Page 28 of Sheriff's City Girl

Ah, so he just wanted to hook up with me.

“Okay, thanks for letting me know,” I said, my tone growing sharp. “It would’ve been nice for you to tell me that before taking me on a date though… It’s not very considerate.”

“It’s not like that,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m just being honest with you?—”

“Thank you,” I cut him off, not letting him get another word in before heading to my car. I knew what would come next. He would throw some stupid, shallow compliments at me—like the sex was good or I was just too beautiful to resist—and then he’d tell me that was all it could be.

Yeah, I knew how men like Mason worked.

I ripped my car door open and slid into the driver’s seat, growing angry at myself for even agreeing to the date. I should’ve known when we hooked up in the lounge that it would never amount to anything. Hook ups never did.

The tires growled, spewing gravel everywhere as I backed up and then stomped the gas. Shooting down the driveway, I glanced at the time. There was a good chance Lily would still be awake, and I couldn’t think of anyone I needed more in that moment.

“Hey?” Lily answered, sounding surprised to hear from me. “I guess your date is over. How’d it go?”

I laughed, shaking my head. “It wasn’t a real date. It was just an excuse to get me into his bed.”

“What? I didn’t think he was that kind of guy…”

“Well, I guess you don’t ever really know someone. I seriously had the time of my life, and then the moment he was finished, he just shut it all off. We made the ride back to the ranch in almost complete silence. It was seriously the worst.” I fought the urge not to cry as I pulled out on the main road, heading back to town.

“Wow, what a jerk,” Lily sounded just as injured as I felt. “I never expected something like that from Mason. Maybe he’s just not sure what he’s doing, you know? He has been through a lot—and maybe he didn’t mean it the way you took it.”

“I don’t know,” I hesitated. I had maybe jumped the gun, making my own assumptions… But in the moment, it seemed really clear what he was trying to get across, especially with the way he had acted afterward.

“I’ve been taking everything wrong this time of the month,” Lily let out a sigh. “I thought Drew was purposefully hurting my feelings earlier this evening, and he was just trying to figure out what to make for dinner.”

“Oof,” I laughed softly. “Maybe that’s all it is for me…” My voice trailed off as I thought about it harder. “What’s the date?”

“Um, the seventeenth, why?”

My heart dropped to my stomach as the realization slammed into me. “Oh my god…”

“What?!” Lily exclaimed. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m… I’m over a week late, and I didn’t even realize it. I don’t feel any different than I normally do.”

“No way…” She gasped. “Do you… Do you have a test?”

“Uh… I don’t think so.” Panic was building in my chest as I tried to rack my brain for the last time I had even thought about such a thing. “I think the drug store is closed by now, too.”

“I have one here. Just come by. Drew is already in bed, and I think Dara and Jess are, too. We can go out to the guesthouse, if you want.”

“There’s no way that I could be pregnant,” I said, trying to sound convincing. “We used protection at the dance…”

“Yeah, and I used protection when I got pregnant with Dara, too. I was only eighteen when that happened, and yet here I am with a sixteen-year-old daughter. It happens sometimes, and the condom Drew used that night was questionable.”

I groaned as I thought about the ancient condom Mason had pulled out of his wallet the night we hooked up. “I don’t know what I’ll do…”

“Um, let’s just take it one step at a time. I’ll meet you at the guesthouse.”

Ugh.

I paced back and forth as the timer counted down. “What am I supposed to do if this is positive?” I asked, not sure if I was saying it to myself or to Lily, who tapped her foot anxiously on the tile floor. “I don’t even know what my mom would say if she found out that I was having a kid out of wedlock.”

“Well, I think that should be the last thing you worry about,” Lily commented, her tone flat. Her blonde hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and honestly, her nerves weren’t helping the situation. “If it’s positive, then you’re having a baby—if that’s what you want.”

My heart squeezed, emotions flooding my chest. “Of course, I’d want to. I’ve always wanted a baby… There’s just never been the right guy in the picture.”

---