Page 95 of Selfless

I run a hand down my face and let out a sigh. Fucking bastard.

“That’s why she looked at me funny when she saw I was drinking wine at the wedding …” Her words trail off, and her eyes widen. “I’ve been drinking.”

“Baby?” I say, and her wild eyes meet mine. I gently rub her knee. “You said they checked you out at the hospital.”

She nods. “Right before you walked in. They said everything looked fine.”

“That’s why you were so nervous,” I state, and she nods as if I asked a question. “What were you so afraid of?”

She lowers her eyes to the floor. “I didn’t want you to think I was trying to trap you.”

I wrap my arms around her. “I would have never thought that.”

She falls into my chest and whispers, “What are we going to do?”

“I already told you,” I say, running my hand through her hair. “We’re gonna have a baby.”

My door opens, and she jerks away from me. My father was storming in, but comes to a stop when he sees Ashlyn wipe the tears from her face.

A silence follows as if no one really knows what to say. Finally, I stand and tell him. “Shut the door, please. We need to talk.”

She stayed seated while I filled my dad in on everything that has happened up to this point since the wedding last weekend, and he seemed as calm and relaxed as I am. Ashlyn, on the other hand, was still a little panicked.

He comes to stand in front of me while she sits on the couch. “I need to speak to you privately,” he whispers.

I go over to her and take her hand, asking her to stand, and walk her over to the door. “Kelly?” I snap, and she jumps from her desk, running over. “Will you get Ashlyn a water, please?” I ask her.

She nods quickly. “I need to talk to you …” Kelly spots my father behind me through my open door, and I watch him nod at her. She takes Ashlyn’s hand and nods back at him.

“What was that?” I ask turning to face him.

“First, let me congratulate you on becoming a dad.”

I want to smile at his words, but his tone tells me something very important is going on. “What is it?”

“I made a phone call to the sheriff’s office.”

I frown. “And?”

“I spoke to my friend, Detective Robert Mores, and he told me that the woman who hit Ashlyn didn’t make it. And he also told me that I knew her.”

“Who was she?”

“It was Jessica.”

My eyes widen. “Are you sure?”

He nods. “And she was in a rental car. That was in your mother’s name.”

**

After talking to my father, I was all kinds of wound up. People were trying to fuck with what’s mine, and I don’t take kindly to that. But I can only deal with one at this time, so I brought Ashlyn back into my office.

She sits back down on my couch, and I stand in front of her. “Give me Bradley’s number.”

Her head snaps up and her eyes widen. She starts shaking her head quickly. “No, Ryder. Let it go …”

“Fuck no!” I snap.

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