Space (Laws of Physics #2)(69)

Martin also looked like he was trying not to laugh, and he leaned closer to his fiancée, lowering his voice, “Other than that, we have nothing in common.”

Kaitlyn leaned around Martin and focused her attention on me. “I’ve been trying to get these two to hang out for over a year. Now that Abram is leaving on tour, it’ll never happen.”

“That’s not the only reason it’ll never happen.” Martin said, not under his breath, making me quirk an eyebrow at him.

“What’s the other reason?”

Martin glanced at me, his expression frank (I had a feeling his expression was always frank), and said, “Kaitlyn’s pregnant.”

My mouth dropped open and I asked unthinkingly, “Is the baby Abram’s?”

WHAT? MONA! YOU DOOFUS!!

Kaitlyn sucked in a breath, and then tossed her head back to laugh, hitting the counter with her palm.

Martin’s lips twisted, like he also thought my question was funny (but maybe also not funny), and he shook his head. “No.”

“Oh.” Again, embarrassment climbed up my face and I glanced around the kitchen, hoping Leo and Allyn hadn’t overheard my stupidity. They weren’t anywhere and must’ve left at some point without me noticing. “I’m sorry. That was, that was—”

“It’s fine.” Kaitlyn grinned at me, wiping her eyes. “I needed that laugh. Thanks for that.” She sniffled, still chuckling.

“Uh, I guess, uh, I don’t understand then.” I glanced between the two of them. “What does Kaitlyn being pregnant have to do with Martin not hanging out with Abram?”

Martin straightened on his stool, his eyes flickering over me. “We’ll have the baby. I’m not going to have time to hang out with anyone, especially not some rock star with groupies all over him, and—”

Kaitlyn elbowed Martin, sending him a stern look. “You know he’s not like that.”

Martin scoffed. “All men are like that.”

Her eyes hardened, and she challenged, “Really? Are you like that?”

I couldn’t help it, I watched this interaction with interest, hanging on every word. I suddenly wished for popcorn, or a large houseplant to hide behind.

“Of course not, not for a long time and never again. You know how excited I am about the baby, our baby. I can’t wait. You know better than to ask that. Which one of us is the one pushing for the house? So we’ll have a yard?”

Her expression seemed to soften, a small smile curving her lips, but then he added quietly, “But I was like that. And your friend Abram is about to travel the world with a fucking harem.”

She flinched and said firmly, “Abram has changed.” Her gaze darted to me, then away.

“Come on, he’s never going to settle down. Remember when you asked him where he wanted to live after the tour? If he was coming back to New York? He said he had no idea, that he had no plans. He just did that underwear modeling thing, soon there will be posters of the guy in his underwear everywhere. That’s not a guy who’s changed. That’s a guy who is just getting started.”

Underwear modeling?

Martin’s words made my heart do strange things in my chest, but my brain seemed to be nodding along, like it wasn’t surprised by any of this. Yep, yep, yep. I agree.

“You don’t know him.” Kaitlyn sounded angry.

“So you keep saying,” Martin mumbled, clearly disbelieving, and clearly just—in general—disliking Abram.

For the first time since I’d met her, Kaitlyn’s face was devoid of humor, and she was staring at Martin like she wanted to singe his eyebrows off with a hot poker.

And that was my cue to leave.

“Well.” I stood, making a show out of looking at the clock over the ovens. “It was nice talking with you.”

Martin lifted his chin in my direction, and I detected a glimmer of something like devious satisfaction behind his eyes. “You too, Mona.”

I looked at Kaitlyn—just briefly—and gave her a tight smile. She seemed to be experiencing many emotions, and I had no doubt that as soon as I left the kitchen, she was going to have a few choice words for her fiancé.





I marched around in the snow, stomping it down for no reason other than to feel it crunch and compress under my boots. I was extremely agitated. But I didn’t have a right to be. Therefore, I stomped.

Maybe I’ll start an avalanche and it can match the avalanche of feelings IN MY HEART!!

I sighed, glaring at the horizon, talking myself back from the edge.

Drama llama green isn’t a good shade on you, Mona. It brings out your pores.

Try as I might, and despite how exhausted and cold I eventually became, I couldn’t escape the agitation caused by accepting my fate. We, Abram and I, were a red giant. A dying star. And that was that.

I sat on the snow, breathing hard from my last bout of stomping, and drew my legs up. Resting my elbows on my knees and clasping my gloved hands together lightly, I stared at the cloudless blue sky.

You know what? I can do this.

Abram and I had a few days left before Sunday. It was only Wednesday. We could fill these hours with a lifetime of memories. Not every happily ever after lasts forever. Why couldn’t ours be days instead of years?

I can do this.