my lips parting in surprise as I turn to look at her.

Maggie nods eagerly as she sits on my couch, burying her fingers in her hair. "I was on the train, and I realized that I'm late," she says. "And not just a day or two late. Like late, late."

"Have you told Zane?" I question, dropping everything as I settle on the coffee table in front of her. She shakes her head in response as she lifts her head to meet my gaze. "Hey, it's okay," I say and take her hands. "Have you two ever talked about kids?"

"Yes," she says, sitting up a little straighter. "We talk about it all the time. Little Zane's and Maggie's running around, and I love the idea of it. I want all of that, and I want nothing more than to have it with Zane, but..."

"But it's unexpected," I finish for her.

"Yes, and I don't know if we're ready for this," she says, her voice shaking. "A baby is something you plan. It's something you prepare for, and we...we aren't prepared."

My lips curl up. "You'll have nine long months to prepare."

Maggie's gaze softens as she leans her head against mine. "What is Zane going to think?"

"He's going to be so excited," I assure her. "But we still don't know. We can go get a test after my meeting, okay? And we can go from there."

She nods, swallowing her nerves. "Okay."

"Okay," I say, squeezing her hands. "Think you can hold out until then?"

Wordless again, she nods and I can see she's holding her breath. She's nervous and I can tell by the way her hands shake in my grasp, but part of it is the excitement of being a mom. We've talked so many times about our futures as moms together and I know when the day comes, she's going to be amazing. It's without a doubt that her and Zane will make amazing parents one day. My heart excitedly beating in my chest for her.

"I'll let you get ready for your meeting," she says, standing and I stand with her. "Thank you, Emmy," she hums softly, leaning into me as she wraps her arms around my tightly.

"I love you," I tell her, leaning back from her embrace. "One step at the time."

"One step at a time," she repeats and exhales slowly. "Okay, I'll see you in a bit."

I exhale slowly as I settle at my desk, opening the top drawer of my desk to pull out my prepared notes for the meeting. The adrenaline of sharing something I'm so passionate about both thrilling and nerve-wracking. I want it to go well and know that my heart will break in two if it doesn't get approved. The Way We Were being a special case and this is the first obstacle of many.

Grabbing everything I need off my desk, I clear my head and head to the conference room for the Monday meeting. It's just like every other Monday meeting, starting the week off with a check in and a timeline for the end of the week. And once Clark finishes up at the front of the room, he turns his attention to me.

"Okay, Wheeler," he says and settles into his seat. "The floor is yours."

My lips curl up as I sit up a little straighter, folding my hands in front of me. "So, I have a novel that I'm interested in publishing but it's a bit of a unique case," I explain to my colleagues. "I picked this novel off the discard pile and it was there because it was submitted without an agent, which I know can make the navigation of publishing a body of work a little difficult, but this... it's such a special book and it deserves to be out there in the world."

When I have their full intention, I fall into the pitch, becoming an advocate for the words on the page and their pull on my heart. The young adult contemporary exactly what the market needs in this moment with a strong female voice and the kind of love story that pulls on your heart strings, leaving a mark of lasting memory. I can feel it in my bones that this is the kind of story people can fall in love with.

"Well, it's clear you're very passionate about the book," Clark says.

I nod my head. "I am, but the novel didn't come with an author name either. It's completely anonymous and all I have is an email to get in contact with them."

"It's a bold choice," a co-worker chimes.

"It is, but I think it's worth it," I say, looking at Clark with hopeful eyes.

He nods. "You know I trust you opinion, Emery. Go ahead and reach out to the author. Express your interest, but we can't publish them without a name. An author and their brand is a huge part of the success of a novel and promotion. It's difficult to do so without an identity."

"I will," I assure him. "Thank you, Clark."

He smiles. "Keep me posted," he says before addressing the room again. "I think that's all for today, folks. Good work. Let's have a good week, alright?"

I collect my things from the table and stand with the rest of my colleagues, heading for the reception desk to meet Maggie. My lips curled up into a bright smile, knowing that this book has a chance to be something huge.

"Hey Emery, do you think I could get my hands on a copy of that book from you?"

I turn as a few other colleagues express their own interest. "Sure thing," I say, stopping at the reception desk as they continue on.

"What was that about?" Maggie asks, turning to me with a curious look.

"Just a book I'm excited about," I say. "You ready to go?"

She nods, turning her gaze to her computer screen. "I can't just leave the desk."

"Not a problem," I say and wave over our office intern, smiling warmly when she reaches the desk. "Would you mind watching the desk for Maggie? We need to step out of the office for a few minutes," I say and she agrees to as I turn my attention to Maggie. "Shall we?"

Maggie smiles in my direction, shaking as she gets up from her seat. She pulls on her coat before grabbing her purse from under the desk, hooking it on her arm. My lips curl up as I run off to my office, grabbing my things before joining Maggie in the lobby. We hurry down the street to the nearby drug store, scoping the shelf for the best pregnancy test before heading back to the office to take it.

"Okay, it says to wait five minutes," Maggie says as she reads the back of the box, setting it on the counter of the office bathroom with the stick on top. "Distract me or I'll check it every two seconds."

My lips curl up at the eager look on her face. "Wren got a fellowship in Arizona."

"Really? That's great!" she says and leans into the counter. "How is Layla with it?"

"Good," I tell her. "She's found an office to work out of. They going to be heading that way in the new year," I share, deciding to leave out the Charlie of it all out. This is supposed to be an exciting time and adding him to the conversation will only dampen the mood.

"Good, that's good." She nods her head.

"That wasn't distracting enough, was it?" I ask.

"No! I still want to look."

My lips curl up as I rest my hands on her biceps, squeezing them. "Okay, how about my night with Luke?" I ask.

"You already–" she says and then her lips fall apart. "Again?!"

"There we go," I say with a laugh. "Please don't make a big deal about it."

"A big deal?" she asks, her eyes wide before settling as she leans back casually. "I would never, ever, blow something out of proportion."

"Yes, very subtle," I say. "It just kind of­–"

"If you say happened, I will hurt you." She points her finger at me. "It happens once, maybe twice. Not four times."

I try to hide it as I bite my lip, but it doesn't hide the smile creeping onto my lips. "He's like a drug, Mags. I know I should stop, but I can't."

"And why should you stop?" she asks. "You deserve to have fun, Em."

"I know that," I say because I do, but it doesn't stop the nagging in my brain. "I just don't think I should mix that fun with my neighbor. Things will get awkward."

"Only if you make it awkward." She rolls her eyes. "You're two consenting adults. Be mature, have a little fun and then be done with it."

"How do I do that?"

She shrugs. "You'll figure it out."

I swallow as the truth hits me. "What if I don't want it to be just fun?"

"Then tell him that."

"I don't really think Luke's the kind of guy that I just say I have feelings for," I say, swallowing as I say it out loud for the first time. "He keeps creeping up on me and I can't seem to get rid of him. I can't tell if it's because he knows how to push my buttons or if it's genuinely because I like him."

"There's only one way to know."

I scrunch up my nose and point to the test. "Check."

"Only because I need to know," she says, reaching for the test. "But you can't run from this forever, Emmy. Eventually you'll have to face it."

I shake my head in denial as she turns the stick over. Her facial features falling slack as her lips part and I can't tell if the shock is from the lack of two lines or because they're there.

"I'm pregnant."

"You're pregnant?" I ask.

She looks up and her face brightens as she throws her arms up excitedly. "I'm pregnant!"

A squeal falls from my lips as I wrap my arms around her tightly, the two of us cheerfully jumping around. The excitement of a baby flushing out every other thing going on in our lives. For right now, it's all we care about.