I also remember my mortification over flashing the entire team my ridiculous bra, and eye-toking my cigarette when I ran away from him and indulged in my fake habit. And later I remember my shock and awe over the unveiling of the Super MC, my accidental cock-love chanting, and how sweet Alex was—and how even though I ran away from him again, he kept pursuing me. Because he knew then what it took me months to figure out: We belong together.

And now here we are, engaged since August while he’s been patiently waiting for me to be ready to set a date. I’m such an idiot—and incredibly fortunate that Alex is secure enough not to take it personally. I hope, anyway. I think I may owe him an unconscionable number of sexual favors.

Before I can say what I need to, which is that I’m ready to put a ring on it, Sunny pushes away from the table, her chair making an awful grating sound on the hardwood, pulling the attention away from me and Alex.

Sunny’s disturbingly pale as she stands up and says two words I totally don’t expect to hear:

“I’m pregnant!”

14

Well, That

was Unexpected

VIOLET

The entire table goes silent. Buck stands beside Sunny, his face ashen. Which tells me Sunny isn’t blurting lies as an attempt at a kind distraction. Also, she’s an abysmal liar.

“Uh, sweets…” Buck puts his hand on her lower back.

“Oh.” She clamps a palm over her mouth, eyes tearful as she surveys the table. I’m sure my shock is mirrored around the room. Alex’s thigh tenses under my hand. I’d squeeze more, but he has a lot of bruises.

Sunny turns to Buck. “Sorry. It slipped out.”

Alex pushes back his chair like he’s about to get up and throw down with Buck. “You’re shitting me, right?”

“Alex, language,” Daisy says.

He looks incredulous. “Seriously? Sunny tells us she’s pregnant, and you’re worried about my language?”

“We didn’t mean for it to happen.” Sunny does the hair-twirl thing.

I’m not sure what to say. I mean, I guess it should be congratulations, but if I got pregnant, I don’t think I’d be all that excited. Alex and I are just getting started. I’m not very mature. I’m highly aware of my inability to manage more than Pop-Tarts most days, let alone being responsible for all of someone else’s needs.

Daisy’s being here has made it apparent that I have a lot of work to do before I can be considered an accomplished housewife. I should be able to do better than the four dinner items I’ve mastered thus far.

Sunny and Buck have only been together officially for a few months, though they’ve been dating for the better part of a year. They aren’t even living together. This is going to change their entire lives. Or it already has. A lot like Alex’s accident has inadvertently changed ours.

I press my boobs against Alex’s arm, hoping they’ll calm him down. He’s clenching his fist, not seeming happy at all that Sunny is preggers.

“I should—” Alex takes a deep breath.

“What’re you gonna do, Waters? Kick my ass? Pretty sure you’re not gonna win the fight this time around.”

Of course this is like throwing lighter fluid on a burning firecracker. Alex pushes up out of his chair. Since I’m holding onto his good arm, I come up with him. I’m ashamed to say my beaver gets a little drooly over it.

“Buck,” I warn.

“What? It’s not like we planned this,” he snaps.

“Heard of birth control, asshole?” Alex fires back.

Robbie throws his napkin down. “Alex, you’re making your sister upset. Sit down.”

For whatever reason, Robbie doesn’t look surprised about this. Maybe he’s not. Actually, as I survey the room, I can see that Charlene, Darren, me, and Alex are the only ones who seem the least bit shocked by this shocking news. Lily looks anxious, and Randy’s uncomfortable, maybe because Alex is being his usual overprotective self and he’s Buck’s bestie.

“You should apologize to Miller,” Sunny pipes up. “He’s not an a-hole. He loves me, and I love him, and I know you don’t use condoms either, Alex. Sometimes things happen that are outside of our control.” She gestures to his slowly healing face. “You should know this.”

“Congratulations?” My voice is excessively loud, and it comes out a question instead of like I’m happy for them.

Sunny gives me a small, watery, “Thanks, Violet.”

“You need to hug your sister,” I hiss at Alex as I round the table to do just that.

There’s a flurry of feminine chatter as we all gather around Sunny and hug her like she’s won the lottery, not like she’s going to spend the next nine months getting fat and uncomfortable. And the next twenty years dealing with a lot of responsibility.

Sunny has just become legal in the US. And now she’s going to be a mom. She’s in the middle of finishing school. She teaches yoga, which can’t be easy with a basketball hanging off the front of your body. It’s more than I can fathom.

And Buck, well, Sunny’s the first girl he’s ever been serious with. I mean, he’s really serious, but babies are a lot of work. More than house plants, that’s for sure. I can’t imagine he’s ready for that kind of full-on, endless responsibility. Why the fuck do people have babies? I can barely manage my own life, and taking care of Alex while he’s recovering from his hockey accident is like being punched in the tit by reality. And I haven’t even had to do it on my own yet.