“He’s never gonna find out!” Despite the hardness in her voice, it still cracked with rattled nerves.
I looked at her, demanding her full attention. “Listen to me: You will regret this. Caleb wants kids someday; he told me himself. He also adores you, Hilary.”
Her features began to soften as I continued with a gentler voice.
“And maybe he will break your heart and leave you a single mother. But if that happens, you won’t ever have to raise this child alone. You know that. And at the end of the day, you’ll have a clear conscience. Please, just tell him the truth. Give him a chance.”
The bathroom door swung open abruptly. Both our heads whipped in its direction as a woman sauntered in, typing away on her phone. When she looked up, her body jerked back, startled.
“Oh, Miss Clarke! Hi, how have you been? We heard you’re coming back on Monday.”
Her name failed me, but I recognized her as one of my students’ mothers.
“Yeah, I am, and I can’t wait,” I replied.
“Excuse me,” Hilary muttered, slipping out the door with her head down.
I gave a look of apology to the woman. “I’m sorry, I have to go. I’ll see you in a couple days. Take care!” I threw out hastily as I rushed out.
“Hilary, stop!”
She turned back quickly. “Cassandra, I love you—I do, and I know why you’re pushing me. Honestly, I’d be trying to convince you to do the same thing, but please…I can’t be a mother.”
She started walking away again.
“But you’ll steal away Caleb’s chance at being a father?” I said, not bothering to whisper.
She spun back and stormed at me. “Stop! Come on—please. Don’t do this to me.”
I stood my ground, despite her shaking hands and trembling lip. When she saw I wasn’t going to back down, her shoulders slumped on the rush of her drained exhale. Tears welled in her eyes.
“I tried. I almost told him last night. Seeing him with Oliver broke my heart because he’s so good with him. So…natural. Like, it just came so easy to him. But after we dropped Oliver off and got back in the car, Caleb was kissing me and said he was glad it was just us…that as much as he loved Oliver, he couldn’t imagine doing that every night.”
“Hilary, he was probably just tired. Logan said Caleb rarely babysits. Don’t do something so extreme based off one stupid statement he made. Tell him what’s going on, and let him decide how he feels about it.”
Slowly, she sank down onto the snow, looking defeated, cradling her knees to her chest. I sat beside her, staring ahead at Logan and Oliver squaring off against Caleb in a snowball fight. Natasha stood to the side, watching them. Not wanting to think about her, I shook my head and turned my focus back to Hilary, but she’d seen the same picture as me.
“Sorry about Natasha,” Hilary said with a frown. “Caleb’s fault.”
“What? Why?” Did Caleb and Natasha even know each other? She was long gone from Logan’s life before he met Caleb.
Not the time. “You know what? Doesn’t matter. I’m not letting you change the subject. You always do that.”
She smiled and lay back with a thud, slipping her hands under her head. “We ran into her and Jax at Haven when we stopped in for a drink last night.”
Subject change, it was…for now. I lay back beside her.
“They overheard Caleb telling me we were going to meet you guys here in the morning. Jax insisted Caleb invite her, going on and on with some sob story about her always wanting to take Oliver sledding. I tried to talk him out of it.”
“I don’t get Jax,” I confessed, squinting my eyes in the morning sunlight.
“What’s to get? He’s a perv! Every time I run into him, he’s checking out my tits.” Her head fell my way, and she revealed a secret smile. “But he’s hot, so it’s not the worst thing.”
I narrowed my eyes playfully. “Caleb doesn’t strike me as one to share.”
She blew out a laugh. “You kidding? He almost knocked the shit out of him for just staring at me!”
We both laughed, relaxing into the earth as we lay there. The distant chuckles from the sledders mixed blissfully with the chirps from the birds overhead. It was surprisingly peaceful.
“He loves you,” I said after a few moments.
“I know.” She rubbed her stomach.
We lay there a while longer until the sight of Logan and Caleb heading our way caught my eye. Time was up.
“You can do this, Hilary. You’re one of the strongest people I know. ” I wrapped my hand around hers and held it there in the snow.
“It’s so unfair.”
I sat up and turned to her, holding her hand more tightly. “I know, but give him a chance. He deserves that—and so does the baby.”
“Hey, you beauties looking for company?” Caleb asked as they drew closer.
Hilary sat up and drew me in for a hug. “I’ll tell him. First thing tomorrow, I’ll tell him everything,” she whispered, then pulled back and held up her hand for Caleb. “I’m looking for a gentleman to help me up.”
Caleb pulled her to her feet. “Since when do you prefer a gentleman?” He snickered, nipping her neck. She giggled, falling against him so naturally I couldn’t imagine her with anyone else.
“A hand, sweetheart?”
I looked up at Logan and smiled. “I’m sure you have more than just that to offer.”
Before I could reach out, he leaned down and scooped me up, shifting me around to straddle him as he straightened. “Oh, I’ve plenty to offer you.” The thickness in his voice seeped through my skin, planting seeds of sensual promises.
There was no denying my need for him when he cupped my ass, pressing my center along the ridges of his abs. My fingers threaded together behind his neck, my needy eyes on his. I trailed my tongue over my suddenly dry lips, preparing to show him what I had to offer.
“Hey, now, this is a PG park!” Caleb teased.
Logan set me back down, but not before capturing my lips for a quick but memorable moment. Damn…he always tasted so perfect.
We made our way back to Oliver and Natasha, who were now at the top of the hill.
“Mommy, race me!” Oliver called out, plopping down on his sled.
With a hesitant smile, Natasha glanced my way, then back at her son. “Sorry, baby, I can’t. My back’s a little sore.”
The guilt that crept through me at the somber drop of his cheerful expression bit me.
“You can use your pillow,” Hilary suggested, pointing to the tote Natasha had set off to the side that had her butt cushion peeking out.
Natasha said nothing as Caleb grabbed it and tossed it onto a sled. “No shame. You wanted to come sledding with him, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, of course,” Natasha replied, her features devoid of any irritation. “Logan, can you help me?” She held out her hand, but Hilary stepped forward to take it.
“I can help you,” Hilary said, her expression bright and tone overly friendly.
Natasha stared at Logan, who didn’t move to help. And I knew he wouldn’t—not with Hilary standing there, willing and ready.
“Never mind, I got it,” Natasha said, then slowly lowered herself down onto the pillow.