He yanked my hand away so hard I stumbled. Just then, a kid walked by holding an empty skewer from a candied fruit snack.
The sharp stick scraped across my arm, leaving a gash, and blood started dripping instantly.
For a moment, River froze, clearly panicking.
“Trish, I didn’t mean to… Let's go. I’ll take you to the hospital.”
Before I could even respond, the mall’s fire alarm went off. The loud screeching was followed by an announcement telling everyone to evacuate.
It was packed—weekend crowds everywhere. People started panicking, shoving their way toward the exits.
River grabbed my hand, then Aubrey’s, and pulled us along. I wasn’t about to argue. This wasn’t the time to act stubborn—safety first.
But Aubrey suddenly winced and clutched her belly.
“I… I can’t run anymore. River, you take Trish and go. Don’t worry about me and the baby. If we don’t make it… it just wasn’t meant to be. This child’s probably not lucky enough to have a dad like you.”
He hesitated for maybe two seconds before letting go of my hand. Then he picked Aubrey up like some kind of hero and pushed through the crowd.
“Don’t say things like that. The baby will be fine. Trish, keep up with me!”
I'm a petite woman, and with him holding me, I got shoved from all sides. Someone stepped on the back of my heel, and I nearly fell face-first.
Thankfully, this stocky middle-aged woman next to me grabbed my arm before I hit the ground.
“Careful, sweetheart! Here, hold onto my arm!"
“Thanks,” I muttered, still trying to catch my balance.
When we finally got outside, I saw River helping Aubrey into a cab. She turned to look at me, and I swear, the triumphant look on her face was infuriating.
A moment later, the mall announced it had all been a false alarm. Someone had accidentally triggered the fire alarm. Just a pointless scare.
The blood on my arm had already dried by then. After thanking again the woman who helped me, I took a ride to the hospital to get it cleaned up.
On the way there, a text came in from River. [Aubrey was scared because of the baby, so I took her home first. Don’t overthink it.]
I stared at my phone for a second, then got my wound treated. Afterward, I finally replied, [I booked a table for tomorrow night. Bring Aubrey. We need to talk about the baby.]
His reply came almost immediately.
[Glad to see you’ve finally calmed down. Clearly, you can’t manage without me.]
If he could see my face, he’d know my eyes just rolled all the way to the back of my head.
I hung up and started making some calls, inviting friends and family to tomorrow’s little “celebration.”
The next day, I got to the hotel early to set everything up.
I even hung a big, bold banner that read: [Congratulations to the Holland family on their precious addition! We have especially organized a baby shower for the youngest Holland!]
One by one, old high school classmates started showing up, all looking a little confused.
“Wait, Trish, are you pregnant?”
“Whoah, congrats! If I’d known, I would’ve brought a gift! I thought we were just having dinner.”
“Baby shower? Really? You guys are going all out—worried the kid won’t know their parents or something?”
I forced a smile.
“No gifts, don’t worry. I just wanted everyone to meet someone today.”
“Meet someone? Wait, did you already have the baby? No way—I saw you last month. You didn’t look pregnant!”
“Is this a godparent thing? Why didn’t you ask me? You promised in high school I’d be the godmother!”
Before I could respond, River’s parents walked in. They saw the banner, and their faces lit up.
“Trish! Are you pregnant?”
“You silly girl! Why didn’t you tell us? How far along are you?”
I hesitated for a second, then gave them a faint smile.
“Three months. Give or take.”
River’s parents were all smiles, telling me to sit down.
“Where’s River? You’re pregnant, and he’s letting you do all the work? Don’t worry, I’ll have a word with that man later!"
I checked the time. The very important guest should be arriving soon, so I invited everyone to sit down. “Let’s wait until River gets here. I’ll explain everything then.”
Not long after, River walked in with Aubrey by his side. He froze for a moment, clearly caught off guard by the crowd. “Trish, what’s all this about?”
I smiled at him. “It’s just a little gathering to make things official. Since there’s a baby involved, it’s only right to let everyone know. And, of course, we need witnesses.”
The others, noticing River and Aubrey arriving together, didn’t think too much of it. They even started teasing him.
“River, what’s the matter? This is good news! Or are you scared we'll make you broke?"
“Hey, Trish, don’t tell me Aubrey’s going to be the godmother? I always knew you two were close, even back in high school. You couldn’t go to the bathroom without each other!"
“Yeah, I totally forgot about Aubrey! Guess I’ll wait for the second baby to be the godmother instead.”
River looked completely lost. “What godmother?” he asked.
But Aubrey’s face changed. She realized what was happening and tried to make a run for it. “Oh, uh, I just remembered I have something to do. I’ll head out first—”
I grabbed her hand and gently pushed her back into her seat. “Since everyone’s here, let’s get straight to it.”
I looked around the room and said calmly, “So, the thing is, I’m not the one pregnant. I had planned to get pregnant, but River said he was worried it’d be too tough for me, and he didn’t want me to go through the pain of childbirth, so… he asked my best friend to carry the baby for me."
