Page 49 of The Best Friend Problem
“Chili cheese fries?”
“But if you’re not hungry, I can just take you back home—”
“Keep driving, Jamison.”
He chuckled, never once veering from his path. When he pulled into an empty space at the retro carhop drive-in, he ordered two lemonades, two cheeseburgers for himself, and an extra-large chili cheese fry for Pru.
“Extra-large?” she asked with a raised brow.
“You’re eating for three.”
At the reminder, her smile slipped.
“Twins,” she said softly. “I can’t believe it. How am I going to handle twins?”
He didn’t think the words were directed at him, but he answered anyway. “You can handle anything. You’re Prudence goddamn Carlson.”
“That’s not my middle name.”
“No, it’s Mabel, but you get mad at me every time I use it.”
“Because it’s a stupid name!”
“Not as dumb as Shakespeare.” In addition to a love of art, his mother also had a thing for old, dead wordsmiths. Thank God his father convinced her that the greatest playwright of all time might not be the best first name for a kid born in the twentieth century.
“Touché.”
She glanced up at him, naked worry etched in her gaze. Worry he knew she would only let a handful of people ever see. He considered himself honored and humbled to be included in that minuscule number.
“Finn, what am I going to do? I didn’t plan for two babies.”
“Plans change, Pru. You know that better than anyone.”
It wasn’t like her parents planned to die in that car crash. Aunt Rose hadn’t planned on suffering and eventually succumbing to complications from dementia. Life rarely worked out like people planned. It just existed, and everyone was along for the ride.
“If anyone can handle this, it’s you.”
“You think so?”
“I know so, and I’ll be here to help you.”
Her mouth turned down into an adorable little frown.
“I’m supposed to do this myself.” The words left her on a soft whisper.
“But you don’t have to.” He reached for her hand, relieved when she allowed him to grasp it and pull it to his chest. A spark of awareness shot through him at the touch. He saw her pupils dilate, fingers tightening in his as if she felt this strange energy, too. Was it simply leftover sexual tension from their night together or something more? Whatever it was, he couldn’t deal with it at the moment. One crisis at a time.
“You’re my best friend, Pru. We’ve been through a lot together, and I will always be here for you, no matter what you need. Even if these babies weren’t mine, I’d still want to help in any way I could.”
A furrow appeared on her brow, but he kept going.
“I know you want to do this alone, and I’m not stopping you. This is your journey. Your dream. But my mom always said she never could have handled raising us kids if it wasn’t for all the support she got from her family and friends. I’m your friend, Pru.”
Hell, they were practically family, for as long as they’d known each other.
“I won’t take custody from you. I’d never do that. But those kids are a part of me, and I want to be in their life. I want to help as much as you’ll let me.”
He reached out with his free hand slowly, hovering over her abdomen. He watched her swallow, her eyes misting. He didn’t move closer, waiting for her to take the lead. Finally, she reached out and grasped his hand, pulling it toward her and settling it low on her stomach.
