Tess and Jeremy

by Buffy Andrews

  Until now.

  ***

  “Oh my God! Oh My God! Gina.” I hugged my best friend. Tears streamed down my cheeks. “I don’t know what to say. I’m happy. Shocked. My God. I can’t believe you’re moving home. And that you’re going to have a baby. Mike’s baby!”

  Gina sniffed. “I know. I’m shocked, too. I mean, things happened so fast between us. I didn’t plan… I never thought when I left I would be coming back so soon.”

  I grabbed the box of tissues off the kitchen counter and we both took a fistful. “Guess that means no artificial insemination.”

  Gina laughed. “Yeah. Who would have thought?”

  Gina was right. Things had happened fast between her and Mike. They were high school sweethearts, and Gina had broken up with him after our senior year, right before college started. They reconnected at our 20th high school reunion.

  Turned out all of those nights spent online looking at sperm donor profiles with Gina, who planned to be a single mom, were a total waste of time. A few hot nights with the love of her life were all it took.

  I was so happy for her. She was leaving her job as a prosecutor in Florida and moving back to Pennsylvania to live in the house she grew up in. Mike, and his son Jack, would move in with her. She planned to leave her job and open her own practice here. And she wanted me to help run the office.

  “Are you sure this is what you want?” I asked. “You’re giving up a lot.”

  Gina bit her lip. “No, I’m gaining a lot. You. Chloe. Mike. The people I love most in the world are here. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that life is for living. I’ve never felt about anyone the way I feel about Mike. Even after all these years he still makes my body quiver just thinking about him. And now I’m going to have his baby.”

  Gina placed the palm of her hand over her stomach and the tears flooded her eyes again. “Mike’s baby,” Gina said. “I’m going to have Mike’s baby.”

  “And I’m almost certain that getting pregnant the old-fashioned way definitely felt better than having a catheter stuck up you vagina—and cheaper, too.”

  Gina laughed. “I love you, Sues.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Gina took a sip of tea. “So how’s Tom?”

  I smiled. I had been doing that a lot lately. “He’s pretty incredible. I’m not used to being treated so well. He’s kind, thoughtful. We’ve been on a dozen dates and he hasn’t tried to get me in bed.”

  Gina’s eyes widened. “Really?”

  I nodded. “And I’ve been so damn horny it’s driving me crazy. I’m beginning to think something’s wrong with me. Maybe I’m not sexy enough. God knows I was never sexy enough for Steve, even when I dressed like the whore he wanted me to be.”

  “Oh, God, Sues,” Gina said. “Nothing’s wrong with you. You’re a woman. You have needs. Maybe he’s waiting for you to make the first move. He always was a little shy.”

  “Do you think so?”

  “Yeah, I do. I mean, he’s liked you forever. He finally gets a shot and he doesn’t want to blow it.”

  “So what should I do?”

  Gina pointed her finger at me. “You take the lead. Seduce him.”

  “I’m not sure I remember how. It’s been forever since I came on to a guy. After being rejected by Steve, I never wanted to take the chance.”

  Gina waved her hand. “Oh God, girl. Just watch some pay-per-view. That’ll get you in the mood, and once you’re in the mood, just relax and let go. Besides, I have a feeling that once you come on to him it won’t take long before you’re rolling between the sheets. I bet you a hundred bucks he’s waiting for you to make the first move. So make it. Shave and get ready for some wild sex.”

  I bit my lip. “It is tempting. He’s coming over later, and Chloe’s going to her dad’s.”

  “Which means you’ll have the entire house to yourself. And you can be as loud as you want.”

  We both laughed. It was so good to have Gina standing in my kitchen. I had forgotten how easy it is to talk to her about my sex life—or lack thereof. We were soul sisters, and I was so glad she was moving home and would be closer. And I knew Chloe would be, too.

  The back door opened. “Hi, Mom,” Chloe said.

  “Look who’s here!”

  “Aunt Gina.” Chloe ran over to hug her godmother.

  Gina wrapped her arms around Chloe. “Hi, sweetie.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “It’s a long story,” Gina said. “We’ll talk later.”

  “Is everything okay?” Chloe asked.

  “Everything’s perfect,” Gina said. “Just perfect.”

  Chloe turned to me. “Did Dad call?”

  I nodded. “He said to tell you he’d pick you up after work. And he’s taking you to that Italian restaurant you love.”

  “Great,” Chloe said. “I’m starved.”

  Chloe went to change clothes and I walked Gina to her car. “So when do you think you’ll be able to move?”

  “A month. Maybe two. Not soon enough, that’s for sure.”

  I hugged Gina. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” Gina said. “And just be yourself with Tom. He cares about you a lot. And I have a feeling that you’re falling for him. So maybe, just maybe, this might be your second chance. And if it is, I don’t want you blowing it.”

  “Sounds like something I told you not too long ago.’

  Gina smiled. “It was. And it was good advice.”

  I watched Gina pull away and I couldn’t stop smiling. My best friend was coming home. And the guy I was falling for was coming over. And I was going to have sex!

  What readers are saying about

  “The Yearbook Series”

  “It really is an amazing perspective to be in the mind of each character and feel what they feel, see what they see.”

  “I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves what-could've-been stories and second chances.”

  “I don't know how Buffy does it, but her characters come alive and stay with you long after you've turned the last page.”

  “ Buffy does an excellent job breathing life into her characters -- giving them each a unique voice and perspective.”

  “The characters are very real and engage the reader from the beginning.”

  “The highs and lows keep you reading and anxious to see what's next."

  “I hope that there will be more to the series as I want to know about the other characters!”

  “Wonderfully relatable characters.”

  “I can't wait to read more from this author!”

  “Buffy Andrews draws you in with action from the very start.”

  “Each page kept me turning and staying up late for.”

  “Buffy Andrews's works are worth taking a look at! What a great storyteller! I can't help but wish I would have thought of her idea.”

  “Can't wait for the rest of the series to come out.”

  “I highly recommend this series to everyone that wants a good read that really makes you feel a part of the book. I can't wait for more of them.”

  “Very well written. So real. Thoughts from the characters as the book went along kept it real and thought provoking.”

  “The characters in this series are consistent and you learn something new about them with every new story.”

  ~Acknowledgements~

  I thank God for his love, understanding and guidance and for the incredible gifts He has given me.

  I thank my husband, Tom, and sons Zach and Micah, for their love and support.

  I thank my sisters Dawn Beakler, Cindy Andrews and Tania Nade, for a lifetime of love and laughs.

  I thank Beth Vrabel and Sharon Kirchoff for their endless encouragement, hugs and smiles.

  I thank the entire Limitless team for helping me realize this dream.

  And I thank my readers for giving me a chance in a world crowded with great books and great authors.

  ~About the Author~ />
  Buffy Andrews is a journalist by day, author by night -- and social media maven all of the time!

  In addition to her writing blog, Buffy’s Write Zone, she maintains a social media blog, Buffy's World.

  You will find her on a plethora of social networking sites, from Twitter and Facebook to RebelMouse and NewHive. She loves social media and loves to connect with her fans via the various platforms.

  Buffy says that some of her fiction ideas pop into her head at the most inopportune times, such as during a sermon or in the shower or when she’s supposed to be listening in a meeting. She has written all over church bulletins, jumped out of the shower more than once to write down an idea and turned meeting handouts into story boards.

  She lives in southcentral Pennsylvania with her husband, Tom; two sons, Zach and Micah; and wheaten cairn terrier Kakita.

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