Micky couldn’t get the image of double blue lines out of her head. “I’m pregnant.”
On the other side of the bathroom wall, club music pumped. People were laughing, dancing, drinking…totally carefree.
A vise tightened around her skull, and her skin went clammy.
Holy shit. How is this happening?
How is this my life?
“Well, hang on. It could be a faulty test.” Della gave her an encouraging look. “Let’s take another one.”
“No, I know. I don’t have any allergies, my breasts are super sensitive, and I threw up in the break room. I’m pregnant.”
Obviously, she’d considered it, but she was on the pill. She’d used a condom. And she’d never once had a scare with Carson. “Where’d you get the rubber?”
“They came from the employee locker room. You saw me grab a handful with your own eyes.”
When they’d first gotten here, Della had joked about getting laid. The best way to get over a guy is to get under another one. When Micky said she wasn’t ready for that, her friend had stuffed condoms in her purse, her jeans, and in her nightstand.
“I can’t believe this.” Micky snatched a few sheets of paper towels out of the dispenser and dried her hands. “The one thing my mother didn’t want me to do. God, she’s going to kill me.”
“Your mom is the least of your concerns.”
Fear drove a stake into her chest. “My job.” She wheeled around. “Do I have to quit? Go home? Oh, my God, I literally don’t know what to do.” Shock started to wear off, leaving her buzzing with anxiety.
“Hey.” Della grabbed her arms and gave her a shake. “Listen to me. This is a story as old as time. You got knocked up. You’re having a baby. Or not. You have choices. If you choose to have it, you’re not even going to show for three or four months. It won’t affect your job. In fact, you want to keep the job, so you’ll have some money set aside.” Her hands smoothed down until they clasped Micky’s. “I’m here for you. You know Franny’s going to be there for you. We got this. I promise you, we got this.”
The warmth, comfort, and confidence in her friend’s eyes drew a sting of tears. “Yeah, okay.” She did have all the support in the world. She’d have childcare galore. Della, her mom, even her mom’s clients would step up. Her whole community would. “I never imagined having anyone else’s kids but Carson’s.”
“I know.”
“Talk me through this. I need a game plan.”
Della nodded. “Let’s get out of here.” She led her out of the bathroom.
Her mind was already filled with chaos, so the loud music was unbearable. Making their way around the perimeter of the room, happy people jostled her, their conversations full of laughter.
Keeping her head down—she didn’t want to make eye contact with anyone, couldn’t bear running into someone she knew—she got a funny prickle at the back of her neck. When she looked up, her gaze unerringly landed on him.
Rhys.
Standing near the stage, a beautiful redhead hanging on him, he held a beer low at his waist. He tracked her movements.
Did he know? Suspect? Why else would a woman he’d slept with three weeks earlier throw up at the smell of coffee and danish?
Her stomach lurched, and she looked away. Get out of here.
Frantic, she overtook Della and wove through the crowd. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Her palms hit the door, and she pushed outside into the brisk cold.
God, Rhys. Did she have to tell him? Could she just go home to Arizona and leave him none the wiser? She headed straight for the coffee and cocoa kiosk, closed this late at night.
Della showed up a minute later, shoving her parka at her. “Put your coat on, you knucklehead.”
Stabbing her hands into the sleeves, Micky shrugged it on.
“What happened in there?” Della tipped her head toward the bar.
“Rhys. He’s there. He saw me.”
“Okay, well, we’re not on the lam. He lives here, and he’s your boss. He can see you.”
“I’m a mess.” Tipping her head back, she blew out a breath and gazed up at the stars. “I’m a total fucking mess.”
“Of course, you are.” Della zipped up her coat. “Believe me, I would be, too. But until you wrap your head around it, I’m going to be your voice of reason, okay? I’m not the one who’s pregnant—”
“You’re pregnant?” The deep voice shattered the cold, brittle air.
“Fuck,” Della whispered. Slowly, she turned to him. “We’re not ready for this conversation. Can you please wipe that word from your brain and give us a little more time?”
But Rhys pushed past her, bristling with intent. “Is it mine?”
Micky let out a shuddery breath. “I’m going to bed, okay? We’ll talk in the morning.”
“You’re not going anywhere until you answer me. Is it mine?” He wasn’t cruel. He wasn’t mean. He wasn’t ugly. He was firm and insistent.
“Look…” Della moved to insert herself between them.
But Rhys blocked her with his powerful body. “If the answer’s no, I’ll go back into the bar. You’ll show up for work tomorrow, and it’ll be wiped from my brain. If the answer’s yes…” He looked Della right in the eyes. “Then, this is between me and Micky.”
Her friend gave him the kind of fierce expression that made men cower.
Rhys wasn’t that man. He turned back to Micky, but he didn’t say a word.
She submitted to the inevitable. “Yes. It’s yours.”
“Micky.” Della’s tone held warning. “You don’t know that for sure.”
“Yeah, I do. Carson and I…” Her exhalation came out in a gusty white fog. “We haven’t slept together since Halloween.”
“You know the exact night?” Della sounded surprised.
“I’d like a minute alone with Micky.” Rhys maintained his composure, his grace, but the tendons in his neck had gone rigid.
Della checked with her, and Micky nodded. “It’s fine.”
“You be nice to her.” Della poked his chest, before walking back to the bar.
They stood there in silence, as her friend opened the door to release the sounds of music and chatter. The cobblestone street was empty at this time of night in the village.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
Oh. Everything in her softened at the kind question. “I’m totally freaking out. I’ve been on the pill for ten years, and I’ve never had a single scare. My mom raised me by herself, and the one thing she drilled into me was to never be careless with birth control.” She dropped her face into her mittened hands. “I can’t believe this. I just can’t believe it.”
“Tomorrow morning, I’d appreciate it if you’d get to the office an hour early. We’ll meet with my attorney and hash out the details.”
Fear pinched her nerves. Slowly, she looked at up him. “Details?”
He gave her a look that said he saw right through her. “There won’t be room for negotiation, but we’ll give you enough to live comfortably. You’ll never have to work again, but I will require you to sign away your maternal rights.”