Page 105 of His Reckless Freshman

WHAT?

My stomach pitches.

They can’t be talking about Caroline anymore, can they?

She wasn’t pregnant.

I mean… was she?

“Man, when Ben found out, he lost it.” The girl whistles.

“How do you know all this?”

“Because I was there. I saw him yelling at her that she needed to find out who the father was. He was so upset. The poor guy. I actually felt kind of sorry for him. He basically fell in love with his one-night stand, she was potentially carrying his kid, and she never wanted him. She wanted Mr. Hockey.”

“Casey Pierce, right? Damn, that guy’s hot.”

“I know.” The gossip queen giggles. “But Ben is such a sweetheart. If I didn’t have a boyfriend already, I’d totally be into him.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. He’s so tall and good-looking, and he seems really kind. I wouldn’t have minded being the one to stitch his heart up, you know?” She blows out a breath. “I actually heard he got dumped by his summer girlfriend too. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but if so… the poor guy can’t catch a break.”

“If all these women don’t want him, maybe he’s not as sweet and lovely as you think.”

Okay, now I really want to whip around and tell them to shut up, because Ben is amazing and so kind and…

I can’t believe Caroline was pregnant.

But they must be talking about my cousin.

I remember her being rushed to the hospital last year, but Mom told me she had to go in because she was sick. She had some kind of stomach bug.

Did Mom lie to me?

I jolt to a stop when that realization hits.

No, she wouldn’t. Would she?

With my heart in my throat, I pull out my phone, my brain buzzing as I quickly bring up the number for Aunt Michelle. I’m kind of nervous to call her, but if I ask her outright, she won’t lie to me, will she?

My hand is kind of shaking as I press the phone to my ear and step around the side of the building for a touch of privacy.

It rings three times before Aunt Michelle answers in her sweet way. “Jolie Carmichael. Well, hello, my darling niece. How are you?”

“Hey, Aunt Michelle.” I try to sound chipper, but I’m too hyped up to bother with small talk. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course. Are you okay? You sound kind of tense.”

I suck in a breath, then quickly blurt, “Did Caroline have a miscarriage last year? And if so, who was the father? Did she even know?”

It’s only just now occurring to me that there’s a chance Aunt Michelle doesn’t know about the two baby daddies thing and I may have just dumped her in it.

Oh crap!

I hold my breath, wondering if I should backpedal. Maybe I could tell her that I’m trying to squash some gossip and I⁠—

“So, I’m guessing if you’re calling to verify this with me, you haven’t actually heard it from Caroline herself.” Aunt Michelle’s voice is soft and sad, and my lips pop open.