Page 7 of Teasing a King

I don’t look back, but I know he’s following me as I make my way out of Mack’s and to my car.

“What happened?” he asks.

I open the car door and turn to see him only a couple of steps behind me. When I think about my interaction with Mya and the way I’d reacted to her pregnancy announcement, I feel shame wash over me. Why had I said that? What had I been thinking? I hadn’t been. I’d been in shock. That’s my only excuse. I look at my brother, not wanting to say the words out loud. I sigh.

“I reacted badly when she told me,” I say, unable to meet my brother’s gaze. “I was in shock, and I said things I didn’t mean.”

His eyes narrow. “What exactly did you say?” he asks slowly.

I rub a hand on the back of my neck, avoiding his gaze. “I asked if she was sure,” I mutter.

“Okay,” Wyatt draws out the word. “Why is that so bad?”

I blow out a breath. “I asked if she was sure it was mine.” I blurt the words fast, like ripping off a band-aid. I look back to Wyatt’s face to see him standing there, mouth agape.

“You didn’t,” he says. “Please tell me you did not say those words.”

I feel my face heat. “Not exactly,” I say. “But close enough. She’s pissed at me.”

“Well, yeah,” Wyatt says. “Do you blame her? She drove three hours here to tell you to your face about the baby. A baby thatyou helped create,might I remind you? Then you basically accuse her of sleeping around and trying to trap you.”

“Wait a minute,” I say, defensive. “I never said anything like that.”

He shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. You implied it with that question. Did you ask about her at all? How she’s feeling? How’s the baby? Has she seen an OB yet? Does she have morning sickness? Aches and pains? Did you ask any of those questions before you asked if the baby was yours?”

I feel another wave of embarrassment wash over me as I shake my head. “I was in shock,” I say, trying to defend myself. I sigh. “I know, I know. It’s not an excuse.”

Wyatt just looks at me.

I narrow my eyes at him. “When did you get to be so wise about women?”

He shrugs. “I’ve always been this wise. You just never noticed.”

“If you say so,” I say.

He cocks an eyebrow at me. “You’ve got to fix this.”

I gesture to the open car door. “Where do you think I’m going? I need to find her and talk to her. Apologize. Something.”

My brother sighs and shakes his head. “My guess is she’s at my house with Hope.”

I’m not sure why that idea hadn’t occurred to me already. I don’t know where I’d planned to go search for Mya. I’d just known I needed to find her as soon as possible and beg her forgiveness.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Hope called in reinforcements,” he says. “Be prepared to grovel in front of a whole bunch of pissed off women.”

I sigh, feeling myself deflate. “Fantastic. Remember when the guys outnumbered the girls in this family? Those were the days.”

He grins. “Yeah, but this is way more interesting.”

I shake my head and sigh. Interesting is one word for it, I guess. I climb into the car and reach for the door to close it. Wyatt grabs it before I can, holding it open.

“I wouldn’t go empty-handed,” he says. “Nothing says ‘I screwed up’ like flowers. Or chocolate. Or maybe both.”

I pull the door closed in Wyatt’s grinning face and put the car into gear. As I drive out of the lot, I consider my brother’s advice. I know he’s right. I turn left toward town instead of right toward his house. If I’m going to convince Mya to forgive me, I need all the help I can get.

Chapter Four

Mya

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