She isn’t . . .
“But, uh...thanks for”—Mallory waved her drink-filled hand through the air as she slipped out of my hold and started toward the main part of the office—“you know...thanks.”
I stood there long after she’d disappeared around the wall separating the spaces, my mind racing as I thought about the changes in Mallory lately. From the way she’d acted so out of character the past few months to how she’d broken down in front of me multiple times in the last twenty-four hours alone, when she’d never let me see her cry before.
“Hudson,” Chloe began, but I held up a slightly unsteady hand to stop her.
Swallowing thickly, I forced myself to look at my best friend’s wife and admitted, “I don’t know,” to her unspoken question.
She glanced in the direction of the main office, her head bobbing as she did. “Right, well...”—she flashed one of those effortlessly bright smiles my way—“Iwascongratulating her because I now know about the two of you, but then I saw her eyes and, well...” Her nose scrunched up apologetically. “Sorry. Seriously, I shouldn’t have assumed.”
“It’s fine.”
“She just wasn’t answering Lainey’s or my texts,” Chloe rambled on as if she hadn’t heard me, “and when I noticed her eyes right before you came in, it made me think of whathappened this weekend, and I assumed.” She gave a little shake of her head. “Again, I shouldn’t have assumed, and I’m sorry. But congratulations!” Her smile broadened as she bounced on her insanely high stilettos. “I really am so excited for y’all.”
The corner of my mouth lifted, but the action was weighted and distracted as my thoughts continuously pulled toward Mallory. “Thanks, Nerd,” I muttered.
But as soon as I stepped toward the office, Chloe grasped my forearm, her stare filled with concern and voice low. “I think Mallory might be?—”
“I know, Chloe.”
Her concern deepened and she spared a quick glance to the side. “From what she said the other day, I don’t think she wants to be.”
My lips parted to ask what she’d been saying, only to shut because this wasMallory. I knew she wouldn’t want to be pregnant because I knew she didn’t want kids. We’d just had this conversation.
Fear and denial built into a lethal storm as I moved with purpose into the office and up to where my wife sat. Setting my things on her desk, I gripped her hand and pulled her out of her chair.
“Excuse you,” she snapped, trying to break out of my hold.
I pulled her closer and dropped my voice to a low murmur as I begged, “Five minutes.”
Her eyes widened meaningfully as she hissed, “We’re at work.”
A hushed laugh tumbled from me, the sound rough and ragged from the emotions coursing through me and just the thought of stealing away with her in the middle of the day. “And we’ll have boundaries here, but this can’t wait. Five minutes.”
She straightened her spine and lifted her chin defiantly. “Two.”
One of my brows tipped up in response. “You know I love fighting with you, Peach,” I began as I intertwined my fingers with hers and wrapped our joined hands around her back. “Keep this up, I’m going to forget about that wholeboundaries at workthing I just mentioned.”
Her eyes flared and heat rushed to her cheeks before she managed to get both in check. “You’re wasting your five.”
Jerking my head in the direction of the break room, I said, “Not here,” and began leading her in that direction.
But just before we got there, Briggs came out of his office and narrowed in on the two of us. “Morning meeting.”
“Give me a minute,” I muttered distractedly.
A hand slammed into my chest, stopping me just before I could take another step. “Morning meeting,” Briggs repeated slowly, carefully.
My jaw twitched as I ran my free hand through my hair. “I just need five minutes.”
“Four now,” Mallory countered shortly, earning a playful warning glare from me before Briggs continued, forcing my attention back to him.
“Thatch and Chloe don’t disappear into rooms to be together, and y’all aren’t going to either.”
An edgy laugh left me, but I refrained from outing my best friend and his wife. “Not what this is, but it’s—” My head slanted, and I gave Briggs a look, begging him to understand. “Briggs, give me five minutes.”
He tipped his head in refusal. “Take care of your marriage away from the office.”
