“How long have you known Brea?”
“A few weeks.”
“The baby is not Jonathans?”
“No Jem...” The pitiful look in her eyes said everything I needed to know. “It isn't Jonathans.”
I was not OK with the information my friend was relaying to me but at least for once in my life I did not feel like crying. I maintained all composure, somehow hoping that everything I was hearing was a lie even though I knew that there was no way it could be.
“Brandon knows?”
“Yes.”
“Is that why he was upset about Jonathan?” Brea bopped her head. “It was just sex, I get that you are pregnant with his child but why would he be mad about Jonathan Brea?”
“Because it wasn’t just sex, Jemma. Brandon doesn’t do just sex and I would never just have sex with Brandon.” She paused for a moment to choose her next words. “He asked me to marry him when I told him about the baby Jem. I said no, of course.”
“Oh but of course you did!” I replied sarcastically.
“Jemma, please!” She begged. “Jem, do you think I want to be pregnant with my best friend’s ex-boyfriends baby? I feel like I am living in a fucking Jerry Springer episode! And what makes it worse is that I am nothing but your fucking shadow. My baby daddy has been dreaming of what your two little bouncing bundles of perfection would look like since he was fourteen. How the fuck could I ever compete with you when it comes to Brandon?”
Brea jumped up off the bed and began to pace the room.
“Are you saying you wanted to say yes?”
Her pacing halted and turned to me.
“The truth?” I nodded. “The truth is that I have been dreaming of my wedding since I was fourteen years old. I know that we have never talked about it, we haven’t because my dream was a dream and that is all that it was. But the dream always included Brandon.”
“When he began spewing at me a bunch of crap about ‘doing the right thing’ by me I wanted to jump through hoops to let him. But there was just no way that I am a ‘do the right thing’ kind of girl. Before Jonathan I thought I was going to have to live the rest of my life pining for someone I could never have because I didn’t think it was possible to love someone so much twice.”
“And now Brea, what do you want now?”
“I want Jonathan to walk through that door, throw me over his arms like a caveman and tell me that it doesn’t matter.”
I stood from the bed trying to process the information being thrown at me. To say that I was overwhelmed by the nonstop turn of events the last few days would be an understatement. Between my father’s bomb dropping, finding out about Brea and Brandon, then finding out about Brea, Brandon and their unborn child I felt like my head was going to explode. How much more could I take?
On top of everything, I needed Julian and Julian was probably sleeping like a baby completely unaware of anything but the fact that I just might be joining Brea in baby bliss. It was then that I too became aware!
“I don’t know what to say Brea.”
“Say you forgive me. Say you will be here for me. Don’t hate me because I need my best friend.”
I took a deep breath and looked hard at Brea not really sure that I could answer those questions but I did anyway.
“I forgive you and even though this is REALLY, really weirding me out right now I am not going anywhere. I am here as long as you need me.”
As the words came out of my mouth I knew that I meant them. Brea threw her arms around my neck, she apologized, thanked me, cried a bit, told me she loved me and thanked me some more before pulling away.
“Oh my God Jemma, all this time and I completely forgot about your dad. How did the visit go?”
I cringed at the thought of reliving the news that came with visiting my father for the first time in seven years but I knew I wouldn’t be able to leave my friend in the dark. I spent the next half an hour recounting the events of my visit. She would stop me every once in a while to gasp or ask for some kind of clarification when she wasn’t quite sure she heard me right.
“So what happens now?” She asked.
“I guess I have to figure out some way to get him out of this mess. I figured perhaps speak to his lawyer or go straight to the DA, I honestly have no idea.”
“What about Brandon?”
Confused and almost defensive I ask, “What about him?”
“Besides the fact that he chose to attend a college with one of the top law schools in the country and has probably met tons of people that could help there is that little fact that his dad is one of the top prosecutors in central Texas. Don’t get all defensive, sheesh!”