TWO AND A HALF HOURS LATER, I WAKE UP, NEEDING TO PEE. JIM IS ASLEEP, AND I SLIP OFF THE couch without waking him up. The ultrasound photos are on the coffee table, and I pick them up when I get back into the living room, staring at them as I go into the kitchen to get more candy. “You’re going to be a big sister,” I tell Lily, the biggest of all my cats. And by biggest, I mean fattest. She’s been on a diet for over a year and hasn’t lost a single pound. “He or she won’t be here for a while, but I thought I’d let ya know.” Lily lets me pet her for a minute before walking away. I take my candy back to the living room, sitting on the edge of the couch by Jim’s feet. After a few minutes of me searching through Netflix for something to watch, Jim wakes up, smiling as soon as he sees me. He runs a hand through his hair, and that messy-sexy look is doing bad things to me. We never did get our thirty minutes like he promised. “How are you feeling?” he asks r

I need a drink. A big one. With lots and lots of alcohol. I close my eyes in a long blink, praying I misheard Rose. “That’s less than a year away!” Mom exclaims. “Do you think you can get everything ready in time?” March isn’t that far away, she’s right. And there is a lot to do before then, and I’m not thinking about the wedding. “I think we can swing it,” Rose says. “I’ll have to get right to work, I know, and my mom’s already on it.” She looks back at Jacob, smiling. “We don’t want anything fancy, anyway.” I bring my hand to my head, subconsciously rubbing the space between my jaw and my ear. It’s been hurting off and on since last weekend, and I knew I should have listened to Jim about a sinus infection lingering for longer than normal now that I’m pregnant. “Are you okay, hun?” Mom asks, and I flick my eyes up to her. “Oh, yeah. I think I have an ear infection, that’s all,” I blurt. I should have made something up, but I’v

The air leaves my lungs, and if it weren’t for Jim’s arm around me, I might have  fallen over. Mom’s eyebrows pinch together, and she tips her head looking at the images. “Where did you get—” Mom tips her head, eyeing the photos. The blood drains from my face, and I can’t open my mouth to form the words to warn Jim. “This has your name on it, Alyson,” she says quietly. And then it hits her. Her mouth opens, and she lets out a gasp. The ultrasound pictures fall to the table, and Dad picks them up. It doesn’t take him long to come to the same conclusion. He stands up so fast his chair scoots out from behind him and falls over. “You knocked up my daughter?” A hush falls over the room, and I swear even the dogs stopped sniffing around the table to look. “Alyson,” Mom starts, still looking confused. She picks up the chair and reaches up for Dad’s wrist, pulling him back down. “What…when…are you sure?” “Wait a minute,” Ben says, reachin

“JIM, CAN I HAVE A WORD?” MR. LANGFORD STEPS OUT OF HIS OFFICE. IT’S FRIDAY AFTERNOON and I’m getting ready to head out. Alyson is staying for dinner, and then is leaving too. It kills me thinking about her driving back up to Chicago alone and I hate that we’re headed in separate directions. “Yes, sir,” I say and stand from the couch where Alyson and I were sitting. “Close the door,” Mr. Langford says when I get into his office. “Alyson is my only daughter. My youngest. My baby. She’ll always be those things to me, do you understand?” “I do.” “Now, I know this wasn’t planned, but I expect you to be there for her. No matter what.” “I plan to. I care about her more than anything, and now that she’s carrying my baby, she’s my priority.” Mr. Langford rubs his chin and nods. “Do you love her?” “Yes.” “Does she love you?” “Not yet.” Mr. Langford’s frown slowly turns. He steps around his desk and gives me a pa

“SEX AND SLEEP PRETTY MUCH MAKE UP OUR RELATIONSHIP,” I MUSE, NESTLING IN DEEPER INTO Jim’s embrace. It’s Sunday morning, and I’m feeling too queasy for sex right now, but could easily fall back asleep. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.” “It’s not. Give me a few more weeks and we can probably throw in eating.” “Sex, food, and sleep. Sounds pretty perfect to me.” He pushes my messy hair  back out of my face. “But next weekend when I’m in Chicago, let’s do something else. I still plan on having plenty of sex though.” “Oh, me too. What do you want to do?” “I’ve always wanted to go to the Science Museum there, unless you think that’s lame.” “I love the museum. You can really come next weekend?” “Yeah. And if you want to hook me up with your private jet connection, I wouldn’t object.” I laugh. “I’ll see what I can do.” “I was joking. I don’t mind driving, actually.” “It’ll get old.” “We won’t be making that drive for