Unexpected

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Oh! I have a special Happy Birthday to Mum! Happy Birthday! May everything today be everything you hoped for and more! :) -J'et

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I took a deep breath. My hands were trembling uncontrollably- so uncontrollably that I had almost dropped the test in the toilet. I couldn't bring myself to look at the test. I was scared that it may say that I am pregnant. Henry can read it. Henry can tell me. I told myself. Henry was the only thing that was keeping me sane right now. I walked into my room.

"What did it say?" Henry asked me, concerned. "Are you ok?"

"I can't look," I told him, my voice quavering. I desperately wanted to cry, but I wanted Henry to see me as this strong person who can handle situations like this. I didn't want him to think of me as a weakling who can't even keep her emotions in check. "Can you tell me what it says?"

"Sure thing," he said to me. As if he could sense that I needed it, he gave me a hug. "How do you read it?"

"One line means not pregnant," I told him, with my eyes closed. "Two lines means that I am pregnant." I felt him take my hand into his after gently removing the test from my fingers.

"Congratulations, Courtney," he said, in a whisper. Oh, no. I'm pregnant. F***! What am I going to do? "You're not pregnant." Wait, what?

"What?" I asked him. I wasn't sure I heard him correctly. "I'm.. not pregnant?"

"Nope!" he said, with a smile on his face. I let out a huge sigh of relief.

"What's with the congratulations then?" I asked, hitting him on the arm. "You scared the heck out of me!"

"Ow, sorry?" he said, uncertainly while rubbing his arm.

"We should go celebrate!" I exclaimed, happily after we got rid of the pregnancy test and washed our hands. I grabbed his arm. "Come on! Let's go back to the beach and enjoy the lunch I made us!" I tried pulling him to the door, but he wouldn't budge.

"How about we stay here and enjoy the lunch you made?" he suggested, pulling me into a nice long hug. I could tell that he was extremely excited that I wasn't pregnant with another man's child by the way he was hugging me. I could barely breathe.

"I can't if you hug me to death," I managed to squeak. He laughed and let me go. I gasped, trying to take in as much air as possible. "Air! Sweet air!" Henry laughed again.

"You're being overdramatic, Court," he said, dismissively. I smiled. "I'll bring up the food and we can have a little picnic here in your room. How does that sound?" I shook my head.

"I'll go downstairs and get it," I told him. "Make yourself comfortable, I'll be right back."

I ran down the stairs and had almost knocked over my mom. Thankfully, I grabbed a hold of the railing and avoided squashing her. Wait. Why was my mom here? She doesn't live here! How did she even get into the house? Did my dad let her in or something?

"Sorry, Mom," I said, with confusion in my voice. "What are you doing here?" Suddenly, the front door opened and Joe came in. She turned around and smiled at him.

Wait, why are they both here? I can understand my mom, but Joe? REALLY? The guy my mom had an affair with thinks that he can waltz into my dad's house any time he wants? I forgave him for coming to my graduation because my dad invited my mom, who in turn invited Joe, so it was my mother's fault for him being there. He was invited to that, but no one invited him over here today!

"Actually, I'd like to talk to you and Brittany at the same time," she said to me. "It's important. Is she home too?"

"I don't know, I'll go check her room," I said, quickly dashing up the stairs. I knocked on Brittany's door and got a muffled answer. "Hey, I'm coming in." I slowly opened the door and peeked inside. I couldn't see her anywhere. I realized that her room was a complete mess, like a tornado had ripped through everything.

"I'm in the closet," I heard Brittany say. I walked towards the closet.

"Mom's here," I told her. "She wants to talk to us about something important." She nodded and followed me downstairs. Mom and Joe were waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs.

"So, what's so important that you have to talk to us together?" Brittany asked my mom.

"Well, girls, I don't know how to tell you this," she said, biting her lower lip. "I have.. We have wonderful news!"

"What is it?" I asked her, with zero excitement in my voice.

Then my mom said the 6 words that I'd never thought I'd hear in my whole life: "Joe and I are getting married!"