Kristi nodded, her gaze on her hands in her lap.
Cody did exactly what Brooke knew he would do. He kneeled on the floor in front of her, took her hand, and reassured her like the good man he’d always been and would always be. “It’s okay.”
No it’s not. Nothing is okay.
She wondered if Cody thought the same thing.
The sadness and loss in his eyes said he did, but he quickly hid those feelings away. He was good at that. She’d always been good at getting him to show her how he really felt.
This can’t be happening.
Tears streamed down Kristi’s face. “Cody, you don’t understand. My parents are going to be furious with me. This will disgrace them. They won’t be able to show their faces at church. People will talk.”
“Your parents will understand. These things happen.”
“They taught me to be a responsible woman and look what I’ve done.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong. We are both responsible for this.” He raked his hand through his hair. “This is our child. We will take care of him or her. We will give the baby the family it deserves.”
Kristi went quiet and stared at Cody. “Do you mean that?”
“Yes. We’ll get married like we talked about and you and the baby will have my name. Everything will be fine.”
Brooke didn’t think even for a second that he wanted to marry Kristi. He was doing this for his child.
Apparently Kristi heard the same resignation she did in his words. She sniffled and looked away for a moment before turning back to him, disappointment in her eyes.
This wasn’t the proposal she’d hoped for. Kristi probably hoped to tell Cody she was pregnant, and he’d be so excited he’d pick her up and spin her around, kissing her and begging her to marry him.
This definitely wasn’t how Cody expected his morning to go either.
They both looked shell-shocked.
But after a year together, it was clear to Brooke and now Kristi that her feelings ran far deeper than Cody’s did for her.
He’d be happy with his child though. Cody would be a fantastic father.
Which made Brooke question the timing of all of this.
Kristi had to be reeling after seeing Cody kiss her. She obviously suspected something more was going on and thatshe might lose Cody for good, so she sprung this on him this morning, so she could hold on to him.
It didn’t matter.
A baby was on the way no matter when Kristi told him.
Today…a week from now…Brooke still lost Cody.
“Do you mean it? We’ll get married?” The tears dried up and she smiled expectantly at Cody.
“Right away,” he assured her. “We can probably be married no later than next month. I’ve got a few cases to tie up. I’ll handle them, giving you time to plan a small wedding. We’ll keep things simple.”
Kristi’s gaze narrowed with confusion. “But I thought we’d have a proper ceremony. People will expect us to invite our friends, families, and your colleagues and other prominent members of the community. They’ll want to share in our day.”
Cody shrugged and stood. “Invite whomever you want, so long as you can get it done soon.”
She frowned, frustration clouding her eyes.
Cody tilted his head. “I thought you wanted to do this quickly, before people discover you’re pregnant.”
