm still in graduate school.

Mom's voice interrupts my thoughts. "Are you going to visit your parents, Drew?"

I clear my throat. Better to focus on Drew. This is a remote possibility. "Mom, I told you about Drew's parents... what happened with him dropping out of school."

Mom looks at me curiously. She doesn't remember.

I shoot Drew an apologetic look. He acts strong about his parents being out of his life, but I know it hurts him.

He takes a steady breath. "My mom stopped speaking to me after I dropped out of Stanford to follow the band." His eyes go to the table. "I'm sure she had good intentions. But—" He shakes his head, struggling to keep his voice even. "I accepted it a long time ago. I just wish she hadn't done the same thing to Willow."

"Your sister?" Mom asks.

Drew nods.

"She was a sweet girl. How is she doing?"

"She married their drummer," I say. "She's a photographer now."

"Mom didn't like that either." Drew clears his throat. "She and Willow never had a blow up fight, but they don't talk much."

"What about your father?" Mom asks.

I clear my throat. "Mom, Drew's been traveling. He's jet lagged. I'm not sure—"

"It's fine." He looks at Mom. "He lives in Europe. He's married to a woman a year older than I am. He calls on my birthday. Sometimes on holidays."

"Oh." Mom frowns. She shakes her head, shifting to a more pleasant topic. "Christmas is next week. We can get a tree tomorrow. Hang lights. I don't know if you celebrate, Andrew... Drew."

"I do," he says.

"Excuse me." I push out of my seat to use the bathroom. I have to pee again. Already.

That's one of the signs, isn't it?

After I wash my hands, it hits me. I have a period calendar on my phone. I don't exactly use it religiously, but it should be able to help me.

Damn. The last time I entered something was this summer. But there was something during the school year. I remember asking my friend to borrow a tampon.

When was that?

I haven't got a clue.

I can't even keep track of my periods. Can I really handle taking care of a child? I've only just figured out how to take