“Bri,” he whispers my nickname, making my breath catch as I slowly peel my eyes back open to look up at him.
The gentle smile on his face calms an ache in my chest. When he finally moves his hand away from my stomach, it’s only to wrap around my waist and to the small of my back. Noah holds me against him, breathing steadily as I hold my stomach between us and stare up at him.
“I don’t regret it.Anyof it.” He states easily.
A sob finally escapes, tears falling freely and I drop my forehead to his chest. I don’t even know why I’m crying at this point—only that an onslaught of emotions washes over me, making it impossible to decipher what I’m actually feeling.
It’s as if there’s a switch inside me that just flips to waterworks as a solution to everything.
Noah doesn’t flinch away, though. He simply guides us over to the swing, lifting me to sit across his lap and cradles me to his chest. While I try to compose myself, he gently rocks us in the swing, whispering reassurances that we’ll figure everything out and that it will all be okay.
NOAH
“Damn, I didn’t know it was possible for you to set foot off the farm on a weekday,” Connor exclaims from his spot at the bar next to AJ.
AJ glances over his shoulder and raises a pointed brow as I approach and take a seat next to my brother without saying a word.
The bar is relatively empty, aside from an older couple in a booth on the other side of the dance floor chatting with the bartender.
I’m not sure if I came here for food or a drink.
After Bri finally stopped crying, she mentioned she had another headache. I suggested she rest, but she put up some resistance, claiming we needed to work through things.
But my main concern was her and the baby.
It took me ten minutes of reassuring her and a little light threatening to carry her to bed before she finally listened and went to lie down.
Admittedly, I was relieved to have some time alone to sort through my thoughts. Yet when I arrived back at my house, I found myself sitting in the car, staring at the front door. For once, I didn’t want to go inside.
I didn’t want to be alone.
Which led me here, knowing that Connor and AJ would be here for their usual Monday early bird specials.
“Everything okay?” My brother asks, breaking me out of my trance. I absentmindedly nod in response.
“Still reeling from Rosie’s news?” AJ turns fully towards me, his furrowed brows betraying his hidden frown beneath his full beard.
Connor’s head whips between us. “What’s going on with her?”
“She’s pregnant,” AJ and I answer at the same time. Shaking my head, I don’t look at them as I clarify my answer.
“Sabrina’s pregnant.” I say, feeling strange using her full name as my heart races in my chest.
AJ’s eyebrows shoot up in excitement before he quickly composes himself and nods. Connor nearly falls off his stool as he turns to me.
“Who the hell told you that?” My brother practically shouts, staring at me in disbelief.
“She did,” I answer calmly.
“Well, damn. Guess we know why she moved back home.” He chuckles, grabbing his beer. “Look at you, Noah. Coming into town to gossip with your brother.”
I furrow my brows, realizing he’s right about one thing—she moved home because she’s pregnant. She probably needed help but didn’t want to ask me. I make a mental note to discuss that with Bri later.
“It’s not gossip,” I drum my fingers on the bar top, watching Connor take a sip of beer from the corner of my eye. “The baby is mine.”
Connor chokes, beer spraying from his mouth as he tries to catch his breath while AJ pats his back to help him breathe again.
I probably should have waited until he wasn’t drinking to drop that bomb.