...
Will
Lacy was already home when I pulled up in the driveway. Huh, that was unusual since traffic downtown usually held her up longer than my drive from the brewery.
I started heading inside until I saw movement inside Lacy's car. She was still in it, holding the steering wheel at ten and two, staring straight ahead like she was driving. I knocked on the passenger window and she jumped, suddenly snapping out of her trance. Something was definitely wrong.
When she didn't make any motion to get out of the car I walked around to the driver side and tugged on the door, which was locked. Lacy rolled the window down first before she figured out how to unlock the door. Finally I was in, pulling it wide open.
I crouched down to eye level with her and noticed her eyes were red, like she'd been crying.
"What's wrong, sweetheart? You're sort of scaring me."
"I-I got a job," she muttered, still looking straight ahead.
"You mean you got offered a new job, like in reporting?" I asked.
She nodded and finally looked at me. "I start tomorrow for News Twenty."
"Lacy, that's great! Congratulations!" I told her, leaning in to give her a kiss. I knew she'd been worried about getting hired on somewhere. But wait, shouldn't she be happy?
"Um, Lacy? Aren't you happy about the new job? This is what you wanted, right?" I asked. She nodded again. "Then what's wrong?"
She looked at me for several silent seconds, and my heart broke when a tear slid down her cheek.
"Will, I'm pregnant."
I think I inhaled all the air in the city when I gasped. "You … you're pregnant? How-how do you know?" I stuttered. "Are you sure?"
"I'm late so the doctor said I should take a test. It was positive."
"Wow. That's really … unexpected. But we can do this, you know? It's going to be okay, Lacy."
"I don't know who the father is," she sobbed into her hands.
"Oh fuck!" I exclaimed when I started thinking it through. "It might not be mine? Oh my God. It could be, it might be Joe's?" I asked. "Oh fuck, or Chad's?"
Lacy's head barely nodded, and she started crying harder. "Or Zack's...I'm such a whore...I don't know who knocked me up!"
"Oh, sweetheart, it's going to be okay," I told her, pulling her into my arms. "How soon can we find out?"
"After...it's...born," she said between hiccupping sobs. "The test...during pregnancy...too risky."
Wow, that meant months of her being pregnant, and not having any fucking idea if it's my baby or not.
I carried Lacy into the house and tucked her into bed after she went catatonic, then grabbed my phone to call Joe.
"Hey, Will. How's Charlotte?" he asked when he answered.
"Good. How's the new job?"
"So far so good. I think I'm going to like prosecuting criminals for a change."
"Glad to hear it. So um, what are you doing this weekend?" I asked, deciding at the last minute that I didn't want to do this over the phone.
"Ah, nothing I know of, why?"
"You want to come down here? Oh, and maybe bring Chad?"
Joe laughed. "Lacy wants another foursome, huh? I'm sure we can work something out. Maybe spend the night Saturday like last time?"
"Ah, yeah sure."
"Everything, okay?" he asked.
"Yeah. Lacy has … a surprise for you."
"Damn, now I can't wait," he said, thinking I meant something naughty. Oh he was so going to lose his shit when he found, but I couldn't bring myself to tell him on the phone.
"Check with Chad and let us know, okay?"
"Sure. See ya, Will. Tell Lacy I miss her."
"Will do," I replied before ending the call. Stepping outside on the back patio I called Dylan.
"Will! Your sister said she's pissed at you because you haven't talked to her or your parents in weeks."
"Ah, sorry I've just been busy getting settled in and all."
"You okay? You sound … off," Dylan asked.
"No, I'm not really okay. Lacy's...we just found out...she's pregnant."
"What? Holy shit! Congrats! Jules, guess what. You're going to be an aunt!" he called out.
"Not necessarily," I corrected him.
"Wait, what do you mean? She is going to have the baby, right?"
"I think so, it's just, I may not be the father."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"Fuck. That's...I'm sorry. So it might be … Joe's?"
