Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
She nods slowly. “One, I’m still going to be kinda pissed that you didn’t tell me something like this. Two, I kinda understand. Three, how the hell could you not tell Jake he has a son? What were you thinking?”
“I know, I know,” I say, covering my face. “But you heard him at that press conference after the Sophie Gray thing, right? He had me convinced he didn’t even want to know if he did accidentally knock someone up. And then there was the part where he assured everybody that any woman claiming to have his kid was a liar and a golddigger. What was I supposed to do?”
“Call him an idiot and tell him that you were pregnant?”
“Okay, yeah. In retrospect, maybe that makes some sense. But I panicked. So I pretended the baby was from some other guy. There was never another guy, though. And then I was going to tell him in the delivery room, but he was so mad and stormed off. Maybe he knew and didn’t want to give me a chance to tell him. But then tonight, I was going to tell him, and he said he already knew.”
Andi’s eyes narrow. “What?”
I throw up my hands. “That’s what I was thinking. But then he said the thing he already knew was how we’re perfect for each other. As casual hookups for life.”
“He didn’t say that…”
“Not in those exact words, no. But he was happy and kinda horny, and I was just going with it. And I lost my nerve. So now I still need to find the right time to tell him. I was thinking maybe I could talk to him about it more tonight, but then he was going to give us some time for girl talk and went to the bar with Jesse. So I guess I’m still waiting on that.”
“Wow,” Andi lifts a nail and starts chewing.
“I know… But I promised myself I would tell him within a week when we agreed to this whole thing. I still have five days. Six, if you don’t count tonight.”
“Caroline,” Andi says with a sigh. “How did you manage to get tangled up in so many secrets?”
I cover my face with my hands. “A small scoop of cowardice and a big scoop of nervously spitting things out of my mouth before I stop to think? Oh,” I add. “And a side of unconfronted anxiety.”
She laughs and comes over to wrap me in a tight hug. “We’re going to get through this. But, for the record, I’m glad I don’t have to be a fly on the wall when you do tell him. And, also, for the record, you should really tell him soon. He needs to know, even if you both think he doesn’t want to.”
I groan because I know she’s right. “When are they going to get back here, anyway?”
Andi checks her phone. “It’s late. I’m going to take Jude, collect Jesse, and send your man back up here. And then you’re going to text me as soon as you are done with your little confrontation. If it gets weird and sexual, please don’t text me about that, or I’ll personally come back to your room and throw up in your trash can.”
“Noted,” I say.
15
JAKE
Why do I feel so fucking nervous?
I’m standing outside the hotel room, and my palms are sweating. I wipe them on my slacks, take a deep breath, and press the key to the reader. The door beeps, and I pull it open slowly. I find Caroline sitting on the edge of the bed. She has changed out of the designer dress, stripped off the expensive jewelry, and is wearing a simple oversized t-shirt that shows a lot of bare leg. Her curly brown hair surrounds her face. She smiles, pushing up her glasses when she sees me.
“Hey,” I say.
“Hi,” Caroline says. “I think we need to talk about something.”
My gut wrenches. I think about what Jesse told me. I tried to blow off his theory, but there was no point in lying to myself. Ever since he planted the idea in my brain, it feels like it’s taking root at an alarming speed. The look on Caroline’s face isn’t helping.
“Alright,” I say.
Caroline pats the bed beside her. I kick off my shoes and sit with one leg folded beneath me and the other dangling off the edge so I can face her. I glance at Walker, who is awake, but sucking on his pacifier in his crib and apparently content for the moment.
“At the gala, I was planning to tell you something.”
That weight from before slowly grows until I feel like I can barely hold my head up under the pressure of it. “What did you want to tell me?”
I’ve known Caroline for two years, and I’ve never seen her cry, so I'm too stunned to react when tears suddenly well up in her eyes and roll down her cheeks. I stare at the wet trails for a few seconds before I think of pulling her into a hug.