Page 24 of Perfect Alpha

“Hannah Fenway, you better be coming overright nowto tell me the rest of your story that I’ve been waitingforeverto hear, or you can consider our friendship officially on pause.”

“Have you had your first coffee yet?” Hannah asks, with mirth in her voice.

“I’m pouring it right now. Get your stupid, sexy brother to watch over the household while you walk your pretty little butt across the backyard this instant.”

Hannah giggles helplessly. “My stupid, sexy brother?”

Inhaling my coffee like it’s a fine wine before taking a glorious first sip sends immediate jolts of pleasure coursing through me.

“Just get over here,” I complain.

“Okay, okay, I’m coming. I’ll see you in a minute.”

Heading onto the deck and watching the backyard gate like a hawk, I wait impatiently for Hannah to appear. She’s toying with me because I know exactly how long it takes to walk from her kitchen to mine, and it’s already been almost two minutes longer than expected.

She strolls across the yard nonchalantly, and I’m tempted to run and meet her halfway.

“Well, hello, Hannah,” I greet her when she finally sits down beside me.

“Hey, Victory,” she replies, with a smile.

“Is it Duncan’s baby?”

Shock paints Hannah’s face in comic disbelief. “Oh, God,no. I haven’t seen Duncan in the flesh since he walked away from me for the last time.”

“Thenwhogot you pregnant?”

“I’ve been dating someone pretty great,” she admits. “It’s not super serious yet. We’ve only been out a handful of times, but I really like him. I was almost ready for him to meet Aidan.” She’s staring at her shoes while she digs the toe of them into the deck.

“Is it anyone I know?”

I take another long sip of coffee to calm my nerves. In a town the size of ours, it goes without saying that I know this mystery man. Hannah needs to just spit it out.

She sighs and steeples her fingers, drumming them restlessly together while avoiding my eyes. “It’s Jimmy Devers.”

“Really?”

Jimmy was our classmate from kindergarten all the way to grade twelve. He’s the exact opposite of her usual type. She prefers men in suits, and Jimmy works on his family’s ranch. I imagine he’ll run the business when his dad retires.

Hannah shrugs a shoulder, finally looking at me. “He’s really sweet. He started coming into the bar to ask me out. Well, he finally wore me down. And after our first date, I haven’t looked back.” Her smile lights her up from the inside out and warms my heart.

“That’s amazing.” Maybe it’s a good thing she’s breaking out of her norm. Plus, I beat Jimmy up in fifthandseventh grade, so I can do it again if he hurts either Hannah or Aidan. “Does he know?”

Hannah adamantly shakes her head. “No one knows except you.”

“Not even Cade?” I ask incredulously.

“No one,” Hannah repeats.

“What are you going to do?”

“I… I don’t know. I’m on the pill and haven’t missed a single one. I don’t know how this happened. What are the chances I’d be the one percent it doesn’t work for? This is the absolute worst timing.”

Hannah’s poker face vanishes and she dissolves into tears. I immediately rise and squish onto her chair, holding her while she cries.

“I can’t stomach the idea of an abortion,” she confesses. “I believe women should have the right to make whatever decision they want. It’s just not for me. But… Oh, God, I want to start working my dream job. I want to get started withmy life. Aidan is almost in pre-school full time, and everything was about to change. Another baby means starting all over again.”

“Oh, babe. I’m so sorry.”

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