Page 23 of Tempting Him (Illicit Desires)

Panic filled me. “Is something wrong with Annie?”

Liam gave me a look that confirmed it but also told me he wasn’t willing to tell me more.

“Is she okay? Should I go up?”

Liam shook his head. “No! Don’t do that, it’s something she needs to deal with first, I think.”

“Liam, you’re worrying me.”

His shoulders sagged. “Look, she’s just found out she’s pregnant, but I didn’t tell you that. She’d never forgive me.”

I wanted to reply in a sensible way, but I couldn’t. “What? Jesus, that bloody Declan, I assume? Well, that’s going to be a hell of a lot for her to deal with without anything else, that makes this more difficult with us, doesn’t it?”

“Difficult with us?” Annie commented behind me, looking from me to Rich and back to me again. Time started to slow, and I was paralysed and powerless to stop what was about to happen. Rich’s eyes met mine, and his mouth opened. I knew what he was about to say before he said it. I stared at Annie and waited for her to explode.

“You and Liam?” Annie scoffs. “Dad, be real. Like Liam would ever look twice at...” Her words disappeared the second she looked at me. “No.” She begged me to tell her it wasn’t true with her eyes. I looked away. My friend—my best friend—knew me so well that everything I did would give me away. “No!” She shouted this time, so forcefully it made me jump.

“You’ve been fucking my best friend? Is that what you’re trying to tell me right now?”

“I should have told you sooner,” Rich confirmed.

“No... No fucking way. You’re disgusting, both of you. I can’t deal with this shit.” Annie ran down the last few stairs, grabbed her coat, and was out the door before anything else could be said.

“Annie!” Rich called to her as the door slammed behind her.

He looked at me, and the shock, the emotion, the guilt, the uncertainty of it all poured out, and I started to pace the floor. Rich came to me and wrapped his arms around me.

“Relax. We will sort it.”

“What about Annie?” I asked.

“She’ll come around, Liam. She loves you too much to fall out with you for too long, and she loves me and will eventually forgive me. It’s fine.” I knew the first part of my statement was true. I just hoped the last part would come to fruition. I didn’t want to gain a boyfriend by forsaking my best friend.

ChapterTwenty-Four

Annie

Three months later

I calledDad’s number and couldn’t get any reply. “Come on!” My frustration and fear started to take over. I thought about calling Declan, but he had made his feelings on the matter very clear. I’d left a message for Dad, but I was scared and I didn’t know who else to call.

I’d started cramping, and I was bleeding. I was terrified something was wrong and I was going to lose the baby. There was only one other number I could think of dialling, and I was almost sure that person wasn’t going to pick up either since I hadn’t spoken to them since the day they found out I was pregnant.

Ring – ring – ring.

“Annie?” Liam answered.

“Please don’t hang up!” I cried, and I was shocked at how much fear came out in my voice. “There’s something wrong, and I can’t get Dad, and I’m scared, Liam. I’m bleeding. I don’t want to be here alone. I didn’t know who else to call.”

“You’re bleeding?”

“I’m at the hospital, waiting to be seen. They want to take me for an ultrasound, but I asked them to wait. I can’t hear them say something bad has happened on my own.” My words flooded out and I couldn’t stop them. Next to Dad, Liam was still the only other human I would want at my side in any time of crisis.

There was a moment of silence, and I panicked. “Liam, are you still there?”

“You’re in the maternity wing, right? I can be there in fifteen minutes. Just breathe.”

He hung up and I didn’t get to say anything else to him.

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