Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 103109 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103109 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
“It’s Scarlett. She’s . . .” He blows out a breath. “I can’t get into details. She’s a very private person, but she needs me right now. I think . . .”
“You think what?” My voice breaks. I already know. I’m going to make him say it anyway.
“I think I need to be here for her. I need to help her.”
“Okay . . . but that doesn’t mean you can’t call.”
“Shit,” he mutters, and I imagine him scrubbing his hand over his face. “Shayleigh, I’ve always known you were too good for me.”
“No.” Tears roll hot down my cheeks. “Don’t give me that.”
“Why not? Isn’t it true?”
“No. It’s not true, and it’s a lame excuse. If you’re freaking out about what happened between us when we were in Paris, then that’s on you. Don’t try to pretend that you’re pushing me away because I’m just so great. Don’t try to pretend you’re doing me a favor.”
“East?” I can barely make out the small voice in the background. Feminine, worried. “Who is that? Are you coming back to bed?”
“I’ll be there in a minute,” he says.
Nausea roils. I feel like my insides have just been pulverized. “By help her, you mean fuck her? Is that code or something?”
“Jesus, Shay, it’s not like that. She’s . . .” He blows out a breath. “Scarlett is pregnant.”
For a minute, I’m sure I’ve misheard him. I’m positive this cannot be happening.
“Shay? Are you still there?”
“She’s pregnant.” Saying the words doesn’t make them any easier to swallow. How? Fucking how could this work out like this?
“Yeah.” I press my hand to my stomach, and I’m almost surprised not to feel blood seeping out on my fingers. She’s pregnant with Easton’s baby. All I can hear is the soft whoosh of his breath through the phone. He’s breathing as hard as I am.
“I grew up without my dad around. I always promised myself that if I was ever a father, that would be my first priority. Do you understand?”
I nod, even knowing he can’t see me. Yes, I understand. I know that Easton wants to be the kind of dad who’s there for everything—who always puts his kid first. He’d never walk away from a child he knew about, and being put in any sort of situation where he felt like he had to would destroy him. Yes, I understand too well.
“Shay?”
“Congratulations, Easton.” The sob rises up my throat, and I choke it back. “I know you’ll be an amazing father.”
Easton
I followed Shay to the parking lot, but she was already in her car and driving away.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I’m going to have to track her down. We can’t leave it like this after what just happened. But first, I need to deal with the woman waiting for me at the bar.
“Easton! Surprise!” Scarlett slides off her barstool and pushes through the crowd that’s gathered around her. I’ve developed a good relationship with my ex-wife over the years, but I’ll never understand her need for surprises. And tonight’s visit to Jackson Brews is definitely a surprise.
She wraps her arms around my stomach and hugs me tightly. Jake and Carter watch every move. Jake looks a little pissed. Carter looks confused.
“What are you doing here?” I ask Scarlett, pulling out of her hug. She’s an affectionate person, and while I know she hugs everyone, I don’t need Shay’s brothers thinking this means we’re patching things up. When I decided to come back early from our Chicago house hunt, I was under the impression that she was going to keep looking without me. Kinda hard to look at Chicago homes when you’re not in Chicago.
“I was thinking—why buy a place in Chicago when I can buy a home here and be closer to you and Abi?”
I squeeze the knot of tension at the back of my neck. “Why don’t you stay in Jackson Harbor for a few days before you make that decision?” Chicago is too “small-town feel” for Scarlett. Jackson Harbor isn’t going to be her thing.
She beams and flips her long red hair. “Is that an invitation?”
“It’s not my town, Scar. Do what you want.”
“I mean, are you inviting me to stay with you and Abi until I make my decision?”
Oh, hell no. Not only do Scarlett and I get along a thousand times better when we don’t live together, but I wouldn’t do that to Shay. “Nope. You could stay in a hotel or get a temporary lease, but you and I don’t work under one roof, remember?”
She sticks out her bottom lip in a pout. “So says you.”
I look at my watch. Every minute that passes is a minute Shay has to decide we made a mistake. I reach into my pocket for my keys. “I need to get out of here. Talk to Jake or Carter about the best hotels nearby.”