My cheeks flush, but I brush off her words with a light laugh, trying not to think too much into it. I know things between Brookes and I have changed. But I also know that it’s temporary. Because it has to be.
“How long have you and Robbie been together?” I ask, deflecting as best as I can.
“Almost two years,” she says. “But we knew each other backin high school.” She laughs then. “Actually, it’s a funny story. Wehatedeach other in high school. Like, actually. I made him shit himself in the middle of a hockey game, and not figuratively.” She winces.
My eyes widen, curiosity sufficiently piqued, but that sounds like a whole other story for another time.
“Then, we randomly crossed paths again when he was transferred from Saint Paul to New York. He needed to tidy up his image and—” She laughs again. “I… became his fake girlfriend.”
I stop, narrowly avoiding tripping over nothing at all on the path. Collecting myself at the last minute, I square my shoulders and try so hard to play it cool, clearing my throat with a casual, “Oh… really?”
She giggles. “Yeah. But you know how it goes. Starts out fake. One thing leads to another, and then you’re fake dating slash fucking. And then… bam! Feelings.”
Feelings, alright. Ifeelthe blood start to drain my face.
Fran laughs again, looking down at herself and placing her hand on her bump. “And then suddenly it’s a year later and you’re pregnant, despite kids being the absolute last thing on your bucket list.”
“It wasn’t planned?”
“Hellno!” She throws her head back on another laugh. “A total accident. I had no idea. I was still partying like it was Spring Break up until I was eight weeks,” she whispers, as if someone might jump out from behind the ferns and accuse her of being an unfit mother.
“At first, Robbie and I weren’t sure we were going to…” She trails off, flashing me a look, and I nod in understanding.
“No judgement.” I hold my hands up in surrender. “Totally pro-choice.”
She smiles and looks down at her belly again. “But then, I don’t know… something happened, and I realized this is actually what I want. Which is so weird because…” She grips my armand offers me a wide-eyed look, again lowering her voice as she says, “I don’t even like kids.”
I can’t contain my own laughter, covering my mouth with my hand.
“It’s true. I don’t like kids. But I already love this one more than I thought I could ever love anything in the world.”
“Aw, that’s actually beautiful,” I say, feeling tears prick my eyes.
“And Robbie’s mom is… well, she’s really sick. She’s dying of cancer and… she won’t be around too much longer. so this way she gets to meet her little grandson.” Fran sucks in a gasp then, slapping a hand over her gaping mouth, eyes like saucers as they gawk at me.
“What?” I ask, carefully touching her arm, suddenly worried something’s wrong.
“Oh my God…” Fran mutters from behind her palm. “Forget you heard that.”
I blink, completely confused.
She rolls her eyes. “Robbie and I agreed to keep the sex a secret…” An impish smile curls her lips. “But he couldn’t come to the last scan, and when the sonographer asked me if I wanted to know…” Her gaze flits side to side as looks around again before leaning in and whispering, “I said yes.”
“Oh my God, Fran.”
“Yeah, so… pretend like you don’t know.” Fran nudges me again.
I laugh under my breath. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“I think we just became best friends.” She grins, wrapping her arm around my shoulders as we continue along the path.
CHAPTER 40
BROOKES
“Fuck!” Dallas roars when his ball shanks left, landing deep in the bunker for the fourth time today.
Everyone laughs, but then our laughter is interrupted by a baby crying.
