He Gave His Female Best Friend My 5th Anniversary Trip, Then Bet I Wouldn't Leave novel · Chapter 12 of 24

Chapter 12: Not Harder Than It Needs To Be

"Then it's easy to prove it's a lie," I said. "Call Lakeshore. Ask them for your chart."

Derek's jaw worked.

"I don't have to prove anything to you."

"You don't have to prove it to me," I said. "Just to them."

I looked around the table at ten faces that wouldn't meet his.

Nobody laughed.

Nobody said, "Come on, Leah."

A wife near the grill had her phone out and then put it away again, ashamed of herself.

"Taryn," I said. "Was it the dentist?"

She looked at Derek.

Derek said, "Don't answer that."

"Is that an order?" I asked.

"It's a boundary," he said.

Mitch snorted.

It was a small sound, but Derek heard it, and his neck turned red.

"You think this is funny?"

"No," Mitch said. "I won my bet last Saturday, and I haven't been able to spend the money."

"What are you talking about?"

"You won't answer a simple question in front of your friends. That's all I'm saying."

I turned back to the table.

"I didn't come only for the calendar," I said. "I came because I wanted you to hear something while you're sitting in the chair where I used to sit."

I took out my wallet and slid the ultrasound strip from behind my license.

I laid it on the glass table in front of Derek, on the spot where the cash had been.

It was a small piece of paper, gray and black, with a bright dot in the middle.

"I'm seven weeks pregnant," I said.

The baby on the lap of the girl by the fence let out a happy squeal.

Nobody else made a sound.

"That's the heartbeat," I said. "It's one hundred and forty-six. I heard it Wednesday, on my lunch hour. I was going to tell you about it on the plane to Cabo."

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