Page 47 of Fumbling for Perfection

“Yeah. Wouldn’t want the groom to hook up with a random woman and have a one-night stand the night before his wedding, would we?” Walker tosses back the rest of his whiskey. “Although, since I’m single, there’s nothing stopping me. It’s not like I have a secret fiancée tucked away at home or anything.”

My chest shudders as I hold back my tears. He’s not a cruel man, but he’s being intentionally cruel to me, and I deserve it.

“Good night,” I say to Jackson and Taylor before turning and bolting out of the restaurant.

“Easy, girlfriend.” Kendall pinches my arm as I punch the up arrow on the elevator. “If your quirky behavior all day isn’t enough to have Walker questioning your relationship with his brother, you running away from your fiancé the night before your wedding without a goodnight smooch will surely do it.”

“Oh, shit.” I cover my face with my hands, and when the elevator doors ding, Kendall pushes me in. Not too gently.

Rowan and Kendall guide me to our room and help me change into my leggings and the sweatshirt I borrowed and never returned to Walker. I hide my hands in the sleeves that are way too long and wrap my arms around my middle.

Yeah, I’m that pathetic that I’m wearing my ex-lover’s sweatshirt the night before my wedding. And tucked away in my belly is his baby. I sit on the uncomfortable sofa, unable to stop my tears.

I have no idea how long I sit there, moping in my sadness, tuning my best friends out as they attempt to comfort me. Eventually, Jackson and Taylor join us. I stare past them, hoping and fearing Walker is with them.

“Honey.” Jackson takes a seat next to me and pulls me into his side. “I’m not that much of an ogre, am I? I mean, I’m not expecting you to fangirl all over me, but it’s bursting my man pride a little that you’re so worked up over our impending nuptials.”

Kendall clears her throat. “Riley has some news to share with you.”

I scowl at Kendall, who shrugs and picks up her purse. “Row, Taylor, and I are gonna shut down the bar downstairs. You two lovebirds need to have a serious heart-to-heart before the I Do’s tomorrow.”

Before I can beg them to stay, they’re gone.

Jackson gives me zero tenderness as he pokes my shoulder. “I thought we were done with the secrets. Tell me what’s going on, Riley. You were off yesterday, and today you’ve been...I don’t even know. Is it my brother? Did he say something to you on the patio when I was with my father? Whatever he said, I can fix it. You don’t have to spend any time with my family if you don’t want to.”

That’s the problem. Iwantto. Not with his parents, but with his brother. I close my eyes and tears squeeze out.

“Honey.” He takes my hands in his and pulls me into his arms. “You’re freaking me out. I thought we worked through this last week. Are you still hung up on your well-hung stallion?”

“Oh, God,” I moan into Jackson’s chest.

“You talking about the guy you’ve been banging or the man upstairs?”

Keeping this from Jackson is only going to make it harder to tell him later on. I sniff back my tears and keep my face averted from his, mumbling into his chest.

“I’m pregnant.”

“Holy shiz balls.” Jackson grabs my shoulders and sits me up, forcing me to look at him. “As in a-baby-in-your-belly pregnant?”

“Is there another kind?”

“I’m going to be an uncle?”

I snort and choke out a cry at the same time. “Yeah.”

“You know I’ll be the best daddy uncle there is. Does your stallion know?”

I swallow the pain of the lies I’ve been telling Walker and shake my head.

“Are you going to tell him or wait until our five years are up?”

My chest shakes again and the uncontrollable tears fall down my face. “I don’t know what to do.” Hiding the truth from Walker will mean keeping Jackson from his brother.

“Hell, honey. You’re a wreck. Tell me what it is about this guy that has you so hung up. I’ve never seen you wrecked like this over a guy before.”

I have to tell him. Everything. I close my eyes and take two calming breaths. “It’s...Walker.”

“My brother? What did he do? I haven’t seen him utter a word to you other than those few minutes I left you on the patio.”

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