Say something, Lauren. “I’m pregnant.”
What? Not that.
I closed my eyes, the sound of it echoing inside the cab.
“You’re what?” He furrowed his brows.
I slipped the ultrasound image out of my purse, studied it, and showed him. “It’s why I didn’t want to go to the clinic at Bridgeport. I was afraid I might be pregnant and I didn’t want to get fired.”
Carter froze and went silent.
What was he thinking? Did he hate me now? Was he judging me for sleeping with someone before I was married? Crap! What if he told Tucker?
“So, I don’t really want anyone else knowing yet.”
“No problem there. Wow. Not sure if I should say congrats, or not?”
“I’m keeping it, but that’s all I know so far.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that, Lauren. I know that you’re probably really scared right now—but, you get to start a family.”
Knowing he didn’t secretly hate me for not being more like June or Hailey made me dizzy with relief.
“How do you think your guy’ll react when you tell him?” Carter asked. “Think he’ll be excited?”
Everything inside me rebelled at the thought of telling Ren.
“We haven’t talked in two months. I’m not sure he’ll take it that great. He’ll probably want me to end things.”
I totally hadn’t considered this part at all. What if he did want me to end it? My eyes blurred, my nose stinging as I tried not to cry again.
“Listen. I don’t know what kind of guy he is, but if he’s decent, he’ll support you.”
Ren was a decent guy, but I didn’t know if he’d support me, or not. I mean, there was a small chance that maybe he would, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. Stomach turning, I slid the ultrasound back inside my purse.
“What about your family?” Carter asked, his voice softer than before. “How do you think they’ll react?”
“My dad’s still in Texas. We haven’t talked in two years. He’s not interested. My mom’s . . . busy. And in New York. It’s only me and Kellie here in Cali. She’s my older sister and she’s always been there for me, but . . . this might break the love bank. This is probably asking way too much of her.”
She might actually stop talking to me this time.
“I don’t think a younger sibling can ever ask too much of an older.” He shrugged. “I’m the oldest of four. There’s nothing in the world I wouldn’t give them, if I could.”
“Kel’s like that, too. But she’ll be crushed when I tell her.”
Kellie had been there for me my whole life. From picking me up at three in the morning after prom, because my then-boyfriend thought winning prom king and queen together meant going all the way, to picking up the broken pieces of my heart every time I dumped a new guy—before he could dump me. She really wanted me to stop serial dating, which was the reason why I hadn’t told her about my whole Ren breakup yet.
And now I was pregnant.
“We have this saying in the marines. Improvise, adapt, and overcome. We’re supposed to live by it. It’s one of the things that helped me get through the darkest times after I found out about Megs. You can steal it if you want.”
“Thanks. And seriously don’t tell Tucker, or anyone at Bridgeport. I need to get some stuff figured out, like make sure I have somewhere to live if they decide to fire me.”
“For sure. I’m there through the end of summer. If you need someone to talk it out with, come find me. I don’t know how my listening skills compare to the fish, but I’m a whole lot better at talking.” He winked.
“Funny.”
“I . . . I’ll be praying for you, Lauren.”
I couldn’t help my small grin. I wasn’t sure if he meant it, but it was nice knowing I wasn’t completely alone. Carter actually seemed happy for me, that I was keeping my baby. And the softness in his eyes when he talked about his wife was amazing. I wanted someone to feel like that about me someday.
“Where did you meet her?” I asked. “Your wife.”
“Funny story.” He leaned back and pulled the jerky out of the console before he put his truck in gear again. “We actually met at Bridgeport.”
“No way.” I grinned.
“Yep, summer between junior and senior year. We were from different parts of the state, but that doesn’t matter when you’re seventeen. We got married a couple years later.”
“Wow, that’s so romantic.”
Six
-CARTER-
My conversation with Lauren tormented me for the rest of the night and into the next day. I couldn’t believe I’d told her about my suicide attempt. I also couldn’t believe she didn’t jump out of the truck when the truth hit her ears. I opened the boathouse and groaned. A million more kids stood in line than yesterday, all of them wanting in on the lake action.
“Can I rent one of the donut floats?” A high school girl asked at the window.
I got her a lifejacket and pulled a donut off the pole, handing them over.
“Thanks.” She turned toward the lake, a book in her hand. Megs would’ve done the same thing.
I sighed.
What was I thinking, offering to help Lauren yesterday? I came to Bridgeport to get away from the pit of depression I’d been sitting in at home, and I wasn’t in the place to be helping anyone else. I was the one who needed help.
Someone cleared their throat at the window. “Hey, brah. Can I rent a paddle board?”
A tanned buff guy with slicked black hair was waiting at the window, thick brows hovering over his shades. He flashed his Bridgeport wristband.
“You’re not a camper, are you?” I asked.
He chuckled. “No, man. Some of my family’s on staff up here. Came to visit for a couple weeks. Just out
