The Only Answer

by Magan Vernon

  I walked over to the table where Melanie; her sister, our old co-worker Betsy; Melanie’s future sister-in-laws: Layla and Jane; her cousin Sara; and John and Trey’s fraternity brother’s girlfriend, Ashley sat. It wasn’t a huge group, but that was just fine in my book. She didn’t need to invite every single Alpha Mu girlfriend and I would have rather not had all the questions from the damn Kappa’s. Especially my favorite question: So where are you working? Which I knew was going to come up sooner or later.

  “Hey, guys,” I said, taking the empty seat. “Sorry I’m late.” I was late because I had gotten sick, again. The peppermints worked sometimes, but not all the time. I’d heard of these preggo pop suckers that were supposed to help with nausea but the last thing I needed was for someone to catch me buying them. I’d already sworn Valerie to secrecy and I was hoping she wouldn’t bring it up at any point during the night.

  “You’re just missing Melanie move on to her second bottle of wine,” Ashley quipped. I wasn’t a huge fan of Ashley. She’d started dating Gabe about a year ago and thought she was hot shit because she had some six-figure job right out of college. I think the only reason he dated her was because she was his sugar mama and had giant boobs that she always had hanging out of her top when I saw her.

  “It’s her bachelorette party, let her be!” Valerie said, scooping up some mozzarella sticks before setting them on a plate and pushing them in front of me.

  “Way to mom her, Val,” Sara said.

  Valerie shrugged. “It’s what I do. Girl looked hungry.”

  That was one way to put it. I rarely ate anymore because everything made me sick but my stomach was already starting to pop out like I was bloated. I didn’t know how I would manage another seven months of it.

  “We ordered a couple larges, if that’s okay with you. Or did you want something else?” Valerie asked, blinking slowly.

  “No. Pizza is fine,” I replied.

  “Need a drink if you’re going to be mommed all night?” Layla asked, pouring herself some wine.

  “Oh, no, I’m fine. I don’t really drink,” I replied.

  “It’s a bachelorette party. Come on, time to celebrate Melanie’s last few weeks of freedom!” Layla said.

  “She’s been chained to John Boy since the day she met him. There’s really no change there,” Betsy said, taking the bottle from Layla and topping off her glass.

  “Yeah, but now it’s going to be official. I didn’t think anyone could tie down my brother-in-law, but Melanie is one hell of a lady,” Layla said, raising her glass.

  “And that’s why Monica and I are going to be the sober ones, so someone can get drunk Melanie home,” Valerie chimed in, saving me. “Monica was there the night they met. I believe John was only wearing a loincloth and spilled a drink on you?”

  Melanie laughed. “Yep. Still wish he had that loincloth.”

  The conversation flowed from being about me drinking to about John and Melanie, which is what it should have been. I was used to people giving me grief for not drinking and then I would usually give in and at least sip on a glass of wine all night, but there was no way in hell I was going to do that while pregnant.

  The server didn’t take long to bring our pizzas. Chicago style pizza is something that can only be described as complete cheesy decadence and Lou Manati’s does it best. The pizza came in a giant pan that looked like one of the spring form pans my mom made cheesecake in, but bigger. The server cut us each a piece, scooping it out with a utensil that looked like a cake server and the cheese ran down it and onto my plate.

  I didn’t think I was hungry. I didn’t think I’d want to risk throwing up in the middle of the party. But once I took that first bite of pizza and the cheese and pepperoni hit my taste buds: there was no turning back. I didn’t remember the pizza tasting that awesome before. Sure it was good, but my pregnancy hormones must have somehow made it better because I didn’t stop eating it until I was on my fourth piece and when I took the last bite I looked up to see that a few of the girls at the table were staring at me, open-mouthed.

  “I guess I was hungrier than I thought.” I forced a laugh.

  “Damn, I’ll say. If you weren’t engaged to Mr. Conservative, I’d think you were pregnant,” Jane said.

  I choked on a laugh. Mainly because I really thought I would choke on that statement and turned it into an awkward cough-laugh. At least I was never short on my awkward moments and I was able to shrug it off.

