Page 8 of Make Your Save

Standing beneath the porch light, I glance at Rowan with the baby in my arms as he turns the doorknob on the front door of his friend’s house. He’s quiet as he pushes it open, holding it for me as I step in ahead of him. The house is warm and smells faintly of vanilla and coffee. It’s comforting and welcoming and for a moment, I’m glad for the silence that encapsulates us.

Rowan looks down at me, a terse look on his face before someone steps into the foyer at the end of the hall. She’s a beautiful woman, her eyes bright, yet her face tired as she stares at us for a moment. She’s wearing a pair of lavender silk pajamas and her blonde hair is piled on top of her head in a messy bun.

“Hey,” she says softly, walking closer to the two of us. She stops in front of Rowan, pulling him in for a hug. “What’s going on? Lincoln said you needed ourhelp with something and it was urgent.” She releases him, turning to face me with a smile on her face. “Hi, I’m Nova.”

“Hadley,” I tell her quietly, forcing a smile onto my face.

Her gaze immediately drops down to the baby in my arms. “Oh,” she says softly, her eyes filled with concern as she looks up at me. “Who is this?”

“Her name is Lucy,” Rowan informs her, his voice gruff as he stays behind her, eyes bouncing from the baby and back to me. “Hadley found her abandoned at the hospital with some things insinuating I’m her father.”

“I’m guessing this is what you needed help with.” She glances at him, before looking back at me. “May I?” Nova asks, holding her hands out to take the baby.

Instinctively, I glance up at Rowan and he gives me a swift dip of his chin before I smile at her, moving the baby from my arms into hers. She holds her perfectly, tucking her against her body. “Oh my goodness. She’s so tiny and so precious.”

Footsteps lumber down the stairs and I glance up, catching sight of a man walking down toward us. His hair is a tousled mess on top of his head, his eyes landing on Nova as he tucks his hands into the front pockets of his Bauer hoodie.

“Ro,” he says with his chin lifting, glancing at me as he tilts his head to the side as he holds his hand out for me to shake it. “I’m Lincoln, Nova’s fiancé. Rowan and I play together.”

I slide my hand into his, giving him a gentle shake. “Nice to meet you. I’m Hadley.”

Lincoln narrows his eyes on me for a moment before directing his gaze to his fiancée. Nova looks up at him, the softest smile glazing over her lips. “What’s this about?”

“Apparently Rowan might be a father.” She smiles down at the little girl. “Isn’t she just so sweet?”

“She is,” he agrees, although there’s a hardness to his tone. His stare slices back to me and I hold my breath, waiting for him to bare his teeth at me. “I’m going to go ahead and cut to the chase. What is your motive here? Are you trying to trap Rowan in something?”

“Lincoln,” Nova warns him, her voice low and stern. Her eyes cut to his face as his stare hardens on me. “Stop being an abrasive asshole when you don’t even have all the details.”

The color drained from Rowan’s face a while ago, and his eyes are vacant and lost. “It’s not hers,” he says slowly, his chest rising as he inhales deeply. “Hadley’s an old friend and she used to date my brother.”

No one speaks and the silence is deafening. Something shifts in the air around us and my chest begins to constrict, that paralyzing feeling creeping over me as it feels like the walls are closing in on me. My insides quiver and I hold my breath for a moment, attempting to steady my heartbeat.

What a first fucking impression I’m having on who are clearly two of the closest people to Rowan Taylor.

“Do you guys want coffee? I sure could use one,”Nova chimes in, finally breaking through the silence as she glances around at the three of us. No one answers and she dips her chin, forcing a tense smile across her lips. “Let’s all go in the kitchen and we can talk about what is actually going on here.”

The baby begins to stir in her arms, her little fist instantly going to her mouth as she lets out a cry and begins to suck on it.

“Grab the diaper bag from Rowan,” Nova instructs Lincoln, motioning toward the bag. “I’ll change her diaper and give her a bottle, assuming there are things in there.”

“Whoever dropped her off left enough things for a few days.”

Lincoln grumbles something under his breath, taking the bag from Rowan, and he’s the first to spin on his heel as he heads into the kitchen at the end of the hall. Rowan looks at me for a moment, his lips parting almost as if he’s going to say something, but instead, he shuts them and rubs his eyes.

Nova follows behind her fiancé, shushing the baby and leaving Rowan and me to bring up the rear. He falls in step beside me, his voice reserved for only my ears.

“Sorry. I’m not throwing you to the wolves, even if Lincoln makes it seem that way.” He pauses, his eyes finding me as we reach the end of the hall. “He can be a pit bull, but I promise he’s a good guy beneath the tough exterior.”

“I know how this probably looks to them,” I tell him, shrugging my shoulders before straightening my spine. “I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.” I glancedown at the watch on my wrist as it vibrates, seeing it’s a message from Cole. “Shit, I need to call work.”

“Go ahead, I’ll wait with you.”

I give him the softest smile as I pull out my phone and dial the number for my manager. She answers on the second ring and I give her a bullshit excuse, telling her that I ended up getting sick while I was on break. It’s a blatant lie, but she seems to accept it without any questions. I resist the superstitious urge to knock on wood, because the last thing I need is for karma to bite me in the ass and actually make me sick.

I quickly type out a message to Cole, telling him the same excuse so my story adds up. He sends a message back, questioning me on what the hell is going on, but I put my phone on Do Not Disturb as I glance back at Rowan.

He’s watching me, his expression unreadable before he finally motions toward the kitchen. “Ready?”

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