“Hmm.”
“You’re physically miserable, but I’ll be miserable if I have to watch you from afar.” The plea in his voice strikes a chord in me. He sounds like a man suffering and on his knees. His words grab onto me because it’s too strong of a sentiment to ignore.
The nurse pops her head around the curtain, breaking our moment. “Still not quite there, but the doctor forgot to give you these.” She steps into our space and quickly hands some photos to Carter. “I’ll be back soon.”
When she’s gone, Carter slowly raises the squares in his hands. I look on and see the ultrasound pictures.
The little heart with my name up on the corner along with the date. It says my maiden name Blisswood, instead of Oaks. That’s a not-so-subtle reminder that I no longer carry the name of the man next to me.
Yet this baby is a stronger bond than a name.
Our eyes lock and I see it far too well. The promise that he’s serious with every word he’s said since the moment he found out.
That also means that he won’t give up on his idea that I should return to Everhope.
I didn’t think enough about how to logistically arrange this pregnancy. It’s only been a few days, in which I’ve spent most of it with morning sickness.
The only thing that is clear is that I wanted to tell him right away. I did that because he is this kid’s father, and he has every right to be involved.
He’s already willing to jump through hoops to take care of me.
I glance at our baby, then my eyes fly up to meet Carter’s.
It’s all overwhelming.
But I’m not sure it’s why it rolls off my tongue. “Okay.” I breathe a sigh of defeat. “I’ll move in…”
5
CARTER
The good thing about my little brother living on Everhope Road is that he’s my neighbor, and I can knock on Oliver’s door when I need to borrow milk or eggs. A bit cliché, but it happens. Living so close also means that sometimes we show up uninvited to one another’s houses. We both hold on to an extra set of keys in case we lose a pair, and we know one another’s security codes. Then again, I would say the sheriff’s house in Everhope is as safe as they come. Nobody wants to get tangled into the repercussion of messing with me.
Since Oliver had to drive me to get Rosie’s car the other day, he has questions. He let me get away without a single one when he did me this favor, but that tide has changed, and here he is dropping by for a coffee because I asked for his set of keys.
I come down the stairs to find him already in my kitchen. He grabs a mug for his coffee from the cupboard and drops a pod into the coffee machine before he presses the button. “Why do you need the keys?”
My jaw flexes side to side, preparing myself for this discussion. Rosie and I agreed that I could tell Oliver and she would inform her parents. For everyone else, we have to take it one week at a time. In an ideal world, nobody would know until Rosie and I figure us out. But that clock doesn’t move as fast as I would like.
“I’m not sure that I’ll have time to make an extra set, and I need them,” I answer.
He raises a brow at me while he adds some milk to his mug. “Care to elaborate?”
“Rosie.”
His eyes grow big as he waits for me to complete that sentence. He leans against the counter, crosses his ankles, and begins to sip his coffee.
“She’s pregnant.”
Oliver nearly sputters out his coffee. “Okay, what the hell is going on?” he asks, as though I’m pulling a prank.
Sliding my hand along the smooth surface of the kitchen island counter, I take a seat on a stool. “Your wedding night. We kind of…”
A slow grin begins to spread on his face. “Sounds like someone else had an exciting wedding night. You’re going to be a dad?”
“Yes, you idiot. It’s my baby.”
“Are you two like back together, remarried, or what?”
