Page 19 of Trash the Dress

“I get it. But I don’t think any time will be the ‘easy’ or ‘right’ time. And there’s no way he could hate you. No one could. And if he decides to be absent from your or this baby’s life, then it’s his catastrophic loss.”

“Catastrophic, huh?” I ask.

“Absolutely. But, hunny-bunny, what if you change his life, his outlook on love? You could have something beautiful together. You know I believe everything happens for a reason. What if the heartache the two of you experienced saved you both from missing each other? I’m telling you. This baby and that man are your destiny. I feel it in my bones,” she says.

“I’m going to tell him tomorrow, but I have no expectations.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” she asks. She’s always ready to back me up.

“I don’t want to scare him by ganging up on him, but I’d like you somewhere close, yes.”

A knock sounds on my door, and I glance at Anna, but she shrugs her shoulders.

I get out of my cozy cocoon of blankets and open my door. Dr. Leah stands there holding a bottle of ginger ale.

“How are you feeling? I was on my way home and wanted to check in on you.”

“I’m feeling some better, but I don’t think my puking will go away for a while,” I tell her.

She furrows her brows. “Why? Is something else wrong?”

I laugh, still in shock. “It turns out it wasn’t salad; I’m pregnant.”

“Oh! Congratulations!” She hands over the ginger ale.

“That should help a bit with nausea.” She peers over my shoulder to where Anna sits on the bed. Anna waves and Leah waves back.

“I won’t keep you since you have company, I just wanted to see how you were doing and give you that,” she says pointing at the cold ginger ale in my hand. “Get some rest and good luck. If you need anything, let me know,” she says.

“Thanks. I will,” I say as I smile and close the door.

Anna pats the bed beside her, and we both slide back under the covers. She finds the remote and flips through the channels until she lands on one she likes.

“Get some rest. I’m not going anywhere. I want you to feel your best tomorrow. Goodnight,” she says and kisses my cheek.

“Goodnight,” I say as I close my eyes. I have a feeling I’m gonna need more than luck when I tell my grumpy hero that he’s going to be a dad, and all because he chose to save me from a little more heartbreak by not rejecting me. Now I may be theone to finish his heart off for good if he’s not open to this turn of events. I cover my stomach with my hand and hope he’ll at the very least be a part of our baby’s life. I don’t expect anything else. And I hope that’s not expecting too much. Because I know…this baby changes everything.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Zander

The lunch rush just ended, and we’ve begun to make burgers for Brittney and Hawk. Dad starts her songbird milkshake. And Gabby walks through the swinging kitchen doors and then glances at me. “There’s a woman out here asking for you. Scarlett?” Her tone almost encroaches on asking who this woman is like Gabby has some sort of claim over me. Or am I imagining it because Brittney told me Gabby has a thing for me?

Dad’s brows shoot up and he grins. I shake my head while washing my hands. “I’ll be right there. Thanks, Gabby.”

She flutters her lashes at me. “Sure thing, boss.”

I’m still drying my hands on a towel when I walk out to the bar where Scarlett sits. Her dark hair is pulled away from her face. She seems nervous as I approach her. “I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon. I don’t have the pictures with me, they’re at my house.”

She smiles. “That’s okay. I’m not here for them. We uh, we need to talk. Is there somewhere we can go for a few minutes?” she asks.

“Uh, sure. We can talk in my office.” I’m a bit shaken by the worried look in her wide eyes. Maybe she needs help with something, although I’m not sure why she’d be coming to me for anything other than the pictures I took of her.

She gets up and follows me down the hall that leads to my private office. I notice Gabby staring at her as we move from view. When we reach my door, I step aside to let her in. She definitely seems nervous about something. She’s chewing her bottom lip.

I sit in my desk chair opposite where she now sits. She’s still silent and tugging on her bottom lip with her teeth. “Listen, I haven’t told anyone about that night if you’re here to ask me to stay quiet. I don’t kiss and tell. I usually don’t even kiss these days,” I say a little gruffly. And it’s true. My time with any woman has been very limited for a long time. I don’t allow myself to get twisted up anymore.

But thinking about kissing her again does things to me I’d rather not analyze.

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