  Too bad I couldn’t shrug off our trip to the bar.

  It was already nine o’clock and I’d had enough trouble sleeping but I couldn’t exactly say “no” when I’d planned the thing. We made our way to Howl at the Moon, which was a dueling piano bar downtown. Melanie was a big fan of the piano and I think it was because she had a secret Fifty Shades-esque fantasy involving John.

  The place was already packed and I wasn’t sure we were going to find a table, but leave it to Valerie’s pregnant self to push her way through the crowd and hover until she found us a tiny table to sit at before she went in search of a server to get Melanie a drink.

  “So....?” Melanie asked as soon as we were sitting. “How are things? It feels like I haven’t really talked to you since you moved in with Trey.”

  Melanie and John were living in the suburbs. He had a job with some big insurance company doing computer stuff and she was working for a publisher. They were literally only about a thirty-minute drive from us but I had been avoiding seeing her ever since we found out I was pregnant.

  I shrugged. “You know, the usual. Elections. Making coffee. All that funness.”

  “Doesn’t sound that fun. Are you actually enjoying any of it or is it more because it’s what Trey wants?” She raised her eyebrows and absently ran a hand through her curly brown hair.

  I bit my lip, chewing on that statement. Was I enjoying anything? I definitely wasn’t enjoying my pregnancy so far. Being sick all the time sucked. And working at a coffee shop with two degrees wasn’t exactly my dream.

  “I’ll take that as a ‘things suck and that’s why I haven’t called.”

  I laughed. “Yeah. I’d go with that.”

  Valerie came back over to our group holding a tray of shots. “Anyone in the mood for some Washington apples?” she yelled.

  “That’s real nice, a pregnant woman drinking,” someone quipped at the table next to us.

  Valerie turned around so fast I thought her blonde hair was going to whip the scruffy guy in the face. “Excuse me? I’m not drinking. This is for my sister’s bachelorette party, so mind your own business, asshole.”

  The guy shook his head, running his fingers through his shaggy brown hair. “I wasn’t talking about you, sweetheart. I was talking about the governor’s son’s pride and joy over there.”

  All the air felt like it had completely left the room and I was suffocating. My brain and my mouth weren’t working together and all I could do was open my mouth and stare. How the hell did he know that?

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” Melanie asked. “I’m guessing you got your info from some sleazy ass tabloid magazine. Maybe you should check your sources.”

  He shook his head. “Say whatever you want, sweetheart. It’s all over the web so either the redhead has a bun in the oven or someone is spreading it around the world. Better call Daddy Governor and get the social media team to pay some people off.” He smirked and took a swig of his beer.

  Melanie reached for her phone, pulling it out as quickly as she could and googled my name. She covered her mouth, gasping then turned the phone toward me. I grabbed it with shaky hands. There I was on the cover of some gossip website. My stomach was circled and the headline read “Who’s Your Daddy?” The article mentioned me leaving Planned Parenthood and talked about dinner with Trey’s parents at The Signature Room. Someone had been following us. Someone knew.

  Valerie sat down at the tiny table. “I swear, I didn’t tell anyone.”

  Melanie’s eyes widened. “
You knew? And you didn’t tell me?”

  I couldn’t even answer. I couldn’t think of anything to say. I just knew that I had to call Trey. I pulled my phone out slowly and instinctively dialed his number. I had no idea what the next steps would be and I wasn’t looking forward to figuring them out.

  Chapter 9

  Trey

  While Monica was spending the evening at the bars downtown, John’s brother planned a different sort of party for him. One that involved his parents’ cabin up north, a keg, and Call of Duty. It wasn’t exactly what I thought my fraternity brother would have gone for, but it was definitely better than the bars.

  John was a hulking mass of a guy, leaning over the recliner with his headset on and his fingers slamming on the controllers as if he actually was fighting. For being a big guy who spent half his life in the gym no one ever expected him to end up as a systems analyst for an insurance company or to marry the petite, shy Melanie. But I never thought I’d end up marrying a fiery liberal or getting her pregnant before we were married...

