Page 104 of Bae

“My channel on YouTube just hit one million subscribers.” She flashed a straight, white smile.

“Oh my God! That’s awesome! Why didn’t you tell me right away!” I leapt up and threw my arms around her.

She laughed and hugged me back. There was a time when I was more reserved with physical affection—hell, affection of any kind—but not anymore. Not with my family.

“We have to celebrate!” I insisted. “Should we have a party?”

Ivy laughed. “I think we have enough going on right now. Maybe for two million.”

I didn’t like that idea. I made a mental note to talk to Braeden so we could at least come up with something special for her. She’d worked so hard over the past year and a half. Even with having a baby, she still made time to get her career off the ground. Now here she was with a huge style channel online and a monthly column in one of the biggest magazines in the country.

“I’m so proud of you. Everything you’ve done,” I told her.

“You, too,” she insisted. “You practically built that shelter from the ground up. It’s the nicest facility in this entire state.”

“I want to do more,” I said, then realized I was downplaying what I’d achieved and told myself to knock it off. “It’s a great place. I do want to expand a little, offer a veterinarian clinic.”

“Oh, I like that idea. Are you rethinking vet school?”

“Somedays.” I admitted. “But I like where I am right now. I like being able to work with the shelter animals, in a way make my hours. I plan on doing a lot more fundraising this year as well. I can’t do all of that and hopefully have a family with Romeoandbe in school.”

Ivy set down her mug with a thump. “A family.” She picked up on that little slip right away. “Are you…?”

I shook my head quickly. “No. But I think I’m ready to be.”

This time Ivy hugged me. We both laughed because we were being total girls. “I’m so excited! Nova will have a playmate!” Then she pulled back. “Wait, are you okay with it? How are you?”

“I’m doing better. I went to the doctor yesterday.” She nodded because she’d known about the appointment.

“I thought you going after hours would have helped keep away the press.” Ivy scowled. “Did they follow you?”

“I didn’t think so.” I puzzled. Up until now, I’d been so upset over the accident and everything with Romeo last night, I hadn’t given it much thought. How did they find out? I glanced at Ivy. “They were shouting at me, saying I was undergoing IVF because I was desperate to conceive.”

She made a choked sound. “Ugh! I’m sorry.”

I shrugged. What they said really wasn’t the issue, although it did make me mad because they acted as if IVF were something bad or to be ashamed of. It isn’t. Not at all, and if I were doing that, they had no business trying to make the situation harder.

Where would they even get that idea?

Suddenly, the mental image of the receptionist sitting at the desk as I was leaving flashed into my mind.

I knew.I knew.

“It was her,” I muttered, feeling like an idiot.

“Who?” Ivy insisted.

“The receptionist at the office. I didn’t really think much about it before, but it seemed a little odd she was still there as I was leaving.”

Ivy’s blue eyes narrowed. “The dirty bitch probably called the press and got a payday.”

“Wonder how much my car accident earned her,” I said, bitter. It hurt me that I couldn’t even trust my doctor’s office. Was nothing private anymore?

“It’s definitely a headline today,” Ivy muttered.

I rolled my eyes and picked up my coffee. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

Ivy’s eyes twinkled, and she leaned forward to whisper, “Wanna talk about babies?”

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