Page 32 of When Forever Falls Apart

My eyes widen in shock as an exhilarated gasp escapes my lips. Unable to contain my joy, a wide grin spreads across my face. “What? How? Nope, don’t answer that. I know how babies are made. This is incredible! I’m going to be an aunt.”

Deep down, I always felt this moment would come. My brother is absolutely head over heels in love with her. I mean, so much so that he proposed marriage in Paris without a second thought. If he could have married her on the spot, I’m sure he would have. And as I process her news with this overwhelming excitement bursting through me, Eva blinks her eyes infrequently, her face still blank.

“You don’t think this is amazing?” I ask, uncertainty lacing my voice as I search her eyes for a flicker of happiness.

Eva’s gaze drops, fingers absently tugging at a loose thread on her tights as her shoulders sag. “It’s just… too soon.”

“Is it, though? You love my goofy brother, plus you’re about to get married. It’s not like you’re teenagers trying to graduate from high school,” I reply, trying to coax a smile from her.

Her lips part as if to argue, but instead, they close firmly. Riddled with doubt, her eyes drift toward the window, and she finally murmurs, “You’re right.”

I release a heavy sigh, recognizing the trouble beneath her surface. “I’m not trying to be right. I can see you’re struggling. As your best friend, I’m here for you. No judgment, just a safe space. How far along are you?”

Eva shrugs. “About eight weeks.”

“Eight weeks!” I exclaim, only for Eva to narrow her eyes. “Okay, but eight weeks? How did you not know until now? I mean, you would have missed your periods. Unless it’s a phantom pregnancy, but doesn’t that mean you don’t know you’re pregnant until the baby is literally coming out of your vag?”

“Madelina Eleanor! It doesn’t matter. I’m pregnant, okay?”

We sit in silence, the weight of her outburst lingering between us. I’m trying to be patient, granting Eva the time to find her voice amid the chaos, but I find myself staring at her stomach, trying to look for anything different. Honestly, aside from her tired face, her body hasn’t changed one bit.

Finally, she confesses again, “It’s too soon.”

“Too soon,” I echo, attempting to piece together the puzzle of her turmoil.

“I had everything planned out,” she says with a heaviness in her tone. “The Manhattan opening was going to be big. I lined up these influencers, plus a celebrity whom I won’t name yet because you’ll freak out. The house is almost complete, but I wanted to focus on the gardens next and make it extra special. I was thinking of making it look like a meadow.”

“Like where Edward and Bella were chilling?”

“Yes,” she replies. “Our wedding was going to be at the property once it was completed. It was going to be small, but still beautiful. And then our dream honeymoon, traveling to Australia so we can hug koalas.”

“Koalas give you chlamydia,” I tell her, then shake my head. “But that’s beside the point. You can still do all that with a baby. It just means plans have to change a little. What does Aston think?”

Her lips quiver as tears glisten in her eyes. Instinctively, I reach for her hand, wanting to provide comfort, and then it strikes me. “Aston doesn’t know, does he?”

She shakes her head, a single tear slipping down her cheek like a tiny waterfall of worry. Aston will be over the moon, and maybe a little freaked out. He’s never expressed interest in having children, but this is Eva, the love of his life.

“Why not tell him? I guarantee he’ll be just as shocked as you are. You two can navigate this wild ride together.” I offer her a warm smile, hoping to illuminate the potential beauty in the chaos. After all, it is a baby, and babies are cute, especially when they’re extra chubby with rolls of fat on their thighs and cheeks, which look like balloons.

“And what if he bolts?” she asks, fear flickering across her face as if it’s a real possibility.

I can’t help but let out a snort of laughter. “My brother? Bolt on you?Please. He’s like a puppy around you, always trailing behind. You’re stuck with him for life.”

“Nice analogy,” she replies, a hint of a smile creeping across her lips. “I don’t know whether to be offended or flattered.”

“You know exactly what I mean.”

Eva bites her bottom lip, her eyes flickering nervously to her phone lying on the table between us, as if she expects it to spring to life at any moment. “He thinks you invited me over because you needed a girls’ night.”

“Oh, girl. Why would you lie to him?” I exclaim, my frustration spilling over as I lean forward, my heartbeat quickening with a mix of concern and annoyance. “Aston is relentless, and my phone is completely…” I remember my phone on the kitchen counter. Hopping off the sofa, I pull it off charge only to see its lifeless screen. I glance at the wall and see the charger only half plugged in. “Dead. I need to charge it.”

“Please don’t tell him,” Eva pleads, her voice trembling and laced with desperation. “I need time to process. I’ll tell him when the time is right.”

“You kind of have to tell him,” I insist gently, hoping to weave some optimism into her. “It’s going to be tough to hide being pregnant for long. What do you have? Like maybe two weeks at best before your stomach starts to swell and your boobs look like Pamela Anderson’s?”

“She removed her implants,” Eva says faintly, as if that even means anything.

“Okay, but just imagine those little tiny baby clothes… and that sweet smell of bab—”