Children

It ended up taking Annabeth twenty minutes to get to Ryan's house and every minute that passed had me increasingly anxious. Ryan finally made me sit still after pacing in front of the couch for ten minutes straight.

I bolted to the door when I heard her car pull up and we both raced up the stairs as soon as she got inside.

"Alright, this time I'm gonna do this properly and read the directions," she says as her eyes glide over the tiny pamphlet. We are standing in Ryan's bathroom and my sweaty hands are clinging onto the empty box tightly.

After reading the directions several times, she swats at me to spin around and I bite my lip as she pees on the stick. I hear the flush and quickly spin back around. I notice all of the color from Annabeth's face is gone and there are tiny beads of sweat at her dark hairline. We are both terrified to look at the stick.

She places the capped test gingerly on the vanity and then slowly steps away from it like it's a rabid dog. Her hands stay out in front of her and I immediately snatch up her right hand into mine.

"What if I am pregnant with Gus Blackwood's child?" She asks worriedly and I find her wide green eyes. I squeeze her hand and reply, "Gus will take care of the both of you. He'll step up."

She glances to the small gold watch adorning her slim wrist and says, "Ten more seconds."

I watch her swallow hard and I can tell she's holding her breath. My two best friends might be having a baby and I cannot tell if I am excited or terrified for the both of them. Annabeth and I have never really talked about children, but I certainly know we were both expecting to be married when we had them.

Gus has always joked about taking his sons fishing and teaching them all about lumber, so I know Gus has always envisioned male offspring in his future. I think back to Ryan and realize I have never really asked what his stance is on children. I know he likes to practice making them, but he's never said how he feels about having them.

"Okay, it's time," she says nervously but she doesn't take a step toward the vanity. I look to her and ask, "Shall I look?" She purses her lips together and nods quickly. I reach out with my left hand and my heart plummets to my knees as I read it. I can feel the tears in my eyes before I am even able to tell her the result. She catches my watery eyes and squeaks, "Positive?"

I look into her terrified eyes and sob out, "You're pregnant!"

She gently pulls the small white test from my shaking fingers and I see her eyes well up. Her free hand flies to her mouth and I look to her.

"Are you happy?"

Her eyes don't move from the test as she says, "I don't honestly know. I think I'm just in shock."

She continues to stare at the result and both of us are crying from anxiety. I pull her into me and give her a rib-crushing hug as I choke out, "Gus and I will be there for you every step of the way, okay? You won't ever be alone in this."

She's now sobbing into my shoulder and I have no idea how she is feeling. I rub her back as she cries and I hear a knock on the bathroom door. Ryan peeks his head in and asks, "You alright A.B?"

His tone is soft and I can tell he's worried that his girlfriend and her best friend are holding each other while bawling in his bathroom. She pulls away from me as she wipes her cheeks with the back of her hand. She laughs and says, "I'm sorry I am a mess."

Ryan takes a small step inside the bathroom and asks, "Do I dare say congratulations?"

I watch Annabeth's face light up and she nods her head. He pulls her in for a hug and my heart swells in my chest. She laughs again as she looks to us.

"I ended up getting the biggest heart attack of all! No more pranks, Sawyer."

Ryan and I let out a light laugh and I nod my head in agreement. Ryan looks to her and asks, "Are you going to tell Gus right away?"

She shrugs and I wonder if I should tell her that half of Hollis might know. I would hate for her to hear it from anyone else.

"I have to tell you something Annabeth, and you're not going to like it," I warn her as she grabs a tissue from the counter. She nods for me to continue and I say, "Margot and Molly saw the first test and assumed it was mine. Austin cleared up the confusion, not thinking that you didn't know so...they know too."

Her mouth drops and she says, "Dear lord, I pray they haven't told a single soul. My mama does not need to hear about this from some busy body in town."

I nod to her.

"Or Gus. I'd talk to him sooner rather than later."

Ryan nods in agreement.

"I'm sure Gus feels the same way about his parents too. If there's one thing I have learned from Poppy's case, it's that word spreads quickly here. Hollis gobbles up gossip."

I squeeze her hand again and she takes a deep breath. Her eyes are still swollen and her face is all red and blotchy so I hope that clears up by the time she sees Gus. He might actually have a heart attack if she shows up a mess on his front porch.

I smile at her and she says, "Alright, I'll get out of y'alls hair. I'm going to go to Gus's."

Ryan takes a step away from the door as Annabeth passes him to leave. He tugs on my hand and I wrap my arms around his waist. He drops his chin onto the top of my head and says, "If we have a baby, I hope to all that is holy that I'll know before anyone else. I'm afraid someone already spilled the beans to Gus and that's no way to find out."

I look up to him and ask, "Do you want to have babies?"

I watch as he ponders it for a second and then let out a laugh.

"Well if you have to think that hard...," I joke and he laughs too.

"I was trying to imagine our babies, and yeah, I think I wouldn't mind having a couple," he says with a smile.

I can feel my cheeks burn red as I reply, "I was worried I had scared you off when you found out Betty and Scarlett wanted to help persuade my mother to let you marry me. And here you are envisioning our children."

Ryan's face is now a shade of pink and he laughs again.

"Well, I don't think I would have moved halfway across the country if I didn't envision a long future with you."

I pull away from him and we are both wearing wide grins.

"So, you want to marry me?"

He laughs as he shakes his head, "You let me do the askin' alright?"

I eye him suspiciously and I can only imagine the proposal Ryan would set up. I grab his hands as I joke, "Ya know what they say. It's not just marrying the girl; it's also marrying the family."

I wink to him and he shakes his head while looking up toward the ceiling. He finds my eyes again and says, "Delilah Sweeney will make one hell of a mother-in-law."

"Are you sure you still want to marry me?" I jokingly ask. I catch the wicked grin taking over his face and he says, "I do. But first, I want you in my bed."

I'm caught off guard when he throws me over his shoulder and carries me back into his room. I know he should be asleep since he has an early morning, but he doesn't seem to care. He drops me gently on the bed and I run my hands through his sandy blonde hair. He stands to slide his dark shirt off and my eyes devour his toned torso. I'm glad I had already planned to take my clothes off tonight so I knew to wear appropriate and flattering undergarments. He bends back over me, but before he takes things further, I ask, "After what just happened today, I feel required to ask- you have protection right?"

He laughs as he pulls open the top drawer to his nightstand.

"After what I thought happened today, I feel like I should wear two."

I giggle again and it doesn't take long before I am enjoying what I have been missing for too long.