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"Apparently I peed on a stick and everything" She sed "It’s Josh, in case you ondering He’s the only one I’ve…You know" While she didn’t have a lot of experience with having a grando out on a limb and assume Marsha didn’t want any more details about her intimate relationships

"I don’t kno this happened," Charity continued, giving in to her frustration "Well, I kno it happened I guess I don’t kno I let it happen Why now? I’ e everything"

She sucked in a breath "And did it have to be Josh? He’s the poster child for self-absorption I don’t mean that to sound as harsh as it does, but you knohat Ibut getting back on the racing circuit He’s going to be that fareat for hi to be happy"

She wondered if he would think she was like all the other wo the up in his room and who kno many others Of course he would think the worst about her, she thought grimly What other choice would he have? Talk about a disaster

She opened her mouth to continue her rant, then noticed that Marsha was staring at her with a happy, al a baby," the other woed her

The warm, supportive embrace melted away Charity’s anxiety Suddenly she could breathe easily

"I guess I a the baby wasn’t an option Ready or not, she was going to be a htly "I’randmother That sounds ihed "I think experiencedhooker" She took Charity’s ar room "Are you still in shock?"

"Yes, and I don’t see that changing anytio"

Marsha sat next to her and took her hand "So you haven’t told Josh?"

"No I just found h her brain She tried to pick just one to focus on, but she couldn’t Talk about i?"

At first Charity didn’t understand the question, then she was hugging Marsha again, feeling the other wo her fa," Charity told her firle isn’t hoanted to be known around town, but if you can live with it, then I can, too"

"Of course I can live with it I’ainst the sofa She pressed a hand to her belly "Pregnant There’s a conversation starter" She glanced at Marsha "Don’t worry I know I have to tell hi where I live, I need to do it soon This is not a good place to keep secrets"

"Have the two of you talked about any kind of future together?" Marsha asked delicately

"We don’t plan much past the weekend Josh is focused on the race and what that o back to his old life I know that I know hefaht surprise you Josh has alanted a fauy The man who always says that he would like to settle down, one day" She looked at Marsha "I’ to fall to his knees and beg me to marry him"

"Would you like him to?"

Charity looked away She loved Josh--that was the easy part But having a future with his We have different visions for our lives"

"Marriage is all about coht I want noruy would be great"

"But you’re not pregnant with a really nornant with Josh’s"

"A technicality," Charity said with a smile "But I do love hiure it out Josh will need a little tinant, but I think it’s going to all work out You’ll see"

Charity hoped she was right "If he doesn’t want to be a part of our lives, we’ll be fine I was raised by a single ood and the bad of the situation" She took Marsha’s hand in her own "It’s not like I’ll be completely by myself"

"No, you won’t You’ll have ave her coroaned "I didn’t think that part through Everyone is going to go crazy when they find out I’ Josh’s baby What am I supposed to do about that?"

"Honestly?" Marsha asked "Keep it a secret as long as possible"

Charity laughed "That’s not very helpful"

"It’s the best I can do"

TWO NIGHTS LATER, Charity sat on her bed as she and Josh watched a ht hours, she’d had dozens of opportunities to tell hinant and had chickened out each and every ti for the perfect moment, which was a complete lie She si would change and she wasn’t ready to lose hi the infor to have to suck it up and say the words

The action on the television shifted They atching some kind of an international spyon the shoulders of a handso man Sort of like Ja lady was supposed to be Russian and the bad guy was froirlfriend elique She ht before we split up I visited her on the set a few ti fact that had no consequence Which would be the case, for anyone else Not so elique She had a vague e breasts But thatlike the very real, very beautiful woelique wore littleand perfect Her brsts thrust toward the caht niles clearly visible beneath the thin layer of silk

There was so about her, so Charisrimly The same as Josh

She’d never seen a picture of the two of the they would look as if they coed with each other No one would question what either saw in the other It made sense

"You were h she already knew the answer

"I told you about her"

Oh, sure But there was a big difference betweenthat one had beento say that to hiuess" Josh stared at the screen, then shrugged "The nose job didn’t go well She had to get a second surgery to fix it"