University Park Series Box Set: Books 1-3 (62 page)

“Hmm, I think you know your options,”
Delaney said with a tight lip. She knew I didn’t want to hear the truth.

I always felt that women should have a
choice when it came to their bodies. Abortion for the right reasons seemed
logical. Except when you’re faced with making that decision. “Oh God, how the
hell did I end up in this mess?” I covered my face with my hands, praying I
could move the hands of time.

“It’s called sex.”

I removed my hands and bit out the words,
“I know that, Delaney.”

The door opened and we both plastered on
fake smiles.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Sheri Adams.” She extended
her hand and I shook it.

“Hi, I’m Lexi and this is my friend,
Delaney.”

“Hello, ladies.” She glanced at her
tablet, as though referencing who had the appointment. “So, Lexi, we ran a
pregnancy test at your request.”

“And…” I waited, holding the air in my
lungs.

“And the results are positive.”

I felt like someone had dropped a ton of
bricks on my lap without warning. Even though it shouldn’t have been a surprise
after doing three home pregnancy tests. I guess I was hoping for some kind of
miracle, like their test could reverse the effects of enjoying sexual ecstasy
in South Padre Island.

“I don’t understand. I have an IUD. I
shouldn’t have been able to get pregnant.” I paced the room back and forth, processing
my options, because now it was definitely reality.

Dr. Adams took a seat and said, “Why
don’t you sit down for a moment, so we can talk?”

I sat on the table and faced her. She
scanned through her tablet. “I see that you had the IUD inserted on January
tenth, correct?”

“Yes, that sounds correct.” I quickly
checked my phone, making sure.

“And did you a have a menstrual cycle
that month?”

“Yes, I had just finished my period when
I had it inserted.”

She typed in the information on her
tablet as I spoke. “Okay, what about February. Did you have a period then?”

“Yes, and it was regular… well, maybe a
little heavier than normal. And I had a period on March fifth,” I sighed. This
couldn’t be happening. Not to me. What had I done to deserve this? “I don’t
understand. Why didn’t it work? I was told that it was effective immediately.”

“They are and sometimes periods can
stop. They can also alter your hormones, though you didn’t have the one with
hormones.”

“Yes, I was informed of that. That’s why
I wasn’t concerned when I missed my period the last two months.”

“The IUD can also shift and if that
happens, an egg can slip through.”

“What do you mean it can shift?” I
narrowed my eyes at her.

The doctor set the tablet on the counter
behind her. “Well, when it is first inserted, it’s not firmly imbedded. So,
during a heavy period or vigorous activities, such as sex, it can shift.”

“Yeah, Raven is pretty big.” Delaney
nudged me.

My head spun around. “How the hell do
you know?”

She held up her hands. “No, I didn’t
mean his junk — I wouldn’t know about that. I’m just referring to him being a
muscular guy and…” she shook her head, “never mind.”

“Laney, you’re not helping.”

The doctor tried to conceal the smirk on
her face. I had to admit, it did sound funny hearing Delaney plead her
innocence to me, but it didn’t change the fact that I was supposedly pregnant,
or that Raven
was
really big. Like deliciously big.

Why do I keep thinking about him?

“If the first day of your last period
was March fifth, then you would have been ovulating from March seventeenth
through the twenty-second, based on a twenty-eight day cycle,” she said, pointing
to a calendar she retrieved from the counter.

No wonder I was so horny.

“Were you sexually active during those
days?”

Was I? That was an understatement.
That’s all Raven and I did — have sex during Spring Break. I recalled how happy
we were. We had just gotten engaged the week before. We had definitely
celebrated. “Yes, I was. My fiancée and I had sex several times,” I said with a
heavy voice.

“Then I think it’s safe to say that the
test is correct.”

Shit.

“So, I would like to do a sonogram. By
my calculations, you should be about eight weeks pregnant.” She smiled and I
wanted to cry.

“Great.”

She opened a drawer and pulled out a
hospital gown. “If you’ll please put this on, with it open to the front, we can
take a look.” Before she walked out of the room, she turned around. “And don’t
forget to get undressed from the waist down.”

“I need to take off my panties so you
can see my belly?” I glanced at Delaney out the corner of my eye. Did this lady
doctor have something else in mind?

“Yes. I will do a sonogram across your
stomach first, but if I can’t see anything, I’ll need to do a vaginal sonogram.
I’ll also need to remove the IUD. We can’t leave it in there if you’re
pregnant.”

“Oh, yeah, forgot about that.”

