“Is this some kind of practical joke you two came up with on the ride home?” Cole asks. He’s skeptical enough for the whole room. “You people woke me up for this?”
“This is no fucking joke. She’s carrying my kid,” I answer.
Cole hits the top of the bar with the flat of his hand. “Okay. Congratulations.” He starts walking back to the stairs.
Silas squeezes my shoulder. “Congrats, Daddy… and Mom-to-be.”
Silas spreads his arms and Molly climbs off the bar stool. She sinks into his chest, clinging to my president. I quickly let go of the glass before it shatters in my hands.
“What’s going on down here? It’s like someone died…” Silas’s mother, Cindy, comes down the stairs and I know in one glance she’ll have more to say than everyone else does. Especially after that threesome. Then again, Molly can deliver the news. It’ll probably go over better, woman to woman.
“I’m pregnant,” Molly announces again and takes a sip from the bottle of water Axe gives her.
In one second, Cindy leaves her spot at the bottom of the stairs and in the next, she’s reaching for Molly’s throat. “You man-trapping bitch!” she yells.
Silas leaps up and holds back his mother while I move in and stand between the ladies. I never saw that coming, not from Cindy.
She tilts her body to the side to get a look at Molly around my torso. “It’s easy to snag a man, honey, but getting knocked up? That’s desperate. You’re using the oldest play in the book, and after all this time I figured you’d come up with something more original.” Cindy reaches for Molly again. Silas picks up his mother and carries her off to separate them.
“I’m going up to the guest room,” Molly says. “But I’m really tempted to find my way home.”
“You’re not safe there.”
“And after this shit Cindy just pulled, I’m not sure how much safer I’ll be here. I don’t want to sleep with one eye open.”
She has a point.
“Cindy doesn’t live here. You know that. She’s probably staying the night for some other reason.”
“Well, this is more her home than mine. I’ve never seen her behave that way toward me. Since when did she think you and her were a thing?”
“First of all, we’re not a thing. Second, I don’t know what her deal is.”
“Whatever.” She shrugs off my arm around her shoulder. “You don’t have to do this overprotective boyfriend turned expectant father routine.”
“Whatever you want, Molly.” I back off but it stings like a knife to the gut. It isn’t supposed to be this way. Fuck if I know what way it’s supposed to go down. I’m not expecting an overnight miracle, but I didn’t think she’d turn this cold so fast.
I walk her to her room and she slams the door closed, shutting me out. If she pushes the issue tomorrow, I’ll take her home and be her bodyguard from wherever location she wants to be. I won’t insert myself into her life if she doesn’t want me there—even if my gut is saying different.
Chapter 13
Molly
“I can’t deal with this right now.”
I only left the guest room for a minute to ask for bottled water, but on my way back I bump into Jenny and Sabrina.
News travels fast.
They know.
I avoid the concerned looks and offers to help at the top of the stairs. I just want to go to my room so I can start a new day and forget today ever happened.
“Thanks, but no. I’m sorry… Space. I need lots of space.” I wave them off and haul ass down the hallway, closing the guest room door behind me when I get inside.
I can’t stay here. Between Tate’s behavior, my unexpected pregnancy, Cindy’s emotional flare-up, and the moves the MC is beginning to make to stop Jett from keeping up his stalker act, it’ll be a miracle if I get through my first trimester. I take a seat on the edge of the bed and cradle my stomach. God, how has this even happened? With a second to myself, I come to terms with the reality of the situation.
I’ve no idea how to feel about becoming a mother.
Tate has been…good. Surprisingly and weirdly tender with me. But I’m not entertaining any fantasies.