Page 9 of Make Your Save

I swallow roughly over the lump lodged in my throat, half feeling like I’m moving through a dream as I jerk my chin at him. He moves before me, stepping through the threshold, undoubtedly leading me directly into the wolves’ den. Lincoln is busying himself by the counter, setting out four coffee mugs before picking up the carafe to fill them with steaming liquid.

Nova sits down at the island, holding the baby still as she motions for the two of us to sit across from her. “Let’s start from the beginning so we can clear up any confusion.”

“Okay,” Rowan starts, looking at me as if he doesn’t know where to start exactly. Lincoln joins the three ofus, setting mugs down in front of Rowan and me, and then Nova as he presses his lips to the top of her head. Rowan lets out a breath and I know he needs me to step in.

“At the hospital, we have an area set up in the foyer that is our safe haven area. It’s for mothers to safely leave their babies if they realize they cannot or do not want to raise them.” I watch Nova’s eyebrows pull together, sadness washing over her expression. “I know, it’s sad, but it’s the safest option for a baby that’s abandoned.” I save her the heartbreaking alternatives I’ve heard of when it comes to babies being abandoned.

“When I was leaving for my break, I found her in the bassinet, but I don’t think the alarm ever went off to alert staff members.” I pause for a moment, realizing how fucked up this is about to sound when I admit that I walked out with her, but I have to give them the truth. I have to be straightforward with my potential mistake. “I found her birth certificate, a photo of Rowan with a note about him being the father, and then there was an envelope addressed to him.” I let out a deep breath, my shoulders sagging with it. “I walked out with her and called Rowan.”

Nova swallows, adjusting the bottle in the baby’s mouth. “You walked out of the hospital with a baby that may or may not be Rowan’s,” he says, his voice flat and tense. “That might be the most irresponsible fucking thing I’ve ever heard.”

Nova stares at me. “What would the alternative have been?”

“She would have immediately been thrown into thesystem and then a foster home and hopefully adoption. If Rowan would have found out about her after that, he would’ve had to go to court to get custody of her. Not only would he have to prove that she’s his, he would have to prove he didn’t abandon the mother while she was pregnant.”

“Well then, I can see why you did what you did,” Nova tells me softly, her eyes warm as they search mine. “You weighed your options and made the decision you thought was best.”

“It didn’t feel right to not tell him.”

Lincoln doesn’t appear to be on the same page as Nova. “You made a life-changing decision for him without him even knowing. You should have taken her into the hospital and let it be sorted the way it should be.”

Rowan interjects, his eyes hard as he stares at his friend. “No, she did the right thing. If she would have taken her inside, I may have never known about the baby.”

“Please tell me you’re at least going to get a paternity test,” Lincoln grinds out, his nostrils flaring.

“I’m not a fucking idiot,” Rowan snaps at him before running a frustrated hand through his hair. He turns to me now. “But speaking of that, what are my options for a test?”

“My friend’s boyfriend works at the local lab,” I explain, already having this semi planned out in my head. Cole’s boyfriend may be able to help us, but that means I’m going to have to let them know what’s going on. “I wanted to check with you first before asking him,but I can see if he can help. Usually results take a few days.”

“Is your friend trustworthy?”

I stare at Rowan for a moment, mulling over the thought inside my brain. Considering how precarious this situation is, I need to really think things through before I tell Cole what is going on. If I’m careful enough, I can give him a different version of the story and he’ll never have to know the truth.

“Yes,” I tell him, attempting to sound convincing. There’s no one I trust fully, but this is the most viable option we have at this moment. “I’ll do whatever I have to do or say to get this to happen.”

Rowan’s nostrils flare, his dark blue eyes burning holes through mine. “I don’t want you to get in trouble for any of this, Hadley.” His expression softens as he continues to stare at me. “You didn’t do anything wrong, okay?”

“Tell that to the police,” Lincoln mumbles under his breath, the words piercing my heart. I’m so conflicted and so torn. Did I fuck everything up or was what I did truly the best option?

“Fuck off, Matthews,” Rowan barks at him, shaking his head. “You’re supposed to be helping me, not making this fucking worse.”

“Both of you, shut up,” Nova snaps at them, her head whipping back and forth between her fiancé and Rowan. “Hadley did what she thought was the right thing. This is where we are now and there is nothing we can do to change the chain of events.” Her tongue darts out to wet her lips as she focuses on Rowan. “The realquestion is, what are you going to do if the baby isn’t yours?”

Rowan’s face goes even paler than it was before. He lets out a shallow breath and I don’t miss the way his body falls rigid. “I didn’t think that far.” The pulse in his throat is visible, pounding faster.

“Every hospital has a safe haven,” I interject, attempting to save Rowan from the way he’s beginning to spiral inside his head. “I will take her to another one if that’s what it comes down to.” I already know in my heart that I could never do that, but I don’t know how the hell I could legally keep her myself.

Nova looks between the two of us and I’m not sure she’s fully convinced. “Okay. Just as long as we have a plan for each possible outcome.” She glances at Lincoln, lifting her brow at him. “We’re going to help them with whatever they need and stop being so judgy, right?”

Lincoln’s expression softens as he stares back at her. “Yes.” He looks at Rowan, his face serious. “Whatever you need, I’m here for you.” He directs his gaze to me and I’m momentarily shocked. “I’m sorry, Hadley. It wasn’t fair for me to pass judgement on you and the situation before having all the details.”

A man who apologizes? Nova really hit the jackpot.

“I appreciate your apology,” I tell him, feeling a bit awkward with the attention solely on me. “I know it didn’t look good with the way we showed up. I promise I am not trying to trap Rowan in anything. If he wants this entire thing to go away, I will accept full responsibility for the baby and my actions.”

Lincoln stares at me for a moment before he seemsto be pleased with the things I’ve told him. The corners of his mouth turn upward, just the slightest, although they’re too tense to resemble a smile. He inclines his head forward and lets out a sigh. “So, what’s the plan next?” He glances at the time on the stove. “It’s almost two in the morning and we have a morning skate and a game tomorrow.”

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” Rowan tells him, shaking his head as his shoulders sag. “I didn’t even think about tomorrow. I literally panicked and you guys were the first ones I thought to call. I know Nash and Riley have an infant they’re dealing with, so I didn’t want to bother them.”

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