She shut the door and I felt the color
drain from my face. I hoped I wasn’t pregnant. It could just be the IUD
preventing my periods and showing a false positive — if there was such a thing.

“I’ll just wait outside.” Delaney walked
toward the door and gripped the doorknob.

 “No. I need you in here,” I said,
unzipping my shorts. “Unless you’d prefer not to be.”

She dropped her hand and turned around.
“Of course I do. I’m here to support you, Lexi.”

I gave her a lopsided smile. Hearing her
say that made me want to cry. Why the hell was I feeling so emotional?

Oh God. Maybe four tests hadn’t lied
after all…

Come to think of it, I had been very
emotional the past few weeks, but I had good reason to be. My fiancée left me.
I finally decided what I wanted to do with my life. I had been accepted to grad
school, received a promotion at the writing center...

Shit! This is all going south quickly.

I got undressed and slipped on the gown.
I wanted to get this over with and be on my way. As I sat on the cold table
with my arms supporting my body, I tried to avoid the footrests staring at me.
I mean, who in the hell likes to sit spread eagle while someone sticks a cold
instrument inside of you? Had to be a man that invented that technique; I
doubted it was a woman.

“Damn, I should have opted for the pill
instead. Maybe I wouldn’t be going through any of this”

“I told you.” Delaney looked up from the
magazine she was thumbing through. “Damn, how old is this magazine? I didn’t
know Christina Aguilera was pregnant.”

“I think she already gave birth.” A
knock sounded at the door. “You can come in,” I said, laying against the paper
cover beneath me.

The doctor shut the door and sat on a
stool to the side of me. “Move up, just a little.” She took out a clear bottle
from a drawer and shook it a few times. “We’ll start with your stomach first.
It might be a little cold.”

She opened the gown and squirted a jelly-like
substance all over my slightly protruding belly. When did my stomach start
looking like that? It had always been very flat and lean. Something was
definitely wrong. She flipped on the computer monitor and pressed the mouse-
like instrument to my stomach. Flesh bumps dotted my skin and I took a deep
breath.

“Laney.” I reached my hand out toward
her and she quickly came to my side.

“Okay, let’s take a look.” She moved the
wand around my belly as I stared intently at the screen. It was hard to make
out the images since everything was in black and white. It looked like a
scrambled TV station to me. She pressed a few buttons and zoomed in on my
uterus. At least, that’s what I assumed she was looking at. “Ah ha. There you
are.”

“What? There’s what?” I lifted my head,
trying to get a better view.

“Just looks like a bunch of circles to
me,” Delaney said, squinting her eyes.

“See that wishbone looking thing that’s
a little crooked?”

“Yes.”

“That’s your IUD.”

“Oh,” Delaney and I said simultaneously.

Then she pressed the instrument firmly
against my stomach and moved upward. She hit another button on the keyboard and
the screen zoomed in again. “And see that?” Using a mouse on the keyboard, she
circled two areas on the screen. “Those would be your babies.”

“Babies?”

“What the fu…” Delaney started and
stopped.

“Wh-what do you mean ‘babies’?”

“Just a minute.” The doctor continued to
move the instrument around my stomach with one hand, capturing different angles
by pressing a few buttons on the computer. “Here’s a better position.”

Delaney and I both leaned forward as she
positioned the computer screen so we had a better view.

“Here’s one embryo sack,” she placed a
circle around it, “and here’s another one.”

“Oh God.” I thought I was going to pass
out. She couldn’t be serious. Not one baby… but two? Twins. Go figure. How the
hell would I manage taking care of two babies? I wasn’t even prepared to handle
one. What was I going to do?

Cry.

Scream.

Tell Raven?

I closed my eyes. The last thing I
wanted was for him to be with me because I was pregnant. It wasn’t right. I
wanted him to be with me because he loved me, not because we were having
babies
.
He left me because he didn’t want to be with me. This didn’t change anything.

“I’m so screwed,” I muttered under a
heavy breath.

Delaney must have been thinking the same
thing because she took a few steps back, hitting the wall. “You’re pre-pregnant
with tw-twins?”

“Yes, she is and my calculations are
correct. You’re measuring right at eight weeks and three days.” She typed some
information into the computer. “Which means you probably got pregnant on March
seventeenth.”

“That was my birthday.”

“Must have been some birthday.” The
doctor raised a brow.

“Oh no.”

“Is something wrong?”

I took a hard swallow, trying to calm my
racing heart. Even though I had never thought much about being pregnant, I’d
seen the warning signs about drinking while pregnant. What if all the alcohol
I’d consumed the night of my birthday caused the babies to have birth defects?

