“Well, yeah. We could talk about why you ghosted me after we hooked up last month, or we could address what I hear is the repercussion of that hookup. Where do you want to start?” I gently placed my hand on her knee, letting her know I was here but holding myself back. What I really wanted to do was pull her over to me, place her on my lap, wrap my arms around her waist, and bury my face in her hair. But there was too much shit going down. We needed to clear the air, and I needed to know what the fuck was going on.Take it slow, I cautioned myself.
Maggie looked at me and about broke my heart. Her eyes were filled with such misery I didn’t know if I could handle it. Was she so sad because she was pregnant? Or was it that we’d crossed that barrier between friends and more? Maybe she hadn’t been where I’d thought she was, hadn’t wanted to explore more between us, though it hadsureas hell seemed like it. Shit.
“Well”—she took a fortifying breath—“let’s start with last month and my lack of communication...”
“That’s one way to put it.” I smirked, attempting to lighten the mood.
Maggie smiled, seemingly relieved at the slight joke. “That’s my fuckup, and I’m sorry.”
“What happened? Did I push you?” I asked, nerves filling my stomach.
Maggie’s eyes seemed to roam all over her living room, looking anywhere but at me. I leaned forward and lightly nabbed her chin, pulling her to me. “Mags, I’m not mad. I’m confused, worried, a bit freaked out, but not mad. Please talk to me.”
“Shit, Cole. How can you be so nice right now? I feel like a flighty bitch.” Tears again began to run rivets down her face. “Of course you didn’t push me. You were wonderful.”
I brushed them off her cheeks and leaned forward, kissing each cheek in turn. “Okay, one, good. Two, regarding being a bitch, how about you let me make that call? Because I think you’re just fine. Tell me what happened.”
Maggie leaned back, but snagged my hand and squeezed it. That seemed to give her comfort, so I left my hand there on her knee, and she began. I listened as she talked about how the broken condom freaked her out, bringing her back to the present, making her question everything we’d just done, how I really felt about her, and how that might impact her plan to leave Highland in a few years.
I listened to Maggie try to explain her actions and thought about the girl I knew. She’d had casual boyfriends over the years, but no one who lasted more than a few weeks. Her last one had lasted all of a month or more before moving out West. She hadn’t even seemed to consider keeping that relationship going but just let him leave without any show of sadness or wishing things could be different. Before, I’d wondered about that. Now I had a feeling that was by design. Don’t let anyone get too close, don’t let anyone break your heart.
Maggie and I’d been close for years, but only because it was a friendship. In shifting that relationship, she was worried that she’d lose one part of the small little circle she considered her family. Well, this I could deal with. One thing was for certain. Slow was going to be the name of the game. Maggie needed to know she could rely on me no matter what we were to each other. Especially now.
As Maggie trailed off, I gave her a slow smile before saying, “So, did you have Harp or Emma in your business like I did for the past four weeks? They both seemed awfully curious as to what was going on between us.”
Maggie laughed, looking far more relaxed. “Hell, yes. Your sister is unrelenting!”
The tiny duplex seemed to breathe easier for both of us. I debated but then went for it, pulling Maggie over to my lap while keeping it as friendly and unromantic as possible. I squeezed my arms around her, thinking she might need support for this next conversation. Hell, I knew I did. “Babe, you want to tell me the rest?”
Maggie closed her eyes, took a deciding breath, and opened back up to look at me. I wanted to cheer at the sight, thinkingthat’s my girl!I could see her grit and determination returning.
“Sully, I’m pregnant. And I hope it goes without saying, it’s yours.”
My heart broke a bit because as much as I could see her strength returning, I could also tell she was bracing for bad news. I wanted to saywhat the fuck? You know the kind of man I am. But I’d never been in her shoes. Who knew how this might fuck with your head? Instead, I looked at her, brushed her crazy gorgeous hair away from her face, and said, “Okay, where do we go from here?”
“How did you know?” she whispered.
“I was on the phone with Harp who had a front-row seat when Emma found the test. He told me what he was seeing, not having the first clue how that might tie to me.”
“Oh, I didn’t think about that.” She took a deep breath. “I’m glad he told you, but I swear I was going to. And I didn’t tell Emma it was yours.”
“Why not?” I asked, confused. Unless she didn’t want to keep the baby, didn’t want anyone to know. I began to sweat.
She looked at me, confusion in her eyes. “You deserved to know first—although Bridget does, but that couldn’t be helped.”
Relief flooded me, along with some confusion. “Bridget? Wait. That’s your principal, right?” She nodded. “Maybe we need to back up. When did you find out? Have you been to the doctor? What do I need to do to support you both? How are you feeling?” The questions that filled my mind threatened to spill out all at once.
Maggie watched me with something like astonishment on her face. She sat quietly for a moment, not answering me. I squeezed her waist, trying to reassure her anyway I could.
“Cole,” she whispered.
“Cole?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
She gave me a small smile. “Somehow this feels like a Cole, not Sully, kind of conversation.”
I laughed. “We’ve been down this road before.”
She smiled as she shook her head. “I truly am sorry about all this. I’m on the pill, but I’d had the stomach flu the week before and apparently should have been more prepared—”
