shaking her head, Jo Ellen said, “No. I don’t think so.”
“ You don’t think so ?” Emma Leigh exploded, hopping off the bed to set her hands on her hips. “What do you mean you don’t think so? Are you pregnant or not?”
“ Shh .” Jo Ellen glanced pointedly toward the open door of her room. “Will you keep it down? What if someone heard you?”
“Well, are you or not?”
“I don’t know,” Jo Ellen whispered before she snapped, “Sit down!”
Emma Leigh had started pacing the room and it was making her dizzy. When her twin plopped onto the mattress beside her, she stared at the blank sheet of paper in her lap, realizing she was about to write a letter to Cooper Gerhardt, asking if they’d had sex.
Forget cold, her body turned absolutely glacial. She swallowed, feeling ill. If she was really pregnant…then who was the baby’s father?
“Oh, God.” She shook so hard she dropped her pen.
“What’re we going to do?” Emma Leigh croaked, her expression dazed.
Too scared to think beyond the panic, Jo Ellen reached out. Em anxiously caught her fingers and held on for dear life. Not sure why her sister looked so scared when this was happening solely to her, Jo Ellen didn’t question the empathetic support, she merely squeezed back, hoping this was a nightmare. She’d wake up any second and everything would just be—
“Hey, girls.” Amy Bennett, Grady’s long-time girlfriend appeared in the doorway, making both twins yelp out a startled scream. Amy paused at their outburst and eyed them suspiciously. “What’s going on?”
Amy had left for college at the beginning of the semester just as Grady had. No doubt back for the weekend, she must’ve just arrived at their house to wait for Grady to make it home. She and Grady each attended a different university—Amy getting her education degree and Grady striving for business management. Both usually returned to Tommy Creek every weekend to see each other.
Jo Ellen, however, was more concerned about what Amy had heard than her sudden appearance in her bedroom doorway.
“Jo Ellen might be pregnant,” Emma Leigh blurted.
As Grady’s girlfriend gasped, Jo Ellen rounded on her sister. “ Em !”
“What?” Emma Leigh shrugged. “We all know she and Grady are going to tie the knot someday; they’ve been together since they were, like, five. She’s practically our big sister already. And now is definitely the time for a bit of insightful advice from someone with more experience than us.”
“What in the world makes you think I have any kind of experience with this ?” Amy squawked.
Jo Ellen wanted to melt through the floor. If Grady’s girlfriend—who loved all things baby—could appear so appalled over the idea of her being pregnant then she could only imagine how the rest of the family would react.
“What do we do?” Em asked, scooting supportively closer to Jo Ellen. “What if she is …you know?”
Amy swallowed audibly and slowly moved to the bed so she could sit on the edge and send Jo Ellen a sympathetic wince. “How sure are you?”
“Not at all,” Jo Ellen confessed.
“She’s late,” Emma Leigh butted in. “And Joey is never late. Hell, she’s what keeps me on schedule every month.”
“Well.” Amy very serenely set her hands in her lap and licked her lips. Jo Ellen couldn’t contain how grateful she was that Amy had finally settled down after the initial shock. “I guess the first thing to do is find out one way or another. So just stay calm before there’s anything to freak out about. Okay?”
Both Emma Leigh and Jo Ellen nodded. “Okay.”
“So, Emma Leigh,” Amy instructed, turning authoritative. “You go with your sister to buy a test, then you,” she instructed Jo Ellen, “take it, and we’ll act from there.”
Again, both twins nodded. They squeezed closer together, pressing their shoulders against one another.
“But what if I am?” Jo Ellen couldn’t help but whisper the dreaded
“ You don’t think so ?” Emma Leigh exploded, hopping off the bed to set her hands on her hips. “What do you mean you don’t think so? Are you pregnant or not?”
“ Shh .” Jo Ellen glanced pointedly toward the open door of her room. “Will you keep it down? What if someone heard you?”
“Well, are you or not?”
“I don’t know,” Jo Ellen whispered before she snapped, “Sit down!”
Emma Leigh had started pacing the room and it was making her dizzy. When her twin plopped onto the mattress beside her, she stared at the blank sheet of paper in her lap, realizing she was about to write a letter to Cooper Gerhardt, asking if they’d had sex.
Forget cold, her body turned absolutely glacial. She swallowed, feeling ill. If she was really pregnant…then who was the baby’s father?
“Oh, God.” She shook so hard she dropped her pen.
“What’re we going to do?” Emma Leigh croaked, her expression dazed.
Too scared to think beyond the panic, Jo Ellen reached out. Em anxiously caught her fingers and held on for dear life. Not sure why her sister looked so scared when this was happening solely to her, Jo Ellen didn’t question the empathetic support, she merely squeezed back, hoping this was a nightmare. She’d wake up any second and everything would just be—
“Hey, girls.” Amy Bennett, Grady’s long-time girlfriend appeared in the doorway, making both twins yelp out a startled scream. Amy paused at their outburst and eyed them suspiciously. “What’s going on?”
Amy had left for college at the beginning of the semester just as Grady had. No doubt back for the weekend, she must’ve just arrived at their house to wait for Grady to make it home. She and Grady each attended a different university—Amy getting her education degree and Grady striving for business management. Both usually returned to Tommy Creek every weekend to see each other.
Jo Ellen, however, was more concerned about what Amy had heard than her sudden appearance in her bedroom doorway.
“Jo Ellen might be pregnant,” Emma Leigh blurted.
As Grady’s girlfriend gasped, Jo Ellen rounded on her sister. “ Em !”
“What?” Emma Leigh shrugged. “We all know she and Grady are going to tie the knot someday; they’ve been together since they were, like, five. She’s practically our big sister already. And now is definitely the time for a bit of insightful advice from someone with more experience than us.”
“What in the world makes you think I have any kind of experience with this ?” Amy squawked.
Jo Ellen wanted to melt through the floor. If Grady’s girlfriend—who loved all things baby—could appear so appalled over the idea of her being pregnant then she could only imagine how the rest of the family would react.
“What do we do?” Em asked, scooting supportively closer to Jo Ellen. “What if she is …you know?”
Amy swallowed audibly and slowly moved to the bed so she could sit on the edge and send Jo Ellen a sympathetic wince. “How sure are you?”
“Not at all,” Jo Ellen confessed.
“She’s late,” Emma Leigh butted in. “And Joey is never late. Hell, she’s what keeps me on schedule every month.”
“Well.” Amy very serenely set her hands in her lap and licked her lips. Jo Ellen couldn’t contain how grateful she was that Amy had finally settled down after the initial shock. “I guess the first thing to do is find out one way or another. So just stay calm before there’s anything to freak out about. Okay?”
Both Emma Leigh and Jo Ellen nodded. “Okay.”
“So, Emma Leigh,” Amy instructed, turning authoritative. “You go with your sister to buy a test, then you,” she instructed Jo Ellen, “take it, and we’ll act from there.”
Again, both twins nodded. They squeezed closer together, pressing their shoulders against one another.
“But what if I am?” Jo Ellen couldn’t help but whisper the dreaded
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