Caroline breaks into my thoughts. “Are you okay?”
I glance at her and offer her a smile I know doesn’t reach my eyes. “Yes. Why?”
Caroline raises her eyebrows as she takes a bite of her beef jerky. “You haven’t said a word since we’ve been on the road. We left almost two hours ago.”
I flick my thumbnail over my index finger. The paper cut finally healed, so the boulder sitting on my chest only gets heavier. I finally shrug.
“Atlanta traffic is crazy, so I was focusing and I’m tired.”
Though I feel her eyes on me, I refuse to turn and look. This is why I always give people an out. If they seem uneasy or hesitant to talk about something, I don’t force them. Some things are hard to talk about and some secrets you don’t want to share.
“Okay,” she finally replies.
Guilt settles on top of the boulder. I press my lips together as I try to think of something to say. “When will you be able to find out what you’re having?” It’s the first thing that pops into my head. “I mean, if you want to know before the baby comes.”
She doesn’t answer right away and I know she’s probably trying to decide if she should push me to talk. “We still have a couple more months before we can find out.”
I release the breath I was holding slowly.She’s not going to push me.When I finally look at her, she gives me an encouraging smile. I swallow and return it.
“Do you want a boy or girl? What about Bass?”
Caroline giggles. “Well, Sebastian wants a girl that looks like me.” I snort.Of course he would. “And I want a boy that looks like him.”
I smile and shake my head. “So, what you’re saying is this will not be your only child unless you’re having twins.”
She shrieks. “I do not want twins.” She pulls her legs up onto the seat and hugs her knees. She’s not showing yet, but I know she’s going to be so cute when she does. “I mean I guess I would deal if I was pregnant with twins, but I’m not. So many changes have happened in such a short period of time. I don’t know if I could handle that too.”
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I get it. This was a surprise, so to be pregnant with twins too…” I glance at her quickly before looking back at the road. “Yeah, that would be an adjustment.”
“Sebastian would handle it better than me. He’s so laid back. Which is good because I have so many emotions and he handles them really well.”
Her voice is wistful. I swallow the lump that’s formed in my throat. I want to ask her how she did it. How she went from an abusive marriage to trusting Sebastian. It seemed so easy for her, but I know things are not always as they seem. Does anyone ever show who they really are? I don’t. So, I’m sure others don’t either. I have a mask for work, a mask for my friends, and a mask for everyone else. No one knows who my stepfather is except Victor.
Ansley knows my stepfather abused me, but even she doesn’t know the extent, and I’ve never told her who he is. I haven’t even told Rose who he is. I don’t know if I can talk about everything that happened to me. It makes me physically ill considering it.
“I’m happy for you, Care.”
She leans over the console and pecks me on the cheek, surprising me. “You’ll get your very own Sebastian one day.”
I chuckle and lift a shoulder. “Maybe.”
“Hey, whatever happened with Victor? The man that we saw at the restaurant?”
I clench the steering wheel as my stomach fills with butterflies. “What do you mean? Nothing happened. I’ve talked to him a couple of times, but that’s all.”
“Oh. Well, he is really yummy.” I glance at Caroline and she wiggles her eyebrows at me.
I snort. “He’s twenty years older than me.”
She shrugs. “That doesn’t matter. My sister has a thing for her professor. Who is Connor’s brother, by the way.”
My eyes widen. “What?”
She nods and starts cracking up. “He doesn’t have a chance. He was so pissed she was considering dropping his class to get another professor.”
I laugh with her. Bailey is a force to be reckoned with, that’s for sure. After a few moments of silence, I give Caroline a sideways glance. “I know age doesn’t matter.” She turns her attention to me, her lips lifting slightly. I want to say more, but I can’t. I don’t know how I feel about Victor. Him suddenly showing up in my life has put me in a bit of a whirlwind.
“Whatever it is, Liv. It will all work out,” Caroline whispers.
