let the light in | jack hughes

Epilogue 5

2 weeks

Beatrice 

It's been three years since I had Este and life has never been better. She has brought so much love and light into my life that I had no idea I needed. She's brought Jack and me closer together through our countless sleepless nights and frustration when she would not want to go to sleep. Very similar to how she was when I was pregnant with her. 

And not that I had a single doubt in my mind that he wouldn't be a perfect father but no number of nights where Jack has to get up to soothe Este back to sleep has made him act bitter towards us. Each time he greets us he pushes everything aside to give us what we need. His undivided love and attention. Nothing less. 

He's an absolute dream to raise a child with and I can't imagine doing this with anyone else. Everything is perfect. 

But... I think I am pregnant again. 

I've never brought up the topic because of how sensitive it still is for him but I always wonder if Jack wants another baby. I know my placenta abrupting was enough trauma for him to never ask if I was thinking about another kid after Este but ever since she turned two I wanted her to have someone to grow up with. I grew up as an only child and it was lonely. I don't want Este to feel like that. 

Which is why during my lunch break I'm going to run to CVS and pick up a pregnancy test, just to be sure. I don't want to end up scaring Jack if it's false so I want to be 100% positive before bringing up the topic. I drum my fingers over my mouse, flicking my eyes to the time every minute or so just to count down every second closer to my lunch break. 

I edit a picture of Luke and Jack from the last game against the Jets and purse my lips to the side. I spend half of my time checking the time that I don't get any work done. I groan at how slow time seems to be moving and move on to my emails. I look for anything out of the ordinary and worth responding to before my alarm goes on. 

"Perfect." I smile, shut down my computer and monitor, grab my purse, and walk out of the building. I make a beeline for my car and head straight to the CVS that's next to my favorite frozen yogurt place. I know frozen yogurt isn't actual food and if Jack found out I wasn't having a proper lunch he'd have my head. 

I get out of my car and walk into the store with an urgency to know if my suspicions are correct. I browse through the pregnancy aisle and look for the test that I want to use. I grab a few of the same brand and hold them under my arm before placing them on the counter to pay for them. I swipe my credit card through the machine

Once I've paid I get shy to run off to the customer's bathroom and leave as if I wasn't buying these for myself. I open one of the boxes, showing the text into my pocket and before getting a bowl of yogurt I take the text, putting the cap back on after peeing on it. I watch the clock take its sweet time while I pace around the room.

"I don't even need this, I know my body. I know I'm- Pregnant!" I scream the final word once it pops up on the small screen. I put a hand over my mouth and stared at myself in the mirror like I would have looked at Jack if he were in the room with me right now. "Shit," I whisper, washing my hand multiple times before wrapping the test up in a paper towel. 

I step out of the bathroom, grab a pink bowl, and start filling it up with birthday cake frozen yogurt. As I start throwing toppings on I catch the attendant behind the register eyeing me. I shoot her a quick smile, adding some crushed Oreos on top. I put my cup on the scale and grab one of the pink spoons that they have displayed in jars. 

She waves me off, shaking her head. "Oh, no it's on the house. Congratulations by the way." she says, with pink cheeks. My eyes meet hers again but this time I'm slightly more confused. "We heard you scream," she says looking behind her to see her coworkers in the other room. My face turns red with embarrassment because I forgot I was talking out loud to myself. "Thank you." I tell her grabbing some cash to put in the tip jar for her.