Ronan snatches the bottle of bourbon and takes a swig.
“I’m going to regret leaving you two in charge.”
Chapter Seventeen
RILEY
I’m sittingcross-legged on the bed, chewing on my thumbnail while I wait for my call to connect. The hold music loops again, and I pull the phone away to check the time. It’s seven minutes past eight. Surely, there aren’t that many people calling to make an OBGYN appointment this early?
Finally, a voice cuts in, and I suck in a breath.
“Dr. Rogers’ office, this is Karen. How can I help you?”
My throat feels tight, and I seem to have temporarily forgotten how to talk.
“Oh, hi, um…yes. I need to confirm an appointment for tomorrow morning?”
“Name?”
“Riley. Riley O’Connor.” The fake name rolls off my tongue a little too easily.
“One moment.”
There’s the clicking of typing in the background, and then Karen’s voice sounds down the phone once again. “Yes, I have you scheduled for a routine prenatal checkup at nine a.m. on Friday.”
The words land like a punch to the gut.
“That’s great, thank you.”
When the call ends, I set the phone face down on the bed and press the heels of my hands to my eyes, breathing out slowly.
It’s just an appointment. That’s all. But it feels monumental, considering the fact that Kieran still doesn’t know.
I’m trying not to read too much into the fact that every time I try to tell him, something always comes up. So what if last night didn’t go the way I planned? So what if I cooked the damn feast, set the table, lit the candles, and chose my moment perfectly only for the phone to ring and drag him away before I could even open my mouth? That doesn’t mean the universe is warning me.
Maybe I’m just making excuses because I’m too scared to face him with the truth.
I pick my phone back up and scroll to Lucy’s number. If I can’t tell Kieran yet, I at least need to make sure that I can make my appointment Friday without having Kieran find out and all blowing up in my face.
“Riley!” Her bright smiling face appears on the screen. “I was literally just about to call you.”
“Great minds.” I laugh, but the sound is a little forced, and Lucy seems to notice immediately.
“Uh oh, what’s wrong?” She sets her phone down on the kitchen counter as she finishes making her morning coffee.
“I need another favor.”
“I swear, if you ask me to harbor another fugitive, I’m going to start rethinking this friendship.”
“No, it’s nothing like that… Although, I could end up being the fugitive.”
“In that case, come on over!” She laughs. “So, what’s the crime you’re about to commit?”
“I have an appointment with an OBGYN on Friday, for…you know.”
“Kieran’s mutant spawn that’s being housed in your womb.”
“Right, that. Well, I need a cover story in case Kieran asks where I’m going.”
