Chapter 10

TEN

ALEXA

My phone sits on my table as I stare at it, weighing up my options.

Eventually, my sisters will find out. However, is now the right time to do this? I thought telling Mom and Dad would be hard, but this isn’t hard as much as it will be, let’s say—annoying.

I know exactly how this will all play out. Millie will lecture me on college and my career. Ava will interrogate me on what happened on the night, down to why I let him come inside me.

Addy will be the only level-headed one. However, she will want to discuss my emotions and all that bullshit.

My fingers type quickly to send them a group text.

Me

Are you guys free to video chat?

Ava

Give me ten. River is not wanting to go to bed, and Austin is at work.

Millie

Yeah, but not for long. I’m working on a case, and Will just got back from London.

Addy

Whenever I’m just reading.

Me

What are you reading?

Addy

It’s a billionaire single-daddy romance. DON’T JUDGE ME.

Me

Send me the rec. I can use something smutty.

Sure, like I needed a single-daddy romance book. Maybe I need to find some single-mommy recs.

Ten minutes later, my phone rings. Addy is the first to connect via video, then Ava and Millie.

“Hey.” I wave, then place my hands in front of me, willing my pulse to slow down. Suddenly, the nerves overcome me. Not like it did with Mom and Dad, but still, my heart is racing a million miles a minute.

“What’s going on?” Millie questions first.

Here we fucking go. I intake a deep breath, slowly releasing it to calm down.

“I wanted to talk to you guys about something, but this is how the conversation is going to go. I will talk. No one will interrupt me. The question and answer portion will occur at the end. When we reach this part, you all get to ask only one question, so make it good.”

“Gee, how dominating of you,” Ava mocks.

“Okay… here goes…” I stare at all of them, then continue, “I’m pregnant. About five months along. Mom and Dad know. Hunter is the father. No, I’m not sleeping with him, and he doesn’t know. The end.”

Ava is the first to show a reaction. She spat out the wine she’d been drinking and yelled, “Oh my god. I think I’m choking.”

Her coughing spell doesn’t mask Millie staring in shock or Addy pressing her lips shut to refrain from commenting.

Surprisingly, each one of them listened to my instructions and remained quiet.

“Millie, you first,” I insist.

“So, like, Dad was okay with this? What about your studies? If this was me, I would have been sent to a nunnery for the rest of my life. It’s so not fair being the oldest!”

“He was shocked and upset, but he got over it in a few minutes, and we had a long discussion.”

“Over it in a few minutes?” Millie blurts out. “No way, you must have a different Lex Edwards.”

“I believe your question has been answered. Next,” I say, looking at Ava.

“So, you didn’t use protection? How did this even happen, and where?”

“That’s two questions, Ava. I said one. Pick your question.”

“Fine,” Ava complains. “Why didn’t you use protection?”

“I was drunk the night before with Beau. I was stupid and ripped out my birth control because it was sitting weirdly in my arm. I forgot all about it until afterward.”

“How can you forget?” Ava almost yells.

“I said one question.”

I shift my gaze onto Addy, knowing she won’t be as dramatic as Millie and Ava.

Addy lets out a breath. “The only question I have is, how are you doing?”

Just as I predicted, Addy has asked the most burning question of them all. Maybe, the one I am most scared to answer.

“Um, I’m okay. Scared, terrified, calm, unsure… the list goes on depending on when you speak to me.” I lower my eyes to the table, then raise them again to look at my sisters. “It’s fucked up, okay? Hunter is having a baby with someone else, and this happens to me. I’ve wanted to scream, why me? But what’s the point? It’s done, and I’m having the baby without him.”

There’s an unsettling silence from all of them. Something I’m not used to. Most of the time, everyone is talking over each other, and I don’t get a single word in.

“Are we allowed to talk now?” Ava asks.

“Go…”

“So, you come back home, and we’ll all help.”

“Ava… I can’t ask you guys to help. You both have your own families.”

“This is what family is for,” Millie reminds me. “The other day, River called me Mama. Granted, it was an accident but still cute.”

“You can have her,” Ava says. “Her ‘I won’t go to sleep’ phase is wearing me down.”

“I’m planning to finish the semester and then come back home. Once I have the baby, I’ll see when the right time is to re-enroll.”

“Ah.” Millie’s face lights up. “So that’s why Dad isn’t losing his shit. You promised to go back and study.”

“I want to go back. I just didn’t really know what my options were.”

“Wait,” Ava raises her voice. “Stand up and show us ya belly!”