“Yes, I got really drunk the night of my
birthday. I mean,
really
drunk. Will that will affect the babies?”

The doctor cleaned the jelly from my
stomach. “No, it was too soon. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.
Unless you’ve continued to drink for the past eight weeks.”

“No, I haven’t had any alcohol since
then.”

 “Can you tell what they are?” Delaney
eyed the screen.

“No, it’s too soon. The sex will be
recognizable around week eighteen.” She pressed another button and a printer
spat out a few pictures. With a quick wrist, she tore them from the feeder.
Folding them up neatly, she handed them to me. “Here are the pictures of your
babies.”

I took them from her and looked at the
top picture.
Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad!
She’d typed the message on the front, one
for each embryo. Tears streamed from my eyes and my throat thickened.

I was pregnant.

With twins.

And they were Raven’s.

There was no way I was aborting my
babies. With or without Raven, I was going to do this. I was having these
babies.

“Okay, Lexi. I need to remove the IUD
next. But I have to warn you, there is a risk of miscarrying.”

“Miscarrying?” I quickly wiped the tears
from my face. “What if we leave it in?”

“That would be worse. Especially with
twins.” She opened another drawer and took out a pair of needle nose plyers and
a metal insert. My stomach tensed. “Since you’re only eight weeks, you’re at a
twenty-five percent risk, so I think you’ll be fine. I do have to warn you
though, because when I remove the IUD, I’m disturbing the uterus, which is
where the embryos are. The body could naturally abort them. I want you to take
it easy for the next few days, okay? I’ll give you my card. Call me if you have
any problems.”

“I’m supposed to move in the next few
days. I’m graduating on Saturday.”

 “You should be fine for Saturday,
unless you miscarry. No heavy lifting or overexerting yourself.” She smiled and
patted my hand. “It’s not worth the risk.”

“Okay.”

“Let’s get that thing out.” She motioned
for me to put my feet in the stirrups. I guess I would have to get used to it since
I was officially pregnant. With twins. Lord help me.

Σ

“Get up! It’s moving time.” A rapid
succession of knocks startled me and I bolted upright.

I gasped for air and blinked several
times. “Shit. You scared me.”

“Why aren’t you up already?” Luke stood
in my doorway, wearing shorts and a PHU ball cap backwards. The ends of his
hair curled up and it looked sweaty and hot. “I texted Delaney this morning.”

“What?” I yawned and reached for my
phone. It showed fifteen minutes to noon. I’d been asleep since nine o’clock — completely
spent from yesterday’s events and shocking news. I think I deserved to sleep
late.

“Shit. Did she not tell you?” My brother
huffed. “Laney, I thought—”

“Yeah, I thought you said you’d be here
after twelve.” She hopped around on one leg, trying to tie her tennis shoe. “I
was just about to wake her up.”

“You should’ve already been up and ready
to go. Josh is on his way with the truck, so if you’re shit isn’t ready, you’re
SOL.” Luke stormed out of the room past Delaney, bumping into her. “What’s ready
to go?”

“Just a minute!” she hollered back.
“Hey, I’m sorry. He text me around nine and said that he was helping Josh move
and once they were done, they’d come over here and help us.” She sat on the
edge of my bed. “I told him to come because we could use their help.” Glancing
at my midsection, she asked, “How are you feeling?”

I stretched. “Okay. Just a little sore.”

“Take it easy and let everyone do the
carrying. Just act like your moving stuff so no one will think anything.” She
got up as Luke called for her again.

“Laney?” I motioned for her to wait.

“Yeah?”

“Let me tell Luke, okay?”

She nodded. “Sure. I won’t say
anything.”

I’d just found out a few days ago that
Josh and Shelby were moving into a new condo on Seventh Street. It made me a
little sad. There were so many good memories at that apartment, but without
Raven there, it made sense why Josh wanted to move. Especially since Shelby got
a job in downtown Fort Worth and he was getting ready for the draft.

Throwing back the covers, I crawled out
of bed and quickly dressed. Thankfully, I had almost everything packed except
for my bedding and stuff I was using daily. I stripped my bed and shoved the
sheets, blanket, and pillows into a large trash bag. It didn’t take me long to
pack my bathroom and have everything ready just as Josh and Shelby walked in
the door.

“Hey, Lexi.” Shelby gave me a kiss on
the cheek. “You look different.”

“Um,” I shifted my weight, making sure
my tiny pooch wasn’t showing. Wearing workout shorts and a loose tank top, I
made sure it hid my mid-section well. “I got my hair cut last week.” I ran my
fingers through the strands.

