Page 62 of Rebel Heart
“Hey, you.” Beau’s voice was so upbeat, so excited.
“Hi.” I could barely manage a touch over a whisper.
“How’s it going? How was your day?”
There was such energy coming through the line, and all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball in my bed beneath my blankets and cry.
“It was… It was long.”
“Is everything okay?”
As quickly as I could blink, Beau seemed to sense something was wrong. I had to pull myself together.
“Yeah. Yeah, everything’s alright. I just… I was out with Ivy all day today and just got home. I’m pretty exhausted.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. You weren’t sleeping when I called, were you?”
I shook my head, tears welling in my eyes. “No. No, I was going to take a quick shower first.”
There was a long pause. “Are you sure everything is alright? Your voice sounds a little strained.”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “Probably too much talking.”
“That’s fair.”
“How was the demo?” I asked, desperate for anything to take the pressure off me.
“Great. There was a large crowd. The fans were incredible.”
“That’s great, Beau. It sounds like this work tour has been going well for you.”
He laughed. “It has. But I can’t really say that it feels like work. I’m skating, and I’m with a bunch of my friends, so it sort of feels like fun all the time.”
And when he got home, I was going to ruin it all. “I can understand that. It’s the same way for me when I bake.”
I had no clue how I was managing to have any reasonable conversation with him. My body was a mess of nerves, and I wondered if the sudden waves of nausea were the result of being pregnant or the worry about how Beau would respond when he learned we’d made a baby.
“Speaking of baking,” Beau declared. “We went outfor dinner earlier tonight, and you know I had to get dessert. It was a chocolate cake, and the entire time I was eating it, all I could think about was you and your desserts. I’ve never had one of your cakes, but I don’t doubt they’d be just as delicious as everything else I’ve tried of yours.”
I should’ve been happy.
I should’ve been ecstatic about the news that Beau was out with his buddies for dinner and thinking about me.
But I couldn’t be.
Because even if his words now indicated he liked me enough to admit that, I got the feeling his actions a week from now would reveal he felt the very opposite.
“Maybe I can make you a chocolate cake one of these days for you to try.”
He groaned. “You know I’m never going to turn down a single one of your desserts.”
“You know, I don’t just make cookies, cakes, and brownies. I also make breads and croissants and other hearty baked goods.”
Another groan. “Don’t tempt me with that. I might become a permanent fixture at the table outside your bakery.”
I closed my eyes and sighed, my emotions taking over. I could only hope that would be true, but I knew it was foolish to dream.
When I didn’t respond, Beau called, “Jules?”