  The cabin John’s family owned wasn’t as big as the one my parents owned on Lake Michigan, but what it lacked in size it made up for in entertaining area. There were seven of us: John’s brother, Ben, his brother-in-law Mark, and our fraternity brothers Brad, Gabe, and Short Stack. We were huddled around the sixty-four-inch TV that was installed above a brick fireplace. The room was equipped with surround sound, leather couches, and enough alcohol to probably kill a small animal.

  I was fine with that. I would rather just hang out than be at some overcrowded bar while girls tried to grind on me. I’d had my fair share of that in college when I attempted to go to parties at our fraternity house or the few times I ended up at the bar with John as his designated driver. I would have rather been at home with Monica anytime.

  A loud knock came at the door. I guessed pizza or something. John’s sister had only sent a few bags of chips and some guacamole. That’s as far as food went.

  “Hey Chapman, since you’re not playing can you get that?” Ben asked.

  “Sure.” I stood up and walked the few feet to the front door.

  Upon opening it my eyes widened when a woman with bright blonde hair in a police uniform stood at the door. She was wearing a pair of aviators that she promptly whipped off and showed heavily made up eyes. “Excuse me, I received a call about a noise complaint?” She put her sunglasses in the front of her shirt that was way too low and cleavage-baring for someone who represented the law.

  “Oh. I’m sorry, ma’am. It’s my friend’s bachelor party. I’ll tell them to keep it down.”

  She smiled slightly and shaking her head. “A polite one, ey? I like that.”

  “You’re welcome.” It was all I could think of to say. I’d never actually had an altercation with the police so I wasn’t sure what I should say or do.

  “But you’ve been naughty and I think it’s time for you and the rest of these boys to be punished.” She stormed inside, slamming the door behind her.

  My eyes widened and everything moved too fast for me to even react any farther. The sound went down on the TV behind me and I heard someone yell something about a stripper as the pseudo-police officer pulled an iPod out of the pocket of her short shorts and pressed it so that the theme from Cops blared from the speakers. She tossed the phone behind me and I heard someone catch it. She then put one hand on my shoulder and used the other hand to rip open her button down shirt, exposing a very large pair of breast with pierced nipples that had tiny tassels dangling from the hoops. I tried not to stare, but it’s not every day you see that.

  “Go Chapman!” someone else yelled.

  The topless girl pushed me back and I fell onto a chair I didn’t know was there. As soon as I sat down, she tossed her shirt to someone behind her then slipped off her shorts, tossing those as well. She stood there just wearing those nipple rings and a pair of white panties that had the words #bachelorparty printed across it.

  “Chapman? That’s your name?” she purred, swaying her hips back and forth.

  “I like a man with a good strong, name. Hope your body’s just as strong.” She slid onto my lap. I’m not sure where her legs went but all I could focus on was the way her body moved on my lap. I was trying not to stare but the rings were dangling in my face and she was twisting and turning so lithe that I didn’t know what she was going to do.

  Slowly she leaned forward, putting her lips to my ear. “Mr. Chapman I think your phone is vibrating, unless you’ve brought something else to the party.”

  “Uh, no, that’s probably my phone.” I scrambled, reaching in my pocket for my phone. I would have thought that would have given her the hint to slide off of me but instead she turned around and spread my legs, sliding her body up and down between me. The guys were hollering so loud behind me I could barely make out what they were saying or anything else going on.

  But my attention was definitely brought back to the moment when I saw the name on my phone: Monica. She was out at Melanie’s bachelorette party I didn’t know why she would be calling. My first thought was that she got sick and I needed to pick her up so I needed to answer immediately.

  I unlocked my phone and slid it to my ear. “Hey, what’s going on, are you okay?”

  Her voice was jumbled. Static-y. I could barely make out what she was saying. I thought since there was a great Internet connection for gaming my cell service would be the same.

  “Monica? Monica? Can you hear me?”

