“That’s not an option,” I say, my voice a little gruff.
Her eyes shoot to mine, and whoa, she’s got a glare I didn’t think she had in her.
“Well then, what do you want to do? I have to see a doctor. I have to start taking vitamins. I put it off until I told you, and now that you know—I want to confirm that everything is okay. After I confirm that I am indeed pregnant, I’m going to go to my parents’ house for a family dinner and tell them all that you knocked me up.”
“What?” I didn’t even think about her telling her family. I guess because I don’t have a family to tell, I never even thought about hers.
“I have to tell my parents. My mom already knows, and my sister too.”
“So, two of your family members already know.” Beau massages the bridge of his nose.
“Look who can do math.” Romy points at him then smirks at me.
DeSoto laughs but coughs to cover it up when Beau glares at him over his shoulder. I bite my lip to stop from smiling. Now I really want to take her to bed.
“They aren’t going to tell anybody I’m pregnant with Zander Shaw’s baby.” Her gaze drifts to mine. “I didn’t mean anything by that. I shouldn’t reference you like a celebrity with your first and last name, but it’s kind of a habit. I should’ve just said Zander, I’m sorry.”
I’m floored because I’ve never told her how I hate that people use my first and last name when they refer to me. She obviously got the gist of it just by being around me.
“Then I’ll tell the rest of my family,” she says nonchalantly.
DeSoto’s eyebrows raise.
“What?” Beau shakes his head as if he heard her wrong. “Who?”
Romy narrows her eyes at him. “They all need to know. I’m not going to keep a secret from them.”
“You can’t.” Beau must be desperate because he has his hands up in prayer pose now, trying to get her to understand how easily this type of news can spread. “We can’t let—wait, how many people are in this family?” He turns to DeSoto. “How many people live on this ranch?”
“Why are you asking him?” Romy nods at DeSoto. “It’s my family.”
Beau blows out a breath and puts his hands on his hips, facing her again. “Fine, how many people are we talking about?”
She stares at the ceiling, and her lips move a little, as if she’s counting in her head. “Twenty-four.”
“Twenty-four?” Beau’s mouth hangs open for a beat. “Twenty-four people cannot know that you are pregnant with his baby. That’s a hard no, Romy. Not gonna happen.” His gaze strays to me again, and I shrug, which makes his lips thin further.
“Well, it’s gonna have to happen,” Romy argues. “It’s going to get around anyway. Believe me, my family does not keep secrets from each other. We’re all very close. And I will not let them find out from someone else.”
Beau’s head rocks back. “I see how close you guys are. But the more people who know, the greater the chance of this getting out before we’re ready for it to. If that happens, we can’t spin the narrative.” Romy opens her mouth to say something, but he soldiers on. “We need to keep this under wraps, Romy. It’s for your protection as well the baby’s. You cannot be laying this out to everybody on the ranch.”
She juts out her hip, and I already know this won’t go over well. “I’m telling my family. Everybody will keep it a secret. You don’t have to worry.”
“Did you hear that? I don’t have to worry.” Beau throws his hands up and rolls his eyes. “That’s what everybody says. I’m not saying anyone in your family is going to sell the information to the press, but with big news like this, sometimes people inadvertently let things slip. And if they do it with the wrong person…” He shakes his head, hands on his hips. “You always think someone will keep your secret until the first sleazebag comes around with a million-dollar check and says, ‘Get me a picture of the baby, and you’re a millionaire.’ Then everybody’s ethics and values go down the drain.”
“They’re not going to tell anybody. If anything, they’ll protect us.” She begs me with her eyes.
I want to say, “Okay, I got you, baby. Yeah, we can trust your family.” But the problem is, Beau is right.
She loves her family, and I’m sure they’re great, but people can turn on you. Maybe she hasn’t learned that harsh lesson yet, and I don’t want her to ever have to learn that lesson, but it will happen sooner or later. Especially now that she’s attached to me. Still, I understand, and I don’t want to stress her out during her pregnancy.
“Okay, how about this?” I interrupt. “We tell the immediate family. Your mom already knows. She shouldn’t be keeping it from your dad.”
“Yes, couples don’t keep secrets,” she adds, spearing Beau with a look.
“Couples keep secrets all the time,” Beau argues. “Why do you think the divorce rate is so high?”
“Romy’s parents might not keep secrets.” I give him a meaningful look.
