The Sweet Talker (Boston Hawks Hockey #1) - Gina Azzi Page 0,62

we get coffee with Rielle?” I ask her, vaguely recalling the afternoon in the coffee shop when I got my period. But that was weeks—no, months—ago.

“Uh…” Claire stares at me like I’m losing my mind. “Like two months ago. See what I mean? She doesn’t have time for anything anymore. Can’t even get a cup of coffee with her freaking friends.” She stops speaking, her eyes narrowing. “Dude, what’s wrong with you?”

My body locks down as my mind whirls, mentally counting and recounting. It can’t be…but, shit, when the hell was my last period?

“Earth to Indy!” Claire waves a hand in front of my face.

I open my mouth but no words come out. Swiping my tongue along my lower lip, I clear my throat. “I don’t remember when I last had my period.”

Claire’s eyes widen and her mouth drops open. Her expression is so dramatic, so damn appropriate, that I’d laugh if we weren’t talking about me.

“I mean, I do,” I clarify. “It was the day we met Rielle for coffee.”

“Shit, Indy.” Claire drops to her knees on the floor in front of me. “That was like…” She pulls up the calendar app on her phone. “Seven weeks ago.”

I close my eyes.

“It could be something else,” Claire whispers.

I open my eyes and glare at her. “Like what?”

“Have you been exercising a lot lately?”

When I flip her the middle finger, she cracks a small smile and then I do and then we’re both hysterically laughing, clutching our stomachs, even though nothing, not one thing, is funny at the moment. My laughter gives way to tears that turn to hiccups and then, I’m sobbing, fat tears streaming down my face as my hands shake.

“What the hell am I going to do?”

Claire hops up from her spot on the floor and grabs my house keys off my table. “Confirm it. We don’t even know what we’re dealing with. I’m going to run around the corner and grab some tests.” She darts into my kitchen and returns with a glass of water. “You start drinking. We’re going to need a lot of pee.”

I wrinkle my nose. “Seriously?”

“If you want to do multiple tests.”

“Right.” I gulp back some water. “Go!” I usher her to the door when she pauses to stare at me.

“I’d offer wine but…” Claire shrugs sheepishly.

I throw my wallet at her head. “Get some for yourself. Get me…a Snickers bar.”

Claire snorts and I crack a smile. Tears well in the corners of my eyes again and my cousin’s expression softens. “No matter what happens, Indiana, we’ll figure this out.”

At her words, my tears spill over my eyelids. I stare at my cousin, probably less qualified to offer words of wisdom than me, but know she’s being truthful. Even though Claire is a hot mess half the time, she’s always had my back. She’s always been there for me, like right now. And she’s right, we will figure this out. Whatever this ends up being. “Okay.”

“Okay,” she says before slipping out of my apartment.

I glance at the water glass and take a deep breath. Then, I chug it.

Four tests.

Four freaking tests from four different manufacturers, which all confirm the same thing.

“You’re really pregnant.” Claire’s voice is hushed, as if she’s surprised. As if this isn’t the obvious conclusion when you miss your period and are sexually active with a hunky hockey god.

“I’m really pregnant,” I confirm, staring at the four positive tests.

“Are you going to tell your parents?”

I lean back against the bathroom door and slide down until I’m seated on the floor. Claire sits next to me and crosses her legs. For a moment, it’s like we’re kids again, playing makeup in the bathroom and making plans for when we’re old enough to actually go out wearing it.

“Of course I’m going to tell them.”

She nods.

“But don’t you think I should tell him first?”

“Scotch?”

“No, the other guy I’ve been sleeping with,” I deadpan and Claire snickers.

She takes my hand in hers and squeezes. “Yes, I think you should tell him first. It’s the mature thing to do, the right thing, and you’ve always been—”

“A rule follower?”

“Well, this may change your rule-following status but…”

I laugh and Claire grins. “Tell him, Indy.”

I nod, blowing out a breath. “I need to figure it out first. For myself, I mean.”

“Are you going to…”

I look up at her.

“Keep it?” she asks softly.

It’s a fair question and I appreciate the lack of judgement in Claire’s tone when she asks it. But it’s not a question I even consider before