  The stripper bounced on my lap and reached out for my phone. “Is that the new wifey? Lemme tell her what a bad boy you’ve been.”

  I dipped to the left, avoiding her long nails. “Yes, it’s my future wife.”

  “Trey? Hello? Who is that?” Monica’s words were scrambled but it was pretty loud and clear that she heard the stripper.

  “Hold on.” I put my phone to my chest and looked straight at the girl on my lap. Not at the damn tassels or her underwear but in her overly done up eyes that were staring at me like there was nothing up in her big blonde head. “Ma’am, I appreciate that you have a job to do but I’m not the bachelor at this party and my fiancée needs to speak to me. If you could please hop on down and go sit on John’s lap it would be greatly appreciated.”

  She didn’t say anything. She just stared at me open mouthed as I quickly sat up and she practically fell off my lap instead of just standing like I asked her to. I took my phone and ran out the back patio door, hoping I could get a better signal there.

  “Monica? Are you there? Can you hear me?”

  “Trey. Internet. Bar. Pregnant.” It was all I could understand in the jumbled mess. Her voice was frantic and that’s all I could get. Whatever those four words meant it couldn’t be good and I knew I had to go back to her.

  “I’ll be right there, Mon. I’ll call as soon as I have a signal.” The call dropped and I slid my phone back in my pocket.

  I opened the back patio door to see Ben in one of the recliners with Ms. Stripper on his lap, hitting him with a police bully club that was obviously rubber and I didn’t want to know where else she was going to put it.

  John glanced at me, raising an eyebrow. “Everything okay, man?”

  I shook my head. “No. No it’s not. I have to go home. I’m sorry.”

  “What? That’s bullshit, Chapman. Let your woman have a night out. You should have some fun too,” Gabe said before downing the rest of his beer.

  I shook my head. “You don’t understand. I have to go.”

  “Come on, Trey. We hardly get to see you anymore. Monica’s a big girl. She can take care of herself,” Short Stack added. He hadn’t looked at the stripper once. Some days I wondered if he was actually into women. I wasn’t going to ask him if he was homosexual, but the thought had crossed my mind that John’s other little brother wasn’t as manly as him.

  “No. Really. I have to go.”

  John stood up. His full height loomed over me. The guy was a beast in every sense of the word a
nd I was glad to always have him on my side. “Is everything okay, man?”

  I raked my fingers through my hair. Dad had said we shouldn’t tell anyone what was going on. Not even our closest friends and family but I couldn’t hold it in any longer. “No. No it’s not. Monica’s pregnant and I don’t know how to deal with it.”

  Everyone in the room went silent. The only sound was the strippers music. I watched carefully as everyone’s eyes fell on me, their mouths open.

  John was the first one to speak. “You’re shitting me.”

  I shook my head. “I am most definitely not shitting you.” There was a full minute of dead silence as everyone tried to process what I’d just said.

  “Well, at least you told us before we saw this article on TMZ,” Gabe added, staring at his phone.

  “What?” I wasn’t sure I heard him right. The gossip site couldn’t be reporting on Monica’s pregnancy.

  “Yeah they’ve got pics and everything. Even a headline about ‘The Governor’s Little Oops’.” Gabe held up his phone and I snatched it.

  There it was in big bold letters: The governor’s little oops. A picture of Monica and me walking into the Signature Room and arrows pointing to her stomach. I didn’t even bother reading the article but I knew that had to be what she saw online.

  “It’s all over, man. Not just TMZ but Fox News, CNN. Everyone is talking about it,” Brad said, scrolling through his phone at the other end of the couch.

  My heart sank in my chest and my mouth dried up. Everything I’d learned about the power of social media in the campaign had turned out to be true. I hadn’t told a single person what was going on and neither had Monica yet somehow someone had to know and the whole thing spread like wildfire.

  I was sure Dad’s social media team would be on this. We could be the downfall of the election and somehow we had to make it right. I just had to figure out how. More importantly, I had to find Monica.

  “I’m going home, John. I’m sorry for ruining your party.”