Page 38 of A Me and Him Thing
A boy. My heart can’t help but squeeze just a little. He’ll probably be a blond-haired, blue-eyed mini hunk like his father. “A boy? How exciting. Congratulations, Quinn.” I sound overly effusive, though I feel anything but. “Just one?”
“Just one this time.”
Sawyer is probably over the moon. He adores his twin daughters, but don’t most men want a son? Someone to carry on their name? Someone to teach manly things to? Isn’t it a sign of being robust and strapping to have fathered a son?
I don’t know. Sawyer’s not the chauvinistic type. He’s one of the good guys. Polite to a fault, as evidenced by the way he tried so hard to let me down easy when I knew he just wanted to bewith Quinn. I was the bad guy. No, I was the villain. It doesn’t sit well with me.
“I’m so happy for you. I really am. You deserve happiness.” I mean it too. I’m changing. I can dole out compliments, and they’re sincere.
“Thank you. I look forward to meeting Ren,” she adds. “He sounds wonderful.”
Ren. I can picture him in my mind so perfectly. His image is embedded in my memory. His dark hair, his dark brown eyes. His quick wit. His obsession with safety. His voice that makes me feel warm all over, like I just drank a cup of hot apple cider. He’s the total opposite of Sawyer, who happens to be the vision of the all-American surfer stereotype.
Ren is different. Dark and intense, yet he has a sense of humor. Somehow the combination is perfect for me.
“I look forward to seeing you, Quinn. How far along are you now?”
“I’m five months.” I hear the hesitation in her voice.
My mind does a few quick calculations. Hold up. Five months? Quinn has only been home for five months.
Oh.
This is a “throes of passion” baby. This is a “we’re finally reunited, and we can’t think about anything else but each other” baby. This is a “we’re being careless, and we don’t notice” baby. This is an “I finally got rid of Bree” baby.
I bet Sawyer was angry with himself over that one. Quinn was still recovering from her ordeal at that time, and she was so fragile.
I don’t want to think about it. Honestly, my feelings for Ren are so intense right now, I’m not sure Sawyer has any power over me any longer.
Still, it will always be painful. That’s just the way it is.
“That’s wonderful, Quinn. I’m over the moon for you.” My voice is a tad high, like I’m lying, and my voice inadvertently reveals it with a change of tone. My compliments might be sincere, but they don’t roll off my tongue easily.
But I mean it. I really do.
“Thanks, Bree. See you Saturday.”
The line goes dead. And I mumble into the air, “No. Thank you, Quinn. Thank you for looking past my horrible behavior and forgiving me. Thank you for being part of my tribe, for standing around me and telling me I’m good.”
I love Quinn. But I no longer want everything she has.
I want my own life.
Chapter Eleven
“THANKS FOR COMINGwith me, Ren.”
Quinn’s baby shower is an early morning brunch event, thank goodness. Otherwise, Ren wouldn’t have been able to come. He has to be back in time to be at his restaurant.
He glances at me, then returns his gaze to the road ahead, concentrating on his driving. “I’m happy to be your plus one. How’re you holding up?”
“Nervous. But with you by my side, I feel like everything will be fine, like I can face this with no problem.”
“Tell me what to expect.”
“Sawyer and Quinn are the perfect couple. Be prepared for PDA, sugary-sweet sentiments between them, and so much cuteness it will hurt your eyes.”
“Yikes. They’re already hurting.”
