Page 229 of Branded
He’d proved it to me time and again.
And now, the fact that I was holding tight to my fears was impacting him.
So…it was time.
I pushed off my couch, moved to my bedroom, pretending that it was still walking, when it was really waddling, and grabbed a bag, started filling it with my loose clothes—though they were definitely a whole lot less loose than they’d been when I bought them.
Luckily, my blood pressure was stable, the twins were growing, and I was mostly feeling good.
Very pregnant, but good.
The doctors were shooting for a full thirty-six weeks to give the babies as much time as possible to grow and their lungs to mature.
Eight more weeks.
Boy, was I counting the days down.
Though, I might have to buy another wardrobe if my belly kept growing at the rate it was.
More shopping.
I grinned. Oh, the humanity.
Laughing to myself, I moved into my bathroom and grabbed my toiletries then headed down the stairs and snagged my laptop and charger, tucking them into my overnight bag. But just after I’d shoved my feet into shoes and was pulling out my phone, intending to book a train ticket up to D.C. so that I could catch up with Raph in the city before their next road game, my doorbell rang.
Frowning, I moved into the entryway, peeking out the sidelight and seeing…Hazel on my porch.
“What?” I whispered and quickly, I reached for the knob, turning the lock, and tugging open the door.
Hazel moved into me, close enough that worry began coiling in my belly, her gaze flicking down to my feet, her eyes flickering and tension entering her frame. Then she leaned to the side, seeing—presumably—the overnight bag on the bench in the hall where I had left it.
“I knew you were going to do this.”
I blinked at the tone. It wasn’t soft and gentle, not at all like Hazel. “Knew I was going to…” I began.
“Cut your losses and run.”
What the?—
I was pregnant with her other best friend’s babies. I’d bought a house here. I had a job, friends, a life. I had…Raph.
“Why would I run?”
Hazel took my hand, drew me away from the door, like she was seriously worried that I was going to sprint out into the night and disappear. But her voice softened as she tugged me down onto the couch. “Beth, honey, I know we haven’t talked about that night, and I’ve been trying to give you space to cope with everything, especially since you mentioned to me that you were talking with Marin.”
Pru and Hazel both knew I was in therapy.
It wasn’t like I was going to keep it a secret—not after Hazel had been there in the hospital, certainly not with Pru’s babies in my belly.
“But I’ve watched you over the last couple of weeks…”
She had?
Of course, Hazel had.
“Honey,” I began.
“And the last time you got like this, you told Pru and me you were busy with work, and then we didn’t hear from you for six months.”