"Uh-huh. But don't say anything because we haven't told him yet. He's coming down this weekend so we can tell him in person. It could also be Chad's or Zack's."
"Oh. My. God. You're serious?"
"As a fucking heart attack. There's only a twenty-five percent chance that it's mine. We should've been more careful, but hindsight's 20/20 and all that shit. I'm guessing Lacy had so much on her after her mom died that she missed a few weeks with her birth control ring thing, but I can't be upset with her about that. I just...I want it to be my baby, not one of theirs."
"Well, it's a simple test to figure it out right? Like a mouth swab?"
"I think so, but it's going to be a few months before we can swab the baby's mouth. Lacy said there's a way during pregnancy but it's risky, and I wouldn't ask her to take that chance just so we can find out now."
"Oh, damn."
"Yeah. This … there are no words to describe it."
Epilogue
Joe Montgomery
Saturday morning I was stoked to be heading down the highway on the way to see Lacy. I'd missed her living with me in my house, even though she'd only stayed with me a few weeks. I was still happy for her and Will, and knew they were going to be together for the long haul. He'd do anything and everything to make her happy, and Lacy deserved a good guy like him. Now if only I could figure out how to have the same thing.
As soon as my and Chad's car doors shut Lacy appeared at the front door of her townhouse. A second later she was coming down the steps and jumping into my arms.
"Hey, and I missed you too," I laughed, picking her up so her legs could wrap around my waist. She pressed her face to my neck and it almost felt like she was leaving behind moisture. Oh shit, was she crying?
"What's wrong?" I asked as I carried her up to join Will on the porch. She shook her head but didn't answer. "Is Will being an ass? I'll set him straight," I teased. "It was a joke, Will. Jeez, relax," I told him when I noticed his solemn expression.
"Hey, Chad," Lacy said, looking behind me.
"Hey, Lacy. Will," he replied.
We didn't make it inside before another car pulled into the parking lot. An expensive sports car.
"Holy shit! Is that Zack Bradford? What's he doing here, Lacy?" I asked, recognizing the incredibly famous quarterback.
"Wow," Chad said. I think he was in lust as the big man got out of his car and walked toward where we all waited at the front door.
"Lacy, what the hell is this about?" he barked. Wow, what an asshole.
"Sorry to waste your precious time, Zack, but it'll only take a minute," she told him, climbing down from my arms.
Lacy led the way into the living room with all of us following. After Will sat down on their cream colored sofa, she curled up on his lap while I took the seat beside them, and Chad and Zack sat down in the two matching brown leather chairs.
"So, um, the reason you're all here is to tell you, well, you all need to know that I'm ah, pregnant," Lacy said quickly.
What the fuck? Oh shit.
"Will's the father, right? I asked, jumping up from my seat after it felt like I'd been sucker punched.
"We don't know. That's why you're all here," Lacy responded, and I felt all the blood drain from my face.
"Oh fuck," Chad muttered.
"You're shitting me, right?" Zack asked.
"Nope, not shitting you."
"How the fuck did this happen?" Zack yelled getting to his feet.
"Calm down," Will told him. "Lacy lost track of time when her mom passed away. She had a lot on her."
I stood as frozen as a statue listening to them argue.
"More important things than not getting knocked the fuck up? What the hell Lacy? You don't even have an idea of which of the four of us is the father?" Zack continued his tirade.
"It's probably Will's, but … "
"Oh God," I said when understanding hit. There were four men here, so there was a one in four chance that Lacy was pregnant with my baby.
"Joe, you okay? You look pale. Maybe you should sit down a minute," I barely heard Lacy through the blood pounding through my head.
I finally nodded and sat back down beside her and Will. Oh shit, I bet Lacy was freaking the hell out. She had a baby growing inside of her. And it might be mine. I gently pulled her onto my lap and wrapped her tightly in my arms.
When I could finally ease my grip I kissed her, soft and slowly. "How are you doing with all this?" I asked her, resting my forehead against hers. Lacy's eyes watered and she only shrugged in response.