She sighs and shakes her head. “I’m none of those things.”
My heart starts to race. “Oh baby, what happened to you?”
She tries to make a joke of it and laughs. “Oh I dunno, I fell for a man that promised me everything and then cheated on me and told me he didn’t want our baby.” She sucks in a breath and looks as if she’s on the verge of tears again. “I’m twenty-five years old, no home, no job, my car broke down, and?—”
I stop her because I can’t take any more. “Stop. Stop. Listen to me. You will have a car by tomorrow. You know that you can stay with me.”
She barks out a laugh. “Yeah, I’m sure your girlfriend would love that.”
I almost blurt out that I haven’t had a girlfriend in five years, not since the kiss we shared, but I don’t. “Uh, there’s no girlfriend. And a job. You’re what? Shit, I don’t even know. How far along are you?”
She grimaces. “Six months.”
I grit my teeth. I’m about to kill my best friend. “You’re six months pregnant and no one told me.”
She rolls her eyes. “It’s not like my brother is going to go bragging to everyone that I’m pregnant, not married, and dating an asshole.”
I try to hide the hurt. “But it’s me. You guys can tell me anything and?—”
She huffs a breath. “I asked him not to tell you.”
It’s my turn to be surprised. I point a thumb in my chest. “You didn’t want me to know?”
She shrugs. “I’m not ashamed or anything. I just know you.”
I tense. “What does that mean?”
“You would have thought you had to fix me or something.” She snaps her fingers. “Just like today. As soon as you knew I needed something, you took over. You came and got me. You had my car towed.”
I shrug. “I don’t think caring about you is a bad thing.”
She sighs, searching my eyes. “It’s not, but Elijah, I’m not your responsibility. I’m not yours to fix.”
You could be mine.
I almost say it, but I bite my tongue and hold it back. For five years now, I’ve wondered what we could have been if I hadn’t lied to her and told her that kiss meant nothing. Without thinking, I put my hand to her belly and can’t stop the thought.This could be my baby she’s having instead of some asshole’s.
“You and Kane are my family, Sassy. I would do anything for you.”
She reaches up and cups my cheek. “I know you’re a good man, Eli, but you don’t want to get mixed up with this.”
Her hand drops, and all I feel is cold detachment from her. “If you can just get me to Kane’s apartment, I can start getting my life back together.”
Before I can stop myself, I wrap my arms around her in a hug. She melts into me, and we stay like this for a few minutes. I know I need to let her go, but having her in my arms is a good feeling, and I don’t want to release her.
Darkness is starting to fall, and I reluctantly I let her go. “Come on. I bet you’re tired.”
She slides from my lap into the passenger seat, and I move back to the driver’s side. I leave the console up, not wanting it between us.
I start driving toward Whiskey Run, and Sam leans her head back on the headrest. We go a few miles, and when she’s still awake, I decide it’s time to talk.
“So what are your plans?”
She looks out the passenger side window. “Get a job.”
I clear my throat. It’s a bad idea. I know it is, but I’m going to do it anyway. I need to have her close and keep an eye on her. “I could use some help at the office.”
Her head immediately swivels toward me, and she points between the two of us. “You want me to come work for you?”
