A bitter laugh bled from her. “There’s nothing to explain. I understand.”
“You really don’t,” I gently argued.
“No, see, I do,” she hissed as she stepped close enough that we, once again, found ourselves just inches apart. Something I might’ve reveled in if her nearness hadn’t revealed the glassy sheen of her eyes or the slight tremble of her chin, making every part of me lock up. “I’m not sure I’ve ever understood anything as clearly as I do right now—today, this hour, this minute. And for that, I should saythank you. Thank you for making this so much easier for me.”
“Monroe, this isn’t what you think.”
“And don’t worry,” she continued as if I hadn’t spoken, “your job is secure, and it will remain secure.”
The last words were said so ominously and with so much certainty that my stomach dropped and my grip loosened enough for her to wrench her hand free.
I stood there, numbly watching Mallory walk away, before someone cleared their throat.
“This is where you go after her,” Chloe said pointedly.
My chest pitched and shoulders sagged because Ihad. I’d gone after Mallory Monroe so many times, I’d lost count. And each time, it’d somehow gotten worse.
Then again . . .
I held up my hand, showing the keys I’d snatched from Mallory. “She’s about to come back to me,” I said sadly, then looked over at my best friend’s wife, who was—as always—dressed in a shirt that showed her inner nerd. “What happened in there, Nerd?”
She gave me a look like she wished she knew. “Well, she talked to me, which is a first. Not much, but still...” Chloe didn’t seem bothered by the fact that Mallory never talked to her, she was still beaming that bright smile like the world was full of rainbows and puppies and unicorns. “Anyway, she said she had a meeting with Asher, then we were talking about Lainey not feeling well lately. I mentioned my suspicions on that?—”
“Pregnant?”
Her eyes widened comically. “Right?”
I grunted in confirmation, not that Briggs had hinted at that. Still, I was nearly the exact opposite of Mallory—I had three older sisters. I’d heard enough about their stints with morning sickness to know the signs.
“Anyway, when I said that, she just”—Chloe passed one of the cups she was holding in front of her face—“totally shut down.”
I glanced in the direction Mallory had gone again, not that I could see her from where we stood, my brow furrowing as I wondered what about that news would make her panic so completely.
When my attention shifted back to Chloe, she was watching me with a healthy dose of suspicion.
“What?” I asked, suddenly feeling defensive.
She shrugged, feigning ignorance. “Just wondering if a certain wildyouwould happen to know why the mention of pregnancy would causethatreaction in a certain stone-facedMallory.”
In an instant, I knew what she was suggesting. In that same instant, I couldn’t stop from thinking of Mallory Monroe pregnant...with my child.
The longing I felt at that thought was just as surprising as the pain and sadness that accompanied it because I knew that would never be our future. I’dknown.
Didn’t matter that we were technically married, she was avoiding me in a way she never had before. Even if she wasn’t? She hated kids. And, if I’d taken Mallory’s pointed words correctly, she was about to remove herself from my life completely.
“What you’re implying is...no,” I said thickly, then had to clear my throat. “We haven’t, and she...no.” But the last word was said with little conviction as the math smacked me in the face.
Three months. Three, excruciating months since Aruba.
No. No, she wouldn’t—she would’ve told me. And we didn’t—we were clothed...right?
Chloe stepped closer, concern etched on her face. “Hudson,” she began softly, hesitantly, “have you...” She glanced away from me to look around, as if she was worried who might overhear. When her hazel eyes landed on mine again, she cleared her throat and continued, even softer than before. “You haven’t gotten anyoneelsepregnant, have you?”
“What?” I nearly choked over the word as it burst from me.
Chloe made a face like she wasn’t totally comfortable with the conversation and was worried about overstepping. “Wren?—”
A curse tore from me, stopping Chloe from continuing. “What is it about Wren?” I demanded. “Why does everyone keep bringing her up?”
