“Long enough.” I smiled. “I need to change. Do you have something I could put my clothes in?”
“Oh, Bella. I’m so—”
My arm flew up, waving her off. “It’s fine.”
Her face was a bright shade of red when she handed me a bag for my clothes. Good. Served her right for gossiping.
Once I was cleaned up and changed, I exited the bathroom and found Ashley sitting on the far side of the waiting room. She must have caught on to what happened and was making sure the town hens couldn’t eavesdrop.
“So. Start from the beginning. I have so many questions.” Ashley crossed her arms and stared at me with eyebrows raised, making it apparent we were not leaving until I spilled everything.
“Like what? I told your mom pretty much what happened.”
“Why were you and Rhett even together when he got the call? Weren’t you doing the ‘mommy needs a break’ thing?”
“We ran into each other, and he asked me to come check out the cabin.”
Her eyes widened, and the corner of her mouth turned up in a smirk. “Oh yeah? Decided you needed a different type of ‘mom break’? How was that?”
I rolled my eyes. “He said he broke up with Sarah and then kissed me. Okay?”
She bounced in her seat and clapped her hands quietly. “Yes! Finally!”
“Stop it.” I glared at her. “That was earlier. Now he’s back there holding the hand of the woman pregnant with his child. And I need to get home. So can you give me a ride or not?”
I was tired, overly emotional, and hungry at that point. And I was about two seconds from throttling my best friend.
“Umm—” She looked over my shoulder, and I could see her brain kicking into action. “Actually, I forgot I have to—um, stop by work for a bit. I need to do inventory tonight so I can place an order for the things we’re running low on.” She stood to her feet and waved at someone behind me.
I pinched my eyes closed, preparing for what came next, knowing who she was waving at. He could never walk into a room without my body instantly sensing him.
“Hey. What are you doing here?” Rhett asked Ashley.
I spun and answered for her before she had a chance. No way could I let Rhett know I was trying to get the hell out of here. “She was just dropping clean clothes off for me.” I glanced back at Ashley as her smile grew even wider.
“Yeah. And now I need to head to work. You can give Bella a ride home, right?”
“He may need to stay here longer with Sarah,” I directed at Ashley. “And Idoneed to get home.”
“No, it’s fine. I can take you home. She fell asleep about five minutes ago, and her parents should be here soon,” Rhett assured.
“What happened? Is the baby okay? You should stay with her for a while longer, Rhett.” My stomach churned as he ran his hand through his hair. An obvious sign he was uncomfortable.
“No, she made it clear I shouldn’t be here when her parents arrive.” His jaw clenched once before relaxing enough to speak again. “They stopped the bleeding, and as of now, they are hopeful the baby will be fine.” He cleared his throat before continuing. “The doctor confirmed everything looks good for a sixteen-week pregnancy.” He paused, and I could feel his gaze on me.
Ashley gasped. “So…”
“The baby isn’t mine. She’s four months. Not three.”
I wasn’t sure what to say. Of course, I wanted to be relieved. But I would be an idiot not to acknowledge that this was the second woman he’d dated who had ended up pregnant with another guy’s baby. He would be such an amazing father, and I wanted that for him.
“I’m so sorry, Rhett.” I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his waist. I could feel his surprise as his spine went rigid. But he relaxed and draped his arms around my shoulders.
“And that’s my cue.” Ashley chuckled as she headed to the exit.
“Thanks again, Ash,” I muttered to her back as I pulled myself out of Rhett’s embrace.
“Anytime.” She paused at the receptionist’s desk and shifted to face Janet. “Don’t you have work to do or something?”