Page 75 of I Choose You

Bill stands to round his bulky oak desk. His office isn’t at all stuffy. The windows brighten the space, making it seem bigger than it is. The hustle and bustle of Austin is thirteen floors below us, and if I were to look out the east facing window, I would find the Capitol building a block away. Bill chuckles as he rests back on the front of his desk, feet away from where Trisha and I stand by the door to his office.

“Oh, yes, of course. Don’t you worry about that. Trisha will only function as a right-hand woman as long as you need her, but she will check in from time to time,” he clarifies.

“My needs rotate here at MSM. After being with the company for so long, I’m aware of how many of the departments operate, and what each needs to run flawlessly. I’m here to make sure we get your team up and running without the hiccups,” she assures, smiling once again.

“That’s right,” Bill says. “She’ll be your go-to until you deem it’s unnecessary. Things are a little different here than in our Quaint office. Trisha will help with that. She’ll brief you on all the necessary information and point you in the correct direction when guidance is needed.”

I nod, my gaze moving back over to Trisha’s smiling face. For some reason, it makes me think of Mackenzie. Makes me miss her more. Like that’s even fucking possible.

I nod. “Works for me.”

“Good. Trisha, why don’t you show Mason to his office and his conference room?” He looks over to me, his hands clasped together in front of him, casual as ever. “Your team is patiently waiting for you there and is very excited to meet you.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” Though my words don’t waver, I’m honestly not looking forward to it. I should be, considering I moved my entire life here for this, but this crater in my chest gets deeper and wider every time I take a step.

I don’t think I’ll ever not notice it because, well, Mackenzie destroyed me when she shared her true feelings. She ruined this all for me. When I think about Texas, I don’t see the beauty of Austin or the team that will help me perfect my revenue formula for companies. Instead, the shattering of my heart ricochets off the walls, and my rib cage cracks from the pressure of loving someone who will never be able to match up.

35

Mackenzie

“You have to tell him.” Luke’s voice is edgy. It comes out sharp and serious and makes me want to throw up. “He’s going to be pissed we know before him.” He scrubs a hand over his cheek, one eyebrow arched.

I’m suddenly regretting my idea of having a group discussion about this pregnancy and what I’m supposed to do about it with the people I care about most. Minus two people, of course. But I can’t exactly go to Mason about this right now. Nor am I ready to tell my mom. I’m not in the best frame of mind. I need advice, support and encouraging words from Owen, Nelly, and Luke. Leaning on them is the only way I’ll get through this. The only way we’re going to make it, and exactly why I rallied them in the kitchen after work.

I nibble at my bottom lip. My nerves are like a ball of rubber bands in the pit of my stomach. Every time one snaps, a jolt of anxiety zips through me.

“Please, Luke. I’m begging you. Don’t tell him.”

Luke pins me with sorry eyes. “You’re asking me to keep the fact that you’re pregnant with my twin brother’s child a secret from him? He’s going to figure out something is wrong when I talk to him.”

Nelly chimes in, shooting daggers at Luke’s head. “So don’t talk to him then.”

He narrows his gaze on her. “That’s easier said than done. We talk regularly. He’s going to know something is up if I’m not answering his calls or messages.”

“I want to be the one to share it with him,” I tell Luke.

I just don’t know how I’m going to do it. I’m terrified he’s not going to want to talk to me, but this is something I need to say in person. What’s going to happen once I break the news to him? Is he going to run like my father did when he divorced my mother? My worst fears play out in my mind as I look at the computer screen for advice. Owen is in his office, rubbing fingers over his temples while he video chats with us. “Tell me what to do, Owen.”

He shakes his head. Luke crosses his arms out of the corner of my eye. “I can’t tell you what to do here, Mackenzie. You need to figure it out on your own. You’re a big girl, and you got this. You’re freaking out right now. Totally get it, and it’s okay, but you’ll get through it.”

“I don’t know about that. I feel like I’m going to puke up all of my organs.”

“It only seems overwhelming because you’re in your head.” He pauses, offering Nelly and Luke a chance to talk. When they don’t jump at the opportunity, he continues. “This isn’t a bad thing. You’re growing a life inside you. That’s a blessing to hold on to for the rest of your life. This doesn’t need to be more than what it is.”

“Exactly.” Luke extends a hand at the laptop. “That’s what I’m trying to say.”

Nelly rolls her eyes and leans on her hand at the table across from me. “It’s not your place to tell him. Would you want to hear from Mason if Layla was pregnant?” Her rhetorical question hangs in the air, giving him something to consider.

Owen ignores them. “Do you want to keep it?”

I don’t have to think twice. There’s no way I would ever want to abort the life growing in my womb. I’m not overwhelmed by my capabilities. I’m bothered because the father of my child picked up his life and started a new one.

Just like my father did. Minus the wife and babies that soon followed.

Granted, the circumstances are different but try telling my mind that.

“Yes,” I say immediately.

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