As his mouth devours mine like he’s been starving for me for months, I start to wonder if keeping my emotions out of this marriage will be harder than I expected.
I blink as the memory fades away, and I slowly slide out from under Heath’s arm, careful not to wake him.
Guilt twists in my chest for leaving him like this after the night we spent together. That morning, I woke up naked in his bed, mortified that I’d given in to temptation and unwilling to stick around for his inevitable dismissal. Yes, I was quick to judge, but there’s no handbook for hooking up with someone I swore I’d never hook up with. My solution was to haul ass out of there and hope we could pretend it never happened. Turns out the joke’s on me because now I’m wearing his ring and carrying his baby.
I just have to remember that I’m doing this to keep a roof over our heads and to afford insurance so I can stay healthy for the baby. It’s a bonus that they’ll have both parents as a united front. It’s far more than I ever had, and I would do anything to make sure they never experience the same kind of rejection.
I reach for my phone on the nightstand and notice it’s fully charged. Heath must have plugged it in for me. I almost never remember to do that before bed, especially not last night, when I was far too distracted by the shirtless cowboy in my bed.
The group chat is already buzzing with a surprising number of texts for how early it is.
Backroads & Bad Decisions Group Chat
Birdie: Did I dream that Heath & Charlie got married?
Briar: Nope. That was real.
Birdie: It feels like I blacked out and missed the plot twist of the century.
Wren: Try being across the country and decoding chaotic texts as it unfolded with zero context.
Briar: I’m sorry. I was relaying information in real time on our way to the courthouse and couldn’t multitask with Mama Julie asking us questions like she was cross-examining a witness.
Birdie: I was there. The woman should have her own courtroom drama.
In the end, I’m glad they were there for the ceremony. Regardless of why Heath and I went through with it, being surrounded by the people we love was nice. The only ones missing were Wren, Grams, and Florence.
I’m dreading telling Grams and Florence that not only did I get married without telling them but I’m also pregnant. Maybe I should bring Heath along. Grams has always had a weakness for handsome men with big biceps.
Charlie: Good morning, wedding crashers.
Birdie: Oh look, the other Mrs. Halstead has entered the chat.
Wren: Nice of you to join us.
Birdie: For the record, I haven’t forgiven you for trying to keep your wedding a secret.
Charlie: Didn’t you fake a whole ass relationship?
Birdie: Yep, and I ended up with a hot cowboy for a husband, so no regrets.
I look down at my ring finger as I type my response, reminded that I now have one of those too.
Charlie: Touché.
Briar: I’m begging you both to never mention “hot cowboys” and either of my brothers in the same breath again.
Wren: Safe to say I’m your favorite by default since I’m the only friend not hitched to a Halstead.
Briar: You said it, not me.
Charlie: I’ll remember that the next time you need a babysitter for Caleb.
Birdie: Ditto.
Briar: Charlie’s just using this as a distraction tactic to dodge our questions.
Charlie: Am not.