“It does look a little shorter, but no,
that’s not it.” Using her finger, she traced a circle in the air, as though
marking me. “You’re glowing.”

“Oh.” My mouth hit the floor. I was
glowing? Really? That wasn’t good for masking my pregnancy from my friends.

“Hey, Lex.” Josh approached me from
behind and placed me in a bear hug.

“Josh!” I squealed.

 “We sure miss hanging out with you.”

“I know, I do, too.” I smiled, wiggling
out of his arms wrapped just above my stomach. It’s weird how in one day I went
from not knowing I was pregnant with twins, to being extra cautious. But I had
to be, at least for the next few days. “Did you already move into your new
place?”

“Sure did.”

“You’ll have to come by and visit.”
Shelby fingers were working through her hair as she made a braid.

“I will.”

“Everything ready to go?” Josh asked,
surveying the dorm.

“Yep.” I pointed to all the boxes in the
hall.

“Then let’s get it, girl.” Josh popped
Shelby on the butt and she jumped.

“Sweetie.” She grabbed his arm and
planted a kiss on his lips. They looked so happy — excited about moving in
together, starting their life together. I hated to admit it, but I missed that
so much. Envy was never a problem for me, but I really wanted what they had for
Raven and me. Too bad that chance was over.

Everyone shuffled around the dorm,
grabbing boxes and bags as they helped us gather our belongings. I followed
Josh and Shelby outside, only carrying my bedding since it wasn’t that heavy. I
did what Delaney recommended so no one would think I wasn’t helping.

“Wow.” I stared at a large U-Haul truck
parked at the curbside. “Luke didn’t say you were bringing this big thing.”

Josh unlocked the back gate and lifted
it. “He said you gals needed help moving and since I don’t have to return this
truck until tomorrow, I thought we could do it in one trip.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it. Sure makes it
easier for us.”

A bare mattress and brown furniture immediately
caught my attention. Josh cleared his throat a few times. “So, um, these are
Raven’s. I tried to call him, but his phone isn’t working. I talked to Trish,
but she said she didn’t have room for them. She told me to ask you if you
wanted them.”

How ironic that I needed furniture for
my room and it happened to be Raven’s. “Oh.” I sighed and crossed my arms. Did
I really want to be sleeping on the mattress that we’d shared so many times?
Where I’d lost my virginity? That mattress was full of our memories.

Shit.

“If you don’t want it, I’ll just drop it
off at the Goodwill.”

“No.” I raised a hand. “I mean, yes,
I’ll take it. I was going to get my furniture at my parents, but this works out
better.”

“Alright.” He smiled and took the bags
from my hands, sliding them into the truck.

I trudged back upstairs and gathered a
few more things as everyone picked up boxes and took them to the truck. It was
evident that Raven would be a permanent part of me, even if we weren’t
together. And if I were able to give birth to his babies, I would see him in
them. There was no escaping it. Raven would be a part of me forever.

“I think that’s it,” Delaney said,
holding a box with odds and ends.

Luke took the last box from my hand and
I relaxed my arms. “Say your goodbyes, girls.”

My lips twitched to the side. A lot had
happened in the last two years. Part of me was glad to be moving on, while
another part of me felt sad.

“Lots of memories were made in that
room.” Luke nudged Delaney as she slipped into her bedroom, doing a double
check.

“Yeah, but we’ve got a new one to start
on.” She winked at him and he grinned.

I walked into my bedroom and did one
last glance. Sitting on my bed was a vision of Raven, his hands folded as he
leaned against his thighs, the soft glow of my nightlight making him appear
Godlike. The night he’d brought me home from the frat party was so vivid.
Almost like it was yesterday. It was the night that he confessed he wanted to have
sex with me. I had thought that
would be the night.

I laughed under my breath as a tear
escaped. If only I wouldn’t have fallen into his trap. But it was too late for
that. I ran my hand over my little bump. His trap was right there in the center
of me. Two of them. I sighed and turned around, leaving those good times behind
me. I turned off the light and shut the door. They would remain there forever.

We locked up the dorm and went
downstairs. “I’ll turn in our keys,” Delaney said, taking my copy as we exited
the elevator.

“Okay, I’ll be outside.”

Luke followed her to the residence desk
and I headed for the door. As I entered the foyer, I stopped for a second,
glancing at the baby grand piano that held a lifetime of musical memories. I
hadn’t played since Spring Break, but the last time I had played this one was
with Raven. The tears reappeared, streaming down my cheeks and spilling into my
hair.

