Warrior (First to Fight #1)(11)

My fingers shake as I play with the brightly colored napkins. Around me people are chatting and laughing like they don’t have a care in the world. A mom and her daughter giggling at the counter over a shared milkshake catches my eye and I glance quickly away under the guise of taking another sip of water.

Sofie enters the café in a flurry of muttered Italian and toting her customary laptop. She never goes anywhere without it, I swear. The sight makes me smile, even though I’m near tears. Or laughter. I can’t really be sure these days.

“I swear to God, I’m glad I left this place when I could,” she says, slapping her bag down on the table with a thwack.

“What? You don’t enjoy our little Podunk town?”

“Pah!” she signals a waitress and brushes the long brown tresses out of her face. “The simple fact that it contains your brother is enough to keep me in the city.”

“Please tell me the two of you aren’t fighting again?”

“When did we stop?” she waves a hand. “That’s not why we’re here. You said you had some news?”

I clear my throat. “Let’s get you some food first. I would recommend the scone, but I haven’t tried it yet. It looks good today, though.”

Sofie nods at the waitress. “I’ll have a scone and a coffee, black.”

I make a face at her and she grins. The knots in my stomach loosen a little. This is just what I needed. “Thank you for coming. I know it’s a bit of a drive. Not to mention, you swore you’d never come back after the last time, though you never really told me why.”

“I refuse to let anything keep me from my best friend during a time of need. You said it was an emergency?”

My eyes water and I take a tissue and blot them. “I’m sorry, I promised myself I wouldn’t cry, but it’s not like I can control it anymore.”

Sofie scoots her chair next to me and places a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “Come, mama, it can’t be that bad. We’ve been through much worse together and we’ll get through this, too. Is it Ben? Did that * ignore your calls again? I swear men are all shits. If you want, we can be lesbian lovers.”

I laugh through my tears. “You’re so crazy. And I told you he’s in the middle of nowhere. It’s not like he can just pick up the phone and chat for a while.”

“You’re always making excuses for that man, but I’m telling you, they’re all pigs. Which brings me around to my next point. Lesbian lovers, yes?”

The waitress arrives with Sofie’s order with raised eyebrows. Sofie accepts and gives her a dazzling smile. Progressive though Nassau may try to be, I wasn’t sure if they were completely ready for Sofie when she was born. When we became friends, the town council had to have had a meeting to plan against our tactics.

“I don’t know,” I say around the lump in my throat. “I may get fat.”

“Fat, psssh. I like a woman with curves.”

“Like really fat.”

“Well, at least it’s not like you’re pregnant.”

Sofie laughs and takes a bite of her scone. She glances at me and her eyes widen in surprise when she realizes I’m not laughing with her. I watch her throat bob in an effort to swallow. She takes a big sip of her coffee to choke it down and winces.

“You’re not pregnant, are you?” When I don’t answer she practically shouts, “Good God, doesn’t that man know the meaning of a condom?”

I slap her on her arm. “I’d appreciate if you didn’t announce it to the world. I haven’t even told Dad and Jack yet and you know Jack is going to flip his shit. Ben’s his best friend!”

Sofie groans. “Jack routinely flips his shit—don’t worry about him. And your dad loves you. Besides, wasn’t he just moaning about grandkids the other day? They’ll be fine. I’m worried about you, though. A kid?”

I give a watery smile. “Yeah. I had the same thought when I realized it. What am I going to do, Sof? I barely had a family until the Walkers. What do I know about being a mother? My own mom abandoned me when I was five years old! What if that’s genetic?”

It is said in jest, but once the words are out of my mouth, I realize that I’m not really joking.

Sofie shoves my shoulder, muttering Italian profanities her mother would blush to hear. “If you decide to be a mother, you’ll be the best one I’ve ever known. Who else will teach them the proper way to do a Jello shot?

“That’s not funny.” I glare at her. “I’m being serious.”

She turns to me and I realize her eyes are as wet as mine. “I know you’ll be a good mom. And I know you’re scared, but you have a lot of people that love you. Your dad, me...” She makes a face and says, “Jack.”

“I’m so not ready for this, though. I planned for kids in the distant future.” The very distant future. One that included a tenured position as an art professor and a house that wasn’t falling apart around my ears. “What about Ben?”

“What about him?”

I sigh and nibble on my scone. “After ten years, we finally get together and the first time we have sex—”

“Not the only time, if I remember correctly.” Sofie grins.

I ignore her. “The first time we have sex, I get pregnant.”