Holding On Read Free

for Jake so deep she hadn’t known it was even possible.
    “Toast or no toast?” Carly asked as her words yanked Quinn out of the past.
    Her tone made it clear she’d asked at least once before.
    “Toast. But I can get it,” Quinn said as she started to stand.
    “Sit!” she said as she pointed a butter knife at her. “I’ve got this. I might not be a great cook,” this was an understatement and they both knew it, “but I can handle an omelet and toast. You need to call Jake.”
    Carly stood with her fist ground into her slender hip until Quinn rose from her bar stool to retrieve her phone.
    She didn’t call Jake. She was feeling like a coward so she sent him a text. She could blame it on worrying he’d be able to tell by her tone that something was wrong. Or she could say that she hated bothering him when he was working. Both of those excuses were legitimate and somewhat true. But mostly…she was a coward. He responded in no time to her request.
    “He has to work late, but he’ll st op over as soon as he’s done,” she told Carly. The original plan was that she would spend the evening with her family. Carly didn’t come home all that often. When she did, family dinners were usually a nightly requirement.
    “Perfect. I’ll get Mom and Dad out of here,” Carly said with assurance. “I’ll make sure the two of you have plenty of time to talk,” she said over her shoulder as she popped two pieces of toast into the toaster. “Have you thought about how you plan on telling them? Mom and Dad I mean? I’m sure things are going to go just fine with Jake. But if for some reason you need me there when you tell them, I’ll be there. If you want , I can be there,” she said, clarifying. She didn’t want to overstep boundaries but she would be there for Quinn no matter what.
    Quinn nodded absently. She hadn’t given any thought to how she would tell her parents. She really hadn’t even decided on how she was going to tell Jake.
    Several minutes later Carly was seated next to Quinn. Gooey, cheesy omelets, toast and a glass of grape juice in front of each of them. In seconds Quinn could feel her sister’s eyes on her.
    “What?” she asked after she swallowed her bite and took a big gulp of grape juice.
    “No morning sickness?” Carly wondered.
    “No,” Quinn admitted. “I feel fabulous. Well, other than a little tired because I haven’t slept well the last few nights. And I’m starving.” She’d been too nervous to eat breakfast. She’d headed to the pharmacy as soon as it opened. Now, it was edging close to lunch time. She supposed this meal served as their brunch.
    Carly grinned. “Great. Then after we’re done eating, let’s get out of here. We should spend the day doing something fun.”
    “Such as…?” Quinn wondered.
    “We could call Jemma and Lily. We could get our nails done. We could go shopping. Maybe a movie? We just need to do something to get your mind off of this until tonight,” she decided.
    Jemma and Lily were Quinn’s two best friends from high school. Jemma had left for two years to go to a community college. Having been able to finish in two years, she moved back and was now a dental hygienist. Lily, like Quinn, would be done in a few months.
    Quinn shook her head. “Jemma is working. Lily and Nate went out of town for break. I think they’re visiting his family.” It was just as well. She couldn’t spend the afternoon with the two of them without either of them realizing something was up. They’d known each other for years and they knew each other far too well. Quinn knew she’d never be able to pull it off. Honestly, as nervous as she was about telling him, she knew that Jake needed to be the next person to know.
    He was, after all, the father. The baby’s father. Their baby’s father. Her stomach dropped at the thought as her mind tried to grasp the enormity of it all. She was so not ready for this.
    Not realizing where Quinn’s mind had gone, Carly