Approaching it, I glided my hand over
the sleek black wood. Nothing would ever take away the love I had for playing —
not my mom and especially not Raven. Regardless of the pain it brought or the
happiness it spread, the piano would forever be my favorite pastime.

I dropped my purse to the floor and slid
onto the bench. Running my fingers along the keyboard, I collected the dust and
wiped my hands. I’d never forget the first day Raven showed up as I was playing
All of Me.
I couldn’t believe he was watching me play. A tiny smile
escaped from my lips. The best part was when we sang
Lean On Me
to each
other. I had promised to be there for him, no matter what. Why didn’t he let me
do that? Why did he have to walk out on me?

I shook my head and rested my fingers
along the ivory. Pressing my fingers in unison, I began playing a familiar
melody. It was like the notes were dying to be released. I played with all of my
soul, not missing one. I had given all of myself to Raven, yet he had chosen
not to accept it.

All of me honestly loved all of him.

Loved every bit of him.

Everything about him.

And I had thought he loved me equally.
One thing was certain, I wouldn’t trade the time I had with him. It was magical
while it lasted. For as long as I lived, despite what happened with my
pregnancy, I was still willing to give all of me to him.

Forever.

A warm hand touched my shoulder and I
stopped playing. “Come on, we gotta go,” Luke said with a caring voice. I
smiled at him and sniffed repeatedly as another round of tears released. How I wished
it would’ve been Raven’s hand instead of my brother’s.                                                                        

I got up and placed Luke’s arm around me.
He gave me tight squeeze. We didn’t say anything, but we didn’t have to. My
brother knew what tormented me and what pain I was in because of Raven. He held
me, giving me the comfort only a brother could instill. After a few minutes, we
released our embrace and headed outside, leaving all of the memories behind us.

“I can’t believe this is it,” Delaney
said, pulling out of the loading zone. “We’re graduating and moving on with our
lives.”

“I know, it makes me sad. But it’s not
like I won’t be up here every day in a few weeks.”

“So, are you still planning on going to
grad school?”

“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I really
haven’t had time to think about it.”

“You’ve got time.” She grabbed my hand.
“Don’t worry about it right now.”

“I’m sure it’ll all work out in the
end.”

I leaned my head against the window,
watching students walk in and out of buildings as Delaney drove through the
campus to our new apartment. Purple and white banners attached to light poles
flapped in the wind, advertising PHU’s baseball and football team. No doubt,
PHU didn’t seem the same without their star quarterback, but as the saying
goes, nothing good lasts forever.

We pulled up to the complex and the urge
for a nap hit hard. The short drive had definitely relaxed me; I was ready to
lay down for a late snooze. I struggled to get out of the car, feeling ten
times heavier than normal. I couldn’t imagine what I’d feel like in six months.
Thankfully, our apartment was on the first floor and stairs wouldn’t be an
issue.

“Home sweet home.” Delaney opened the
door and we walked in. I immediately slumped to the floor in the living room as
everyone took a self-tour.

“It’s nice.” Josh stood with his hands
on hips, scanning the living room.

“It’s so cute.” Shelby went from room to
room.

“Thanks, I got one helluva a deal.”
Delaney huffed, then dumped a bag in the middle of the hallway.

Luke dropped a few Target sacks from
yesterday’s shopping excursion onto the floor and I immediately grabbed one of
the pillows Delaney had bought for me. Unable to hold my head up, I clutched
the pillow in my hands and remained on the floor.

“What the fuck?” Luke kicked my leg, but
I was too tired to protest.

“Hey, don’t kick her.” Delaney slammed
her fist into his side.

“We don’t have time for a nap. We’ve got
a truck to unload.” He pointed toward the parking lot.

 “In a minute.” The incessant need to
close my eyes took over. It was as though my head felt like a nine pound
bowling ball, ready to topple off my body. “I just need a five minute catnap.”

“Are you serious?” Josh huffed.

“Are you okay?” Shelby knelt next to me,
stroking my hair. “You look a little pale.”

I nodded, unable to open my mouth. Sleep
was all my body wanted, everything else would have to wait.

“I’m not going to unload all your shit
while your lazy ass sleeps.” Luke’s voice rose louder and I knew he was mad.
“That’s not cool, Lexi. You can’t expect us to do all the work while you take a
break. It’s not right and you know it.”

Through half parted eyes, I looked at
him, trying to think of a good excuse. “I’m sorry, I just…”

“Man, screw this.” Luke headed for the
door and Delaney grabbed his arm.