Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 32934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 165(@200wpm)___ 132(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 165(@200wpm)___ 132(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
“Better?” I asked once she’d rinsed her mouth out.
She shrugged. “Not really. Can one of the guys get my books out of my locker?”
I pressed a kiss to her forehead and led her out of the bathroom. Rodney and Chase were standing outside, guarding the door. I was more thankful than ever for my friends. They really were the best.
“Everything good?” Rodney asked.
I nodded, not wanting to spread Elizabeth’s business like that. She’d let everyone know she was pregnant when she was ready and not a moment sooner. “Yeah. She’s just not feeling well. Can one of you grab her things from her locker? I’ll text the code.”
“I’ll grab it,” Chase said, pushing off the wall. “Want me to give her things to Kaleb?” he asked, knowing Kaleb and I shared first period with her.
“Please. Thanks.”
He waved me off, heading up the hall to her locker, Rodney at his side. After shooting Chase the combination to her locker, I led Elizabeth to our first-period class. Today was going to be a long as fuck day, but we’d get through it just like we did everything else.
A few minutes later, Kaleb walked in, carrying both of our books and a small, plastic bag. He handed Elizabeth the small bag and dropped our books on my desk. “Caught Mrs. Greene in the hall and told her Liz isn’t feeling well, so she won’t say anything about the pop,” Kaleb said, dropping into the chair on the other side of her instead of the one beside me like he normally did.
I nodded once at him. “Thanks, man.”
He waved me off and looked at Liz. “Go on, girly.”
She leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek before opening the pop and sticking it in her mouth. I scowled at my grinning best friend. He just laughed. “Rein in the jealousy, bro. She’s basically a sister to me at this point.” He grimaced. “No offense, Liz, but I’ll never see you like that.”
She snorted. “Feeling’s mutual, Kaleb.”
I rolled my eyes. “Kaleb, you’re a pain in my ass.”
He winked at me. I barked out a laugh. You couldn’t insult that fucker for shit.
14
Drake
I was nervous as fuck as I ran my eyes over the rings in front of me. Dad was standing at my side, his hand on my shoulder. I felt like throwing up. What if I chose the wrong ring for Liz? She deserved the best of everything, and I didn’t want to fuck this up by getting her the wrong damn ring.
Why did this have to be so nerve-wracking? Did every guy feel like this, or was it just me? Fuck, I’d hate to see the mess I’d become when I bought an engagement ring.
“Son, you need to breathe,” Dad instructed, squeezing my shoulder to the point it hurt. But it worked to draw me out of my head. I sucked in a deep breath of air and slowly released it, forcing myself to calm down before I had a panic attack. “Elizabeth is not picky, and she will love any of these rings. She loves you, Drake.”
The thing was, I wanted the perfect ring for her, and the weight of that kind of responsibility was choking me a bit.
Elizabeth had been living with us for several months now. After having nightmares the first week where I ended up in her bed anyway to hold her, Mom finally caved and allowed us to share a room. Besides, it wasn’t like I could knock Liz up. I’d already done that. Not much more could happen, to be honest.
Elizabeth’s belly was swollen, and when we didn’t have school, she spent her days in a pair of my basketball shorts and one of my t-shirts. Mom had taken her shopping a couple of months ago to buy maternity clothes so she had something to wear to school. She hadn’t felt right about taking any of it, but she finally stopped feeling bad when Mom assured her she was always going to be a part of this family, whether Liz and I worked out in the long run or not.
New flash for my mother: I was never letting Liz go. She was the beginning and the end for me. Hence why I was here trying to buy a promise ring and on the verge of having a panic attack while I browsed.
“What do you think of this one?” I asked Dad, one of them finally catching my eye. It was a simple ring. The band was sterling silver—any kind of gold made Elizabeth break out—and there was a small, blue stone on top. It was simple and elegant—just like my girl.
“I think it’s perfect,” Dad assured me.
I breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at the employee that had been patiently waiting for me to make a decision. “I’d like to purchase this one,” I told him.