I dared let my mind wander to the best-case scenario of Chandler being thrilled by the news, us magically getting along and becoming the best parents. My father might even be happy for us when he sees how great we are. And then a unicorn would fly down, sprinkling magical pixie dust on all of us.
I laughed at my wishful thinking, before choking on a sob that escaped me. I couldn’t wallow here any longer for fear I would become one with the couch in my depressive state. I glanced at the clock on the wall, surprised to see it was already 6 p.m. How long had I been here wallowing? I pulled myself up and my bones groaned from being so compressed for the past several hours.
As I spotted my phone on the coffee table, I winced slightly. I didn’t want to know what sort of texts or voicemails I had from Chandler after I never showed back up at the office. I resisted the urge to look and walked out the door of my apartment and down the hall to Juliet’s. I knocked, hoping she was home.
I was relieved to hear her footsteps padding toward the door, and when she opened it I just started crying. She looked at me wide-eyed before pulling me in for a big hug.
“Oh, my gosh, Gabs. What’s wrong? Are you okay?” she asked worriedly as she stroked the back of my head.
“No,” was all I managed to get out.
She led me to her couch and sat me down, bringing me a glass of ice water. I took a small sip and wiped my damp cheeks with the back of my hand.
“Sorry to show up like this,” I said, shaking my head and looking down at the ground.
“Please. I’m always here. But what is going on?” she asked insistently.
I told her everything about the pregnancy tests, the doctor’s appointment, the tension with Chandler, the fear of my father finding out. She listened intently, trying to keep her face neutral, though I could see the shock in her eyes and the furrow of concern in her brow. There wasn’t an ounce of judgment there, and I couldn’t be more thankful for her.
“What do I do?” I asked, burying my face in my hands.
She gently pried them away and looked at me intently. “Whatever you decide to do, I will support you. Whether you keep the baby or not, I will be by your side.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
It was the first time in the past few days that I felt a fraction better. It didn’t feel like I was drowning in a life-changing secret anymore. Though I wasn’t quite ready to share that secret with Chandler.
Chapter 24
Chandler
I tapped my foot impatiently as I waited by the valet booth of the mile-long driveway leading to the sprawling country club behind me. The sun was beating down on me, and I muttered to myself about how it was ridiculous how anyone would hold a charity golf
tournament in the summer. I tugged at the white collar of my shirt and checked the time, my brows furrowing to see another five minutes had passed since I had been waiting out here.
Cars trickled in, and I kept an eye out for Mother’s silver sedan. I had offered to send a car for both her and Greg to bring them today, but of course, was denied. I knew Greg was behind it. He never accepted any favors from me, except when it came to paying for Nathan’s school of course. Finally, I saw it round the corner and join the line-up to the valet booth. There was onlyone way into this place and one way out, so it would still be a few minutes, but at least they were here.
I started second-guessing myself as their car inched closer. I had invited them on a whim, thinking this would be the perfect event to see how Harold Enterprises gave back, but most of all for Greg to seemein charge. Plus, he liked golf, or so he told my mother when she mentioned the event. I figured he would have a hard time turning me down, even though I’m sure he wanted to think of every excuse in the book.
My mother probably called me ten times last night, double-checking details and telling me what outfits she had in mind. I knew it was a big deal to her, so I entertained her, even though I was drowning in last minute details. This was one of the biggest charity events that Harold Enterprises put on.
I could hear Gabriella’s voice approaching from behind me as she greeted guests. I ignored the feeling in my chest at the sound, and continued watching the line of cars. Her pleasantries stopped when she came to me, though.
“What are you doing out here?” she asked without so much as a greeting.
I didn’t know why I was expecting anything else. The entire week she had iced me out, and I gave up on asking questions as to why. I had even let go of how she ditched work after making a spectacle of me in the office. It wasn’t worth my effort anymore. Something had changed, though I didn’t know what. When I started wondering too much about it, I reminded myself that Iwas Chandler White. Women and the problems that came with them didn’t matter to me.
I turned to face Gabriella, who had her hands on her hips and was looking at me sharply. I sucked in a small breath as my eyes quickly took in the white, linen dress she wore. It tied at the neck and hugged her curves until it flowed out at her knees. The color brought out her summer tan. Damn her for looking so good when I was trying to get over whatever it was we had.
“I’m waiting for my mother,” I said, turning back toward the driveway.
I could hear her footsteps behind me as she came to stand next to me. I breathed in her familiar perfume and pushed down the longing I had to touch her. It was unfair how she had snatched away our sex life just like that.
“You invited your family?” she asked curiously.
“Is that a problem?” I asked sharply, turning to her and raising a brow.
“No, I’m just surprised.” She shrugged.
