Page 62 of Santa's Pucking Hat Trick

“I’m alright,” I said, forcing a smile and placing a hand absentmindedly on my stomach. I’d been queasy off and on, but mercifully, there was no nausea right now. “Just…taking it all in.”

“You look stunning, you know that?” she said, her eyes flicking to my stomach. “No one can tell a thing, but youareglowing.”

I let out a nervous laugh, grateful for her reassurance, even though the anxiety gnawed at me. “Thanks. Let’s just hope noone says anything about the glow before I’m ready to talk about it. I think I’d have a panic attack, honestly.”

As if summoned by my slowly spiraling thoughts, I spotted Sawyer, Roman, and Wes approaching from across the room, each of them impossibly handsome in their suits. Sawyer’s was a green velvet that matched the color of my dress unintentionally and looked incredible with the red of his hair; Wes wore classic black that fit him like a glove; Roman stood out in a festive burgundy, the silky black shirt he wore underneath dipping low enough to reveal some of his gorgeous ink. My heart raced, then settled a little as each of their eyes lit up when they saw me. I heard Bria mutter something about getting us drinks as she slunk off, leaving me to greet the guys on my own.

God, I was so lucky, so clearly cherished by the three men I didn’t choose to fall for. But now, my secret could fuck this all up.

“There she is,” Sawyer said with a slow grin, moving in to press a kiss to my cheek. His eyes roamed over me with appreciation as he pulled back, as if seeing me for the first time all over again.

“You look incredible, baby,” Roman added, his gaze lingering on mine with an intensity that made my heart race even faster.

Wes, the quietest of the three, stepped forward and kissed my other cheek gently, whispering a simple—“Gorgeous”—in my ear as he did. His blue eyes were a little concerned as he pulled back, though, and he was the first to ask, “You okay?”

I swallowed, trying to brush off the tension knotting in my stomach, hoping all this stress wouldn’t get to the baby. “Yeah! Yeah. I’m, uh, great.”

Roman raised a dark brow. “We haven’t heard from you. Like you’re avoiding us.”

“Sorry,” I winced. “Um, just a lot going on with the gala. You know how these things are.” What a lame excuse. I knew they’d see right through it.

“Hmm,” Wes murmured, not entirely convinced, but before he could push further, Bria reappeared, holding two champagne flutes. “One for you, one for me,” she smiled. “Cheers to surviving another year of holiday madness.”

She started to hand me a glass, but then paused, her eyes flicking between the two. “Wait, which one…?” She frowned, taking a sip from one before handing me the other. “There we go. Cider for you.”

I froze, the glass halfway to my lips. My heart dropped as I realized what had just happened. Wes, Sawyer, and Roman all exchanged looks, their expressions shifting from casual to confused, then to something darker as the pieces clicked into place.

“Something wrong?” Sawyer asked, his voice low and careful.

Roman’s eyes narrowed, suspicion flashing across his face. “You’re not drinking?”

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck.The panic rose in my throat like a wave crashing over me, drowning me even in the shallows. I glanced at Bria, who had already drifted away, blissfully unaware of the storm she’d just triggered.

“Rachel,” Wes said softly, his gaze piercing through me. I could sense his panic, or maybe it was just my own—I was panicking for two, after all. “What’s going on?”

“I…” Jesus, this was stressful. Maybe if I’d been able to play it off right away, if they hadn’t already seen the fear of God on my face, this wouldn’t have to be the time. But they each looked like they already knew on some level, and I couldn’t avoid it any longer. I felt my eyes fill with tears, my chest tightening as I looked at each of them in turn. “I’m sorry. I…I’ve been avoiding you all because I have a secret.”

“A secret,” Wes repeated, blinking. I nodded, then looked at Sawyer, whose face was hard as stone.

“I’m … I’m pregnant.”

The word hung in the air like a bomb, detonating the fragile balance between us. Roman’s face twisted with disbelief, Wes’s eyes widened in shock, and Sawyer’s face remained blank. I took a step back, feeling my heart race like I was running. Part of me wished that I was.

They were soquiet.Playing against type, I felt myself scrambling to fill the silence. “I—I didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t want to scare you off, and I didn’t even know how you’d feel about it. About…about me. Us.”

Sawyer clenched his jaw, his eyes burning into mine. “Jesus Christ, Rachel.”

“I know,” I whispered. “This…this wasn’t the plan.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Roman repeated, half laughing without an ounce of humor. His green gaze locked onto mine, and he took a step forward, a hand outstretched. He let it drop before he reached for me, though. It was devastating. I wanted him to touch me, to pull me into his arms and tell me everything would be okay. But instead, he asked “What…are yousure?”

I wiped at my eyes, hating the tears that streamed down my face. “Yeah, Roman. I’m sure.” My hand fell to my lightly rounded abdomen, and I felt three pairs of eyes snap onto it too. Sawyer’s eyes grew wide, but he was still speechless. Wes spoke up next.

“How long have you known?”

“A little while,” I told him. All of their faces, as different as they each were, seemed to ask the question I didn’t want to answer, the unspokenwhy didn’t you say something before? Why didn’t you trust us enough to tell us?

Maybe evenwhy did you decide to keep it?

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