CHAPTER21
Annabella
My father would flip out if he knew where I was headed, but if he wasn’t going to talk to me about James Henderson, he had left me no choice.
When I called Rhonda, I didn’t tell her what I wanted to speak about. And from her tone, she had no idea that Colton and I weren’t speaking. This could be a good sign. Maybe he wasn’t ready to end this, either.
As I pulled up to the house, Rhonda was already waiting on the front steps to greet me.
“Finally, I get some girl time. You have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to this,” she said as I followed her into the house. “The kids are out, and Phil is on a business trip. I assume Colton is back home, too.”
I ignored that comment and focused on the kids. “I forgot that school is on. Not having any, I don’t follow the school year schedule.”
“Who knows? Maybe that will change soon,” she said with a wink.
Not if Colton and I don’t speak again.
Then she asked, “Have you and Colton talked about kids?”
“No, we haven’t.”
“I think he’d make a great father. There’s something so…gentle in his eyes. I don’t know if you’ve seen it.”
She gestured with a pitcher of sweet tea and I gave a nod, then followed her out the back door.
“How about we enjoy this by the pool? No kids means no splashing.”
I didn’t really care where we sat. My concern was finding the right moment to bring up the subject of James Henderson. I should’ve been honest right up front, but I was afraid she’d tell me no.
Sipping the tea as we sat by the pool and watched the breeze move the clouds, I mustered up the courage to broach the topic.
“Rhonda, I need to speak to you about something. I would ask Colton, but I thought it might be easier to discuss this with you instead.”
“Of course. We ladies need to stick together. What do you want to know? But if it is about Colton, you probably know more about him than I do. We first connected around the same time you two did,” she reminded me.
“No. It’s not about him. It’s…it’s about your father.” I saw the immediate change in her expression.
“I never knew him.”
Her brief response was so unlike her.
“Do you know anything about him?” I tried again.
“Annabella, is there a reason you’re asking?” she questioned.
It was time to tell her the truth. But before I could even begin, I got choked up and the tears started running down my cheeks. Rhonda got up and wrapped her arms around me as I sobbed for what seemed like an eternity.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” she said, handing me a paper napkin so I could blow my nose. It wasn’t the softest, but it did the trick.
“I have no idea why I’m so darn emotional lately,” I said.
“Maybe you’re…pregnant,” she said.
Oh, hell no.That was the last thing I needed. I always counted my days carefully.But the timing of sleeping with Colton…it couldn’t…I can’t be pregnant.
“No. I think it’s…stress.”
She nodded. “That could do it, too. So maybe if you tell me what is going on, it might lighten your load and help reduce the stress. And if it is my brother causing it, don’t worry, I won’t say anything unless you want me to.”