Page 53 of Rejected Pretend Mate

I watched as her eyes flicked over to the living room, and I could see the sorrow cross her face.

"I don't want to raise a child in this place. It's...tainted."

I squeezed her hand. "You guys will be amazing parents."

She smiled, leaning against my shoulder, and sighed. "I hope you and Cayden sort this out."

I patted her head, nodding in agreement.

Chapter 21 - April

"Does this dress make me look fat?" Riley asked, turning around in the mirror and looking at me. I sat on her bed, crossed-legged, and scowled at her. I took in her outfit: a flowy pale blue skirt and a white blouse with ruffles on the shoulders. It looked good on her.

"You're pregnant, Riley."

She rolled her eyes and sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "Yeah, but I don't want to look fat. Do I look fat?"

I waved a hand at her. "You look pregnant."

She turned back to the mirror. A small smile pulled at her lips as she ran her hands over her stomach. She was five months pregnant now and just starting to show properly. I couldn't help but feel a little jealous. She had it all—the beautiful husband, the wonderful marriage, and now the baby.

I shook my head, trying to focus. "I thought you said you needed help with a few things. Isn't that why I drove over here in a hurry?"

She nodded. "I need help figuring out what to wear. We're having girl's night in a couple of days, and I want to look good. But I feel some of these outfits make me look chubby and not in the pregnant way."

I chewed on my lip, unsure if I wanted to go. Since the big screaming match and the blow-out that followed, I'd been avoiding everything. I didn't want to know what the girls thought of our fake relationship, and I really didn't want to know if the entire town knew. I'd been trying to stay home and avoid as much as possible, but I knew I would eventually have to get back into things.

Riley turned back to me. "No one knows."

"Knows what?" I asked as I grabbed a pillow, leaning onto it.

She crossed her arms. "Your face is an open book. No one besides everyone at the party knows about you and Weslie's relationship. And really, the girls haven't said much."

I rubbed my hands together nervously. I hadn't known the girls that long, but the idea of this ruining my friendship with them worried me.

"It wasn't fake. I mean, it was fake at first." I ran my hands over my face and sighed. "It's complicated. It was fake in the beginning, but it's not anymore."

"I'm getting that vibe."

I dropped my hands. "But it isn't. It was so simple when it was just us. There is no need to impress each other. It's just easy. It's like...I've lived with him for twenty years already, and he knows what I like and don't like."

When did everything get so complicated? When did it become so messy?

"Did you mean what you said? Back at Ayden and Wendy's house?"

I thought of what I had said. Telling her the truth and asking when we stopped trusting each other.

"Which part?"

"That you love him. That you fell in love with him. That you've loved him all these years."

I felt tears bloom as I nodded my head. "I do. I did." I wiped my eyes. "I've loved him since we were teens. And I'm sorry I never told you. I should have."

Riley frowned, looking hurt. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I shrugged, looking around the room. "Because he left. What was the point? Why admit something when it was over."

"The point was you told me everything. I told you everything. Why not tell me about him."

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