The Dawn of Autumn

Ride or Die (II)

A/N: Peep the chapter before this. Two updates in one day. You're welcome.

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Chapter 12 (cont):

Ride or Die

It took her three weeks to work up the courage to talk to Caleb. There weren't many things that scared her in life, but having people look at her differently because of the pregnancy made her feel insecure. She knew she was going to face scrutiny. A teenage pregnancy was something everyone seemed to judge.

She knew if she told Caleb she had to tell Hanna, too. She had to tell Caleb if she was going to ask for his help with the texts, and she knew that he wouldn't be able to keep it from his very nosy girlfriend.

A day before Thanksgiving, Emily asked Caleb and Hanna if they had time for a little informal get together. Caleb suggested dinner at the café. He got permission to use it after he closed.

Emily had just finished up a sparring session with Jake at the gym, so she was famished. Alison felt conflicted about watching her throw punches. On one hand it was a beautiful thing to watch. She was nimble on her feet and the look of concentration on her face made Alison's body feel tingly all over. But on the other hand, she was worried something bad might happen. She was worried that there would be an accidental blow or that she would overdo it.

Pregnancy hadn't slowed her down in the least. And she still looked good as hell. She hid her bump very well.

"Solid work, Em." Jake tossed the pads down. "We're going to kick ass in the tournament."

Alison had to contain her groan. She did not want Emily in a boxing tournament. Sometimes she felt like slipping a note into Jake's bag to tell him the truth so that maybe he would find someone else to be his partner. But she couldn't do that to Emily.

"Hell yeah we are. Teamwork makes the dreamwork." She dabbed his fists with her gloves. "Need help with anything before I take off?"

"No. Go. Enjoy your Thanksgiving."

"You have a good holiday." She pulled her gloves off.

She walked over towards where Alison was waiting. The blonde was trying to pretend like she hadn't been watching Emily's ass the entire time. But Emily had seen her in the mirror.

"Hey, you enjoy the view?" She winked.

"Don't be so cocky." Alison scoffed, glancing at her phone with a grin on her face.

Emily leaned down and kissed her cheek. It got her attention.

"I'll be ready in fifteen. Just need to take a shower to cool down."

"Ooh, can I join?" Alison lifted her brows.

"Please." Emily rolled her eyes. "We both know you're not going to mess up those soft curls." She played with her bouncy hair. Alison was such a little priss. But Emily loved it.

Alison glared at her, but she had a smile on her face.

"Here. Hydrate." She handed her a sports drink. Emily gladly took the drink and took several gulps. "So, you've been training pretty hard for this tournament..."

"Mmhmm." Emily nodded. She wiped the sweat from her brow. Her skin was glowing with perspiration. It was so beautifully natural.

"Have you been feeling okay?"

"Ali, we've been over this." Emily frowned in annoyance.

"No. I know. This isn't about..." She looked at Emily's stomach, but didn't say anything, "I just think it's probably not a good idea to be exerting yourself after a traumatic brain injury."