Leah reached toward the selection and pulled her hand back.
“You need to do this, Leah,” Mitch said.
She nodded her head, picking up the nearest ones, and taking them into the bathroom with her. Mitch followed with the rest. Both men stared at her in the bathroom.
“I’d like to be alone, please,” she said.
They moved away from the bathroom. Her hands were shaking so much.
****
Mitch sat at the kitchen counter drinking his fourth cup of coffee. The only sound coming from the bathroom was the occasional flush of the toilet. He was on edge and wanted to know how it was going for Leah. His hands were shaking with nerves. Chase sat with his back against the wall next to the bathroom door.
From the moment he had looked at the shelf filled with all the different brands of pregnancy tests, Mitch had been overcome by what it actually meant. If any of those tests came out positive either he or Chase had gotten her pregnant. He wasn’t scared. Mitch felt excited. The more he sat and thought about Leah pregnant the happier he got.
He rather liked the thought of a little baby. They’d been friends for so long that a baby would be a piece of cake among the three of them. Splitting up was not the answer. Mitch loved her too damn much to give up now.
Draining his last cup of coffee, he placed his cup in the sink and took his place on the opposite side of the door.
“How are you doing?” Chase asked.
“I wish I was in there with her. It doesn’t feel right being out here while she’s inside.”
Chase nodded his head in agreement. Mitch rested his arms on his thighs, dangling his hands between his legs. Another flush came through the bathroom door.
“What do you want her to say when she comes out?”
Mitch stared at his friend. “I want her to say she’s pregnant.”
“I do, too. Do you think we’re selfish?”
He thought about Chase’s words. Maybe they were a bit selfish, but Mitch knew he’d never abandon Leah.
“We’ve been a family for some time, Chase. I think we’re a bit selfish, but I’d do anything for her. A baby will not change my feelings for her.”
They both let out a sigh and waited in silence.
Mitch rested his head against the back of the wall. The silence in the apartment was deafening to him.
The door opened. He and Chase both got to their feet. Leah stared at them with tears in her eyes. She didn’t speak a word.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“They all say positive. Not one of them has read negative,” she said. Without another word, Mitch and Chase went to her. Their arms surrounded her. Mitch stared at his friend past her shoulder. She wasn’t crying. The despair inside her was tangible.
“I don’t know what to do,” she said.
Her voice was vacant.
“I think we need to get you an appointment with the doctor to make sure you’re safe and healthy,” Chase said.
“And you need to stop doing the long hours. Maybe I can talk to work about that.”
“I don’t care about that. What do we tell our parents? I’m pregnant by one of you, and I don’t know which one,” she said. The tears began falling then.
Mitch helped Chase walk her over to the sofa. He didn’t like her lack of weight. Leah had always been a full woman. Her curves were part of who she was. This woman was not normal to him. She felt ill in his arms. He wanted to get the meat back on her bones in no time.
“I think you’re worrying unnecessarily. Our parents will be happy for us,” Mitch said. His cousins back in LawCastle had made their relationship work. He didn’t see the problem with making their relationship work. They were best friends and had no secrets among them. All of their secrets included each other.
“They accept our friendship, Mitch. I don’t think they’ll accept us in a relationship. What about you two? One of you knocked me up. Don’t you want to know who the father is?” she asked.
Mitch looked at Chase, who shrugged his shoulders.
“Nope, we don’t care.”
Chase took her hands. “Leah, this is not bad news.”
“We didn’t plan for this.”
“No, but Mitch and I sure planned on Friday night happening.”
She gasped. “What?”
“Well, we didn’t actually count on your forgetting about it or you being totally drunk. We love you, Leah. Always have and always will.”
Mitch saw the bewildered look on her face. She really had no idea how they felt.
“That’s because we’re friends,” she said.
“Guess again.” Mitch spoke up. “We’re friends, but we’ve discussed our feelings for you. When we were younger, he and I, we fought over you.”