Page 106 of For the Promise

I need to be smart. Careful. Protect myself before I do something stupid.

I think of Dad at Eli’s sixteenth birthday – smiling like nothing was wrong, playing Frisbee on the beach, making jokes. And then gone. No warning. No goodbye.

That’s what love can do. Make you believe something that isn’t real.

And Blossom… she still calls this marriage fake. Says it with a laugh, like it’s all a game.

Maybe I need some space. Just enough to get my head on straight. To stop this thing from spiraling out of control.

Except – just the thought of staying away from her makes my chest ache. What if she doesn’t notice I’m gone? What if it’s easy for her?

That thought answers everything.

We’re moving too fast. And I need to slow down. Before I forget, this was never supposed to be real in the first place.

Chapter 33

“Is this adulting? If so, I want nothing to do with it.” ~ Blossom

Blossom

Ifrown down at my phone. Jaxon hasn’t returned a single one of my texts today. He’s busy – he told me he had to work some late nights after his birthday – but, surely, he can take a moment to send a thumbs-up.

Dakota elbows me. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

She lifts an eyebrow. “You’ve been staring at your phone for five minutes with a scowl on your face for nothing?”

“Exactly.” Time for a distraction. “Any news on becoming a foster parent?”

Since Dakota grew up in care, she wants to foster children who are in a similar situation as she was.

Paisley moans. “Fostering would be better than being pregnant.”

“Are you having a lot of morning sickness?” I ask.

“No, I’m having a case of my husband becoming the pregnancy police. He’s read one book on pregnancy and now he’s an expert. He tried to correct the doctor at our last appointment.”

The bell over the door dings as we enterPirates Pastries.I inhale the scent of chocolate, cinnamon, sugar, coffee, and sigh. “I love this place.”

“Me, too.” Paisley narrows her eyes on me. “But if you tell Eli I was here, I’ll fire you.”

I roll my eyes. Since she’s been pregnant, she’s threatened to fire me on a daily basis. Don’t tell so-and-so I’m here. Don’t let so-and-so in while I’m working. Has she forgotten I’ve been her biggest defender since she hired me?

“What does Eli have against the bakery?” Dakota asks.

“I’m not allowed more than one coffee per day. And I should avoid too much sugar while I’m pregnant. You can’t eliminate caffeine from a woman’s diet and then tell her to avoid sugar. It’s impossible.”

“It’ll all be worth it when your baby is here.”

Parker enters the café from the kitchen. “It’s the Raider women.”

Paisley purses her lips as she pushes her glasses up. “My name is Bardot. I won’t be changing it regardless of my marital status.”

I gasp. “Did you get married to Eli without telling anyone?”

“I wish. Eli is planning an extravagant wedding.”

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