When I spot Jackson’s car, I take a deep breath and prepare myself for the onslaught of questions. It’s my fault I’m in this predicament, and in hindsight, keeping this from my family may not have been the wisest idea I’ve had. Oh well, it’s happening whether I’m ready or not.
Jackson gets out as I approach the car idling at the curb. His smile is tentative when he sees me—he’s happy I’m here but not under these conditions. While he doesn’t know the full extent of why I flew hundreds of miles to be here, he was aware of my complicated relationship with Eli and my feelings for him, whether I admitted it or not. But he’s about to find out how much more complex it is. As I close in, he holds his arms out for a hug but steps back in shock when I reach him.
“What the hell, Cici?”
I balance the orchid I brought with me on my bag, and I hold my arms out wide. “Surprise!” I say with a nervous smile.
“Surprise? Are you shitting me right now? You’re way fucking pregnant. How far are you?”
“Six months?” I squeak out reluctantly and cringe preemptively at the reaction I’m expecting.
His eyes close as he runs his hand through his hair, and then they open with an understanding accompanied by pity. “Shit.” His head drops and shakes side to side a couple times before lifting. “Eli?”
All I can do is nod as the tears pool and gently flow over.
“Fuck. Come here.” He wraps me in his arms and holds me while I sob.
“I’m sorry.”Hiccup.“I didn’t—”Hiccup.“—find out—”Hiccup. “—right away.”Hiccup.
He continues to rub my back and sighs loudly. “Yeah, well,I’m assuming you knew before now. Why didn’t you say anything? Dammit, Cici.”
The comfort from his hand rubbing my back is calming, but I stay snuggled up, not ready to face him yet. “I wasn’t sure what to say.Surprise! I got knocked up by accident, and I’m having a baby?”
“That motherfucker’s letting you do this alone? I’m gonna kill him if he didn’t already do it himself.”
At that, I pull back in shock. “Jackson, don’t say that.” New tears start falling. “He can’t die. He doesn’t know.” I shake my head. “He has no idea he’s going to be a dad, and it’s all my fault he’s in the hospital. If I’d told him sooner, he wouldn’t have been racing and fighting for his life right now.”
He crushes me back into him. “Shhh. It’s nobody’s fault, Cici. Accidents happen, and he may still have been racing even if he knew. You can’t blame yourself.”
Taking a deep breath, I step back. “Let’s go. I need to see him. We can talk more on the way.”
He nods and loads my bag into the trunk, asking, “What’s with the orchid? Isn’t that the same one you took to Bozeman with you?”
“Yeah. I don’t know. It’s special. And I thought it would be good to put in Eli’s room.”
He shrugs. “Hm. Okay. Well, let’s get going, then.”
Right before he pulls away from the curb, I place my hand over his on the gear shift and look him in the eyes. “Jackson, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
He chuckles. “I love you, Cici, but you’re not getting off the hook that easy. Nice try, though. Let’s get you to the hospital.”
On the way there, he peppers me with questions on how the pregnancy has gone and why I didn’t tell Eli. He updates me on his life with Mia, then fills me in on Eli’s engagement party. The most surprising part is how Eli has been acting since telling them about Rebecca. Both Braden and my brother agree that he doesn’t seemto portray the besotted fiancé he should, and instead, has been more moody than usual.
That lines up with what I detected in the photos that night with Poppy but still makes no sense. Why would he be unhappy unless there’s more to the story than meets the eye? Am I right about Rebecca holding something over his head?
Jackson takes a call from Mia, which gives me time to think, and the more I do, the more certain I am that something doesn’t add up. Between what Lily has told me, the pictures, and now this, I’m not leaving until I figure out what the deal is.
My stomach dips as we walk into the hospital entrance. I’m relieved to see Lily waiting right inside the doors. According to her response moments ago when I texted that we were pulling in, his condition hasn’t changed.
“Wow, look at you,” she says, holding her arms out for a hug as she stares down at my belly.
I chuckle at first but burst into tears again when we embrace—fricking story of my life for the past six months.
She rubs my back. “Oh, sweetie. It’ll be okay. Everything will work out. Don’t you always say everything happens for a reason?” She pushes my shoulders away and holds on to me with a stern expression. “You need to believe that now more than ever.”
“I’m trying, but it’s hard. All I can think is that it’s my fault he’s here for not telling him.” My hands fly up in frustration.
“No. Stop it. You can’t live by what-ifs.”
