Page 27 of Shotgun Spouse

"Frank, you've been in the office with the two of us for the past two years."

"Yeah, and I can't believe I missed it."

"Oh, you have your father's nose too," said his mother.

"Ma, that baby looks nothing like me."

"You hush your tongue, Theodore. I didn't raise you not to take care of your responsibilities."

Teddy looked to Bunny for help, but she was too busy tugging at the T-shirt. He went to her, placing a hand on her low back to comfort her. But she jerked away from him.

Mrs. Hargrove gasped dramatically, clutching her chest. “When Josie Steward said she'd seen the mayor with his baby at the grocery store last night, I didn't believe iy. Had to come see for myself. I thought you were different, Mayor Carter. And you, Ms. Chou…"

Mrs. Hargrove just shook her head without finishing the sentence.

"A scandal like this will tank your reelection chances." Grant smirked, the wheels in his head turning so loudly that Teddy could hear them.

"Not if we give the town a wedding to gossip about instead."

Teddy wasn't sure if it was his mother or his campaign manager that said that. All of their voices sounded the same right now. Because each and every one of them were out of their minds.

Teddy rubbed the back of his neck, trying to process the chaos swirling around him. His mother had the baby cooing softly as she rocked her in her arms. Frank rattled off statistics about how marriage improved reelection odds. Preston was typing furiously on his phone, no doubt crafting some spin for this latest “scandal,” and Grant had the audacity to smirk, like he was already rehearsing a victory speech for his own campaign.

This was ridiculous. Insane. Completely?—

His gaze flicked to Bunny. She was slowly backing away toward his bedroom door. Ready to make a run for it. Not that she could get anywhere. Teddy had the woman exactly where he wanted her. In his home, under his care, looking to him to take care of her needs.

What if they did this? What if they gave the baby a home, gave the town something to talk about—and gave themselves a chance?

It wasn’t like he hadn’t already made up his mind about Bunny. He wanted her, all of her, in every way. If this was the road that got them there… maybe it wasn’t so crazy after all.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Bunny shut the door behind her and leaned against it. Her body felt like she'd just run all the way here even though she had slunk away on quiet feet. She pressed her palms flat against the cool wood as she tried to steady her breathing.

She pressed a hand to her chest, willing her heart to slow. But it wouldn’t. Because as much as she wanted to tell herself that she was horrified, furious, even insulted by the suggestion… part of her wasn’t. Part of her was tempted. And that was the part that scared her the most.

A creak from the hallway snapped her attention back to the present. Her hand fell to the doorknob instinctively, ready to twist the lock, but she didn’t move fast enough. The door opened, and there he was.

Teddy stepped inside, his broad shoulders filling the doorway, his dark eyes locking on hers immediately. He didn’t look like the grinning, easygoing mayor who could charm an entire room. He looked serious. Intent. And dangerously close to saying something that would unravel her completely.

“Teddy, this is insane. They’re insane.” Bunny strode away from him. She grabbed her pants from the chair and stabbed a foot into them.

“I think it makes sense.”

Bunny froze mid-hop as she tried to slide into her pants, nearly toppling over. She caught herself on the edge of the bed, then whipped her head toward him. Teddy was facing away from her, pointedly looking out the window and not at her bare legs as she got dressed.

“I’m saying if we got married, it could save both our careers. Right now, everyone thinks the baby is ours. It’s causing a scandal. No one’s going to trust either of us to run this town.”

Bunny's fingers fumbled with the waistband of her pants. “The baby isn’t ours, Teddy. We’ve done nothing wrong.”

“People don’t care about the truth, Bunny. They care about what they believe. And right now, they believe we’re two irresponsible people who?—”

“I always fact-check.” She cut him off, now fully dressed and stalking toward him. “Always.”

Teddy turned then, meeting her fiery gaze with a small, almost rueful smile. His hand came up, cupping her cheek with a tenderness that caught her completely off guard. His palm was warm against her skin, steadying her even as her insides churned.

“You’re one of a kind.” His voice was low and rough around the edges, like he was confessing something he’d held in for far too long.

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