Page 25 of The Rebound
“Can we talk about literally anything else right now?” I beg. “Tell me about kiteboarding.”
Walker’s mouth lifts into an uneasy smile. “Sure.”
• • •
“The baby is healthy as can be,” Dr. Harding says with a cheerful grin, setting her clipboard on the laminate countertop. “Everything is looking perfect. How are you feeling?”
Exhausted. Instead of being truthful, I offer her a weak smile. “Oh, I’m okay.”
The doctor tilts her head, her brow furrowed. “Are you feeling any stress?”
Stress? That’s an understatement. With the baby on the way and everything going on with Walker and Saint, there’s a circus of thoughts banging around in my head.
“No more than usual.”
“The best thing you can do for yourself and the baby is to find a way to stay relaxed. Can I give you some personal advice?”
“Sure.”
“If something is stressing you out during your pregnancy, it’s best to distance it from your life as much as you can. For some women, that means taking time off from work. For others, it means rethinking some relationships. I, for one, had to set boundaries with my mother-in-law while I was pregnant. She was hovering more than a satellite.”
I nod, soaking in her wisdom. Dr. Harding looks about two decades older than I am, with a few soft wrinkles around her eyes and gray strands in her dark hair. We’ve only seen each other a couple of times, but I already trust her implicitly.
“Was it hard to set those boundaries?” I ask, not sure who I’m thinking about setting them with. Walker? Saint? All of the above?
“Of course. But it gets easier. This is your first pregnancy, so give yourself some grace. What matters right now is you and your child. Everyone else and their opinions should come second.”
As we share a warm smile, I blink away a prickling sensation behind my eyes. “Thank you, Dr. Harding. That’s really helpful.”
She squeezes my shoulder gently. “I’m glad. Do you have a ride home?”
“Yeah, my brother’s waiting outside.”
She nods, but the solemn look in her eye makes me think she’s catching on to the fact that my family life may be what’s stressing me out so much. “That’s good. I guess I’ll see you in a couple of weeks. Take care, Kinley.”
While I’m settling the bill with the front desk, my thoughts drift back to Saint. I want nothing more than to text him right now and give him an update on my day. I know he’ll probably have some funny quip to make me laugh. But with all the drama that went down this morning, a casual text seems insensitive.
Dr. Harding said I should distance myself from the people who make my life hard, but Saint has made my life nothing but easier. More than being kind and lending a helping hand, Saint makes me laugh. Being with him makes me forget my discomfort. I don’t even care about the little inconveniences of life when he’s around. I know in my gut that he’s a good man. Walker’s judgment is just clouded by their dumb rivalry.
If I want Saint around, does that mean I have to distance myself from my brother?
“Everyone else and their opinions should come second.”
Walking out of the building and into the sun, I catch Walker’s eye from where he’s sitting in his car.
As he gives me a smile and waves out the window, I’m suddenly thrown back to a time long, long ago, when Walker taught me how to drive in our dad’s old station wagon. I was a mess behind the wheel, slamming on the brakes every few seconds and constantly forgetting my turn signals. He was a jerk about it sometimes, sure, but he stuck through it for me because that’s who Walker is—bossy, dramatic, and protective to a fault. Generosity isn’t a new character trait of his. It’s always been there, beneath the rough exterior.
“How’d it go?” he asks while I draw the seat belt over my belly.
Gosh, I’m getting big.“Everything’s golden.”
Walker reaches over and takes my hand, giving it a light squeeze, and my heart just about caves in with guilt.
I can’t believe I was toying with the idea of choosing a silly summer fling over my new and improved relationship with my big brother. Yes, Saint is a great guy, and yes, the orgasms were outstanding, but I can’t continue to be selfish. Not when family is on the line. Not with the little guy on the way.
No more playing around. It’s time to focus on becoming the best mother I can be.
8
