Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 149209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
I don’t realize I’m staring at her until she frowns. “Is this the wrong thing to wear to a birth?”
“No. You look great. Just marveling at how fast you were,” I lie to cover my reaction. “My mom used to take forever, change clothes four times, redo her hair, paint her nails… We waited a lot when I was a kid.”
She smiles and slings a small pink purse over her shoulder. “I’ve always been busy, so I learned how to make the most of the minimum. Ready?”
“Sure.”
I lead her outside and we get on the road. The drive to the birthing center takes twenty minutes, and she fills most of the time by texting Harlow and passing the updates along to me.
“Keeley is dilating quickly. They think she’ll be delivering in another hour or so.”
Bethany looks worried we may not make it in time, so I drive a little faster.
“Is your whole extended family going to be in the waiting room?” Maybe I can use some of the time to discreetly talk to them.
She shakes her head. “In the delivery room. Keeley picked a midwife who believes that families should welcome babies together. So that’s what she wants us to do.”
“Wow.” Thankfully, Bethany said family, which excludes me. I’m happy I won’t be witnessing a virtual stranger give birth today.
“It’s great that Keeley and Maxon want you there. Did you expect to be treated like family when you first arrived?”
“Hardly. I expected to be grilled at the least. Maybe even blamed and reviled. But they’ve been amazingly inclusive and understanding.”
They seemingly have. Which brings up another question… Would these people really welcome a criminal with open arms? What are the odds she conned all of them, too?
“When did you first find out about your siblings?”
“I’ve always known. Dad never tried to hide them from me.” She frowns. “Of course, he described his children by his wife as useless and ungrateful, so I never had any desire to meet them. I wish now I hadn’t taken him at face value about Maxon, Griff, and Harlow. Well, about a lot of things, really.”
“Evan, too?” I know she purposely didn’t include him, but maybe since I tossed out the question, she’ll take the bait and give me more information.
Bethany shakes her head. “Dad knew of Evan, called him ‘the weird kid,’ but they didn’t meet for the first time until last summer, at Harlow’s wedding. He always told me that Evan’s mother was a money-grabbing whore and that if he paid any attention to his son, she’d try to extort him for more. I didn’t learn until recently that Evan’s mother died when he was five and, instead of claiming him, my father allowed Evan to be a ward of the state and shoved into foster care until he turned eighteen.”
Her carefully arranged expression slips. I see glimpses of her disillusionment. She looks so much like she’s hurting…
I steel myself. I need facts, not feelings.
“Beth, did you two have a falling-out because he lied to you so much?”
She nods. “You have no idea.”
Before I can ask her to elaborate, Bethany’s phone dings again. “It’s Harlow. They’ve revised the timeline up. Keeley might be delivering in thirty minutes!”
“We’ll be there in less than ten,” I promise.
Bethany seems distracted for the rest of the car ride, so I don’t pry anymore. I make a mental note to come back to the subject of her father, try to find out whether it’s possible he lied to her about the scam, too. Now just isn’t the time.
As promised, we pull up to the birthing center in eight minutes. I drop her at the door and thankfully find a prime parking spot close by. Not long after, I run inside the pseudo-medical facility, asking a maternal woman behind a desk where to find the Reed birth. She points, and I catch up to Bethany just before she disappears behind a set of double doors with Harlow.
“Thanks for bringing Bethany here—and so quickly,” the pregnant brunette says.
“My pleasure. Where can I wait for Beth? I’m happy to take her home whenever she’s ready.”
Beside Harlow, Bethany’s expression softens. She’s surprised I’m willing to wait around? I don’t mind. Sure, I have other things to do on my day off, but Keeley and Maxon may well spend the night here. It would be out of everyone else’s way to take Bethany back to the inn. The logistics of the situation help me take every moment I can get with her.
“I hate to inconvenience you,” she murmurs.
“You’re not,” I assure her. “Go be with your family. I’ll find somewhere to wait.”
“Harlow!” Noah sticks his head out the door. “You’re here, Bethany. Good. It won’t be long now…”
“No time,” Harlow shrieks. “Come with us!”
She grips my wrist and gives me a surprisingly strong yank before she starts sprinting toward the open door, swelling belly leading the way. Bethany follows, shooting me a wide-eyed stare and a shrug. I start to sweat. Am I really about to witness a woman I’ve only met a couple of times give birth?