Page 89 of Rebel Heart
I could feel Beau’s head snap in my direction.
Crap.
I had been hoping nobody would remember any of this. Everything had just gone from bad to worse.
I swallowed roughly. “Yes, this is him.” I glanced up to see the questions and concern and horror in his stare. He had no idea about what had happened on my birthday,and I hadn’t given it a second thought coming here. “But Beau and I have talked and worked things out.”
My eyes moved through the group, and where there was still a lot of hesitation and caution in everyone’s face but Skye’s, Tate had his arms crossed over his chest, his brows raised, and an expectant look pointed my way.
I inhaled deeply and let out a long breath. “I have something else I’d like to share with all of you.”
“What is it, Jules?” Liam asked. My sweet brother, the one I was closest to. If anyone was going to have some understanding, it’d be him.
The words were right there on the tip of my tongue, and I wanted to keep them there forever. But I knew I couldn’t. I had to tell them the truth. So, leaning my weight into Beau, I shared, “A couple of weeks ago, I learned I was pregnant. And just a few days ago, Beau and I got married. This man is my husband.”
The response to that news was more than I could sift through. Several gasps of shock filled the air. My mom had covered her mouth with her hands as tears filled her eyes. As I had suspected they would, Cooper and Wyatt looked murderous. Tate hadn’t changed his expression at all. Liam looked like he’d been stabbed through the heart, and Ivy was… Ivy was quietly assessing the situation, her eyes narrowed solely on Beau. My dad was a mix of looking like Liam as well as Cooper and Wyatt. As for my siblings-in-law, Rhea was shocked and slightly nervous judging by the way she was watching Wyatt. Skye was certainly still happy, but she realized Cooper was a ticking time bomb. Ava was precisely how she’d been from the start. Marco appeared to be concerned, and his expression mirrored my dad’s. Of everyone, Layla was the only one who gave me a nod of approval and a smile.
She stepped forward and extended her arms. “Congratulations, Jules.”
Tears threatened to fall as the tip of my nose began to sting. “Thanks, Layla.”
My sister-in-law held on for an extended time before she loosened her hold and congratulated Beau just the same.
“Thank you,” Beau said in response as he hugged his new sister-in-law.
After she stepped back, positioning herself lovingly at Liam’s side—he couldn’t seem to look at me—my dad’s voice cut through the tension. “Is this some kind of joke?”
I shook my head. “No. I’m eleven weeks pregnant now, and the baby is due on February 2nd.”
“And you’re married?” he pressed, the disbelief in his tone undeniable.
“Yes.”
His eyes darted between us. “How long have you known each other?”
“We met at the beginning of May. Beau was at Westwood’s, and he bought some cookies from my bakery.”
“May? Jules, that’s… You’ve only known him for just over two months?”
I nodded.
Beau cut in. “For what it’s worth, sir?—”
“No,” my father clipped, holding his hand up. “No, Ican’t listen to this. There is no explanation you could give me that would ever make this okay.”
“Dad,” I said, suddenly becoming the one in disbelief. I suspected they might not take things well, but I didn’t imagine he’d be downright rude.
He looked at me, shook his head with such disappointment, and walked off.
My stomach dropped, tears spilling down my cheeks. I looked around hoping for some additional support. There was none to be found.
“Liam?”
He finally lifted his eyes to meet mine, and seeing the raw devastation in them was worse than if he’d slapped me across the face.
I couldn’t hold his stare, so I went the opposite route. “Wyatt?”
“Yeah?”
