Year Four (Kingmakers, #4)

by Sophie Lark

“Do you like teaching?” she asks me. I think about my boxing classes—about the thrill I get when one of the students does something right for a change. Even that kid from Coney Island. “Yeah,” I say. “I like it.” “Would you be disappointed if you couldn’t finish the year?” I frown at her, confused. “I’m only here because I thought you wanted to finish.” “I did. But now I’m worried it might not be safe,” Cat takes a deep breath. “For the baby.” I stare at her for a moment, not quite understanding. Then the racing of my heart jolts my brain. “Are you serious?” I whisper. “Very serious,” she says. “And very sure.” I scoop Cat up in my arms, holding her tight against me, squeezing her hard but not too hard. My eyes are burning, my heart pounding, my throat too tight to speak. “We’re gonna have a baby?” I croak. “Yes,” she says, “Sometime in June.” I can’t stop hugging her. I can’t let go, even for a second. “You should have told me!” I cry. “I wouldn’t have spanked you.” “Don’t be ridiculous,” Cat snorts. “I made sure you weren’t too rough.” “What about the—” “That’s fine, too. It won’t hurt him.” “Him? You think it’s a boy?” She laughs. “I don’t know. I mean . . . I have a feeling. An inclination. But it’s just a guess.” I nuzzle my face against her hair, breathing in the clean scent of her scalp. I need to smell her to calm myself down, because I’m experiencing a mixture of joy, excitement, and terror so acute that I feel like my heart might explode. “I’m so, so glad,” I tel...