“Let us know if she needs anything,” Aria offers.
“Thanks.” I smile before I go back to Carla.
Walking into my room, I close the door behind me then hand Carla an orange juice. “How do you feel?”
“Still nauseous, but better.”
I sit down beside her on the bed, stretching my legs out as I lean back against the pillows. “Fried chicken is a no go for you.”
Carla shrugs. “I didn’t like it that much to begin with.” She takes a couple of sips from her juice before she asks, “What are we watching?”
I stare at her until she asks, “What?”
Shaking my head, I say, “Nothing. I’m just thinking about how thankful I am for you.”
She scrunches her nose.
Lifting my hand, I tuck some of her hair behind her ear. “Thank you for carrying our child.”
Carla’s bottom lip juts out, and then emotion washes over her face. “You’re going to make me cry.”
When I see she’s fighting to keep the tears back, I murmur, “Then cry, babe. You don’t have to be strong all the time. That’s why you have me.”
Carla face plants against my chest, and I quickly remove the juice from her hand and set it down beside me on the bedside table. Wrapping my arms around her, I place a hand behind her head and hold her to me.
After a couple of seconds, she mumbles, “I don’t even know why I’m crying.”
“It’s probably your hormones,” I explain. “Progesterone, estrogen, and hCG. They say a woman will produce more estrogen during one pregnancy than throughout her entire life when not pregnant.”
“Noah,” Carla mutters. “No biology lessons. Just hold me.”
I let out a chuckle as I press a kiss to her hair. “Okay.”
Chapter 19
CARLA
We’ve decided to tell my parents first, and as Noah steers the car up the driveway, it feels like I’m going to be sick.
“I’m going to throw up,” I mutter. Noah brings the car to a sudden stop, and his eyes snap to me. Letting out a chuckle, I add, “From nerves, not because of morning sickness.”
“Oh,” Noah lets out a sigh of relief. “It would suck if that’s the way they find out.”
I let out another chuckle. “Yeah, me running into the house to throw up.”
Noah gives my thigh a squeeze. “Are you ready?”
“No thanks, I choose life,” I impersonate Sid.
He lets out a chuckle, then says, “Let’s do this.”
When we climb out of the car, I rub my hands over my dress to get rid of the sweaty feel.
Yep, today’s the day I die.
I take a deep breath as Noah comes to link his fingers with mine, and then we walk to the front door. I let us in with my set of keys, then call out, “We’re here.”
Mom comes out of the kitchen, a wide smile on her face. “Ahh… finally. I’ve been telling Carla to bring you over for dinner since she told me you’re dating.”
Mom gives me a hug before hugging Noah. Besides Mom just wanting me to be happy, she also grew up with Noah’s parents, so she’s close with them. Which helps a lot. She’ll stop Dad from killing us.
“Hi, Sweetheart,” Dad says as he comes out of the living room.
My stomach instantly begins to churn with nerves as I lean in to hug him. “Hi, Daddy.”
“Noah, welcome. It’s good to see you,” Dad says as he shakes Noah’s hand. “Let’s sit in the living room.”
We all follow Dad inside, and once we’re seated, my leg begins to jump at the speed of light. Noah places his hand over my knee to stop the movement, but it’s too late because my parents already noticed.
Dad’s eyes dart between us while Mom tilts her head.
Then Mom’s eyes widen, and she lets out a gasp. “Oh, my God. You’re pregnant.”
I pull an ‘I’m sorry’ face.
Dad’s eyes narrow on Noah, and it has me rambling, “I had the flu. I’m sorry.”
“What?” Dad grumbles.
“I had the flu, and I think that’s why the pill didn’t work,” I explain.
Dad shakes his head. “So you are pregnant?”
Oh, shit.
I nod, bracing myself for the worst.
Dad just stares at me while Mom darts to her feet, saying, “You’re pregnant. Okay.” She takes a deep breath. “You’re pregnant.”
A dark frown forms on Dad’s brow as his eyes snap to Noah. “You got my daughter pregnant? Ever heard of a condom?”
“That was a mistake on my part, Sir,” Noah replies.
“We both made a mistake, Dad,” I jump in, not willing to let Noah take the fall by himself.
“Holy cow,” Mom murmurs.
“You fucking impregnated my daughter. She’s only eighteen!” Dad growls.
“Yes, the timing isn’t ideal. If it were up to us, we would’ve waited, but seeing as it’s happened, I am taking full responsibility,” Noah says, still way too calm for how much danger we’re in right now.
“You bet your ass you’ll take responsibility,” Dad almost roars. I shrink against Noah’s side and grab hold of his hand as emotion pushes up my throat.
God, I knew it was going to be bad.
Noah pulls his hand free from beneath mine, and then he wraps his arm around my shoulders.
The action makes Dad take a moment to breathe through his anger. “Christ,” he mutters as he lifts both his hands to rub over his face.
“Calm down, Julian,” Mom finally jumps in. “You had me pregnant at nineteen.” Dad turns a glare to Mom, which earns him a look a warning from her. “Accidents happen. Biting their heads off won’t make it any better.”
Mom turns her attention back to me. “How do you feel?”
My chin begins to quiver. “Emotional… happy… scared.”
Noah tightens his arm around me, and placing his other hand over mine, he gives me a squeeze for encouragement.
Mom’s gaze turns to Noah. “And you, Noah? How do you feel?”
“Like I said, we didn’t plan for it to happen, but I’m happy. Carla’s an amazing woman, and I’m lucky to have her. I’ll take good care of her and our baby.”
“When are you getting married?” Dad suddenly asks, making me jump in my seat.
“Seriously?” Mom gives Dad an incredulous look. “They don’t have to get married right away.”
“I want Carla to have the wedding of her dreams, so we’ll get married when she has time to focus on the preparations,” Noah answers. “Right now, I’m helping her with her school work, and we’re focusing on keeping her healthy.”
“My average has gone up since Noah’s been helping me,” I add. “Noah makes sure I’m taking all my prenatal supplements, and… he’s really been amazing.”
Dad tilts his head. “So you will finish your MBA even though you’re pregnant?”
“Yes.”
“We obviously won’t live on campus after the baby’s born,” Noah adds.