A small laugh escapes me. I stand up, pulling my sweater up so they can see.

“Aww,” Millie and Ava say in unison.

“You’re glowing,” Addy comments. “Now I know why you want my single daddy rec. You’re not getting laid and probably horny as hell.”

“You can always ask Beau.” Ava snickers.

“Ava,” Millie scolds. “Beau is like her brother. At least through marriage. Anyways, that boy is busy sleeping his way through all of Manhattan.”

“He’s not like that anymore,” I correct her. “I mean to say, he’s not as bad as you think.”

Ava and Millie watch me with far too much curiosity.

“Look, he’s my best friend, and I think I know him better than what your husband tells you, Millie.”

“You’re sleeping with him,” Ava blurts out.

“I’m not!”

“But you want to?” she questions.

“No, he’s here for me. That’s what friends do. Look, I’m tired, so can we talk again later.” I yawn.

“One more question,” Ava slides in, prompting me to roll my eyes.

“What?”

“Do you know what you’re having?”

I shake my head. “Not yet. Should I find out?”

“Yes,” Ava answers. At the same time, Millie says no.

“Honestly, Alexa. Do what you feel is right. But if you do, we all want to be there.” Addy grins.

“Great,” I mumble, then force a smile. “Let me think about it.”

“So, they all know?”

“Yes,” I reply to Beau as we walk through the park since I really need some fresh air. “Cat’s out of the bag.”

“Do you feel better?”

“Yeah, I guess. I mean, Ava is blowing up my messages with baby products, and I haven’t even thought about that. What’s the point? I’ll be moving back home.”

Beau stops mid-step, keeping his stare fixated on the ground. “You’re moving back home?”

“Well, yeah. I can’t exactly raise a baby in a dorm room. I need my parents’ help. I have no clue what I’m doing.”

He remains quiet as his shoulders drop while sauntering. Unlike before, his feet drag with an unnatural stillness to him.

“I get it,” he simply says.

We walk along the lake quietly. I take a moment to breathe in all the fresh air and admire the beautiful scenery. So much of me will miss Manhattan, but I know being close to my parents and sister will be best for the baby.

“You know you can visit anytime. It’s only a plane ride away. We can go to Disneyland, and I can make you ride Space Mountain to see if your childhood memories return of you throwing up mid-ride.”

A small smile graces his lips. “That was gross. Thanks for reminding me.”

I pull his arm back, willing him to stop.

“This isn’t the end for us,” I tell him, but as our eyes lock, I quickly turn away, overwhelmed by his deep stare. “I mean our friendship.”

“I know.”

We continue to walk past a couple playing with a child. The family is young, but they look happy and content. A slight pang knocks into my chest, knowing my child will never have their father and this family unit. All they’ll have is me.

Not wanting to bring myself down, I quickly think of anything else to distract from my depressing thoughts.

“Ava thinks I’m sleeping with you.”

“What?” Beau questions with a laugh. “Your sister is a whack job.”

“You’re telling me.”

“What did you tell her?”

“Um, the truth. That we’re not. I mean, for starters.” I point down at my belly. “Hello.”

“Pregnant women have sex all the time.”

“How do you know that?”

“Technically, you were pregnant when we had sex.”

I scrunch my nose. “Okay, does that make it weird then?”

“It was fine with me.”

“What do you mean it was fine? The sex was just fine, or you’re fine with knowing I was pregnant but didn’t know at the time?”

“I’m fine with knowing you were but not knowing at the time,” he claims.

“So, the sex was not fine?”

Beau cocks his head with a smirk. “What is it you really want to know?”

I shrug. “Nothing.”

The path takes another turn, then becomes a crossroad. We both turn left and walk until we reach the end of the park. I stop at a vendor to grab a drink before we cross the road to walk past The Plaza Hotel.

The valets are busy assisting guests with luxurious cars and a ton of luggage. A black Mercedes pulls to the curb, and the door opens, prompting the valet to rush to the car. The poor young guy looks panicked, not reaching for the door in time as a man steps out.

I glance at the suit pants, tailored to perfection, then work my way up to see his face. My eyes focus, noticing how familiar the jawline and hairstyle are.

Suddenly, my breaths become shallow as my body trembles.

“No,” I choke.

Beau glances up, staring with curiosity until his face tenses and his lips press shut into a white slash. He quickly grabs my hand to hold it. At the same time, I pull on my sweater in a panic so you can’t see my stomach.

Then, the blue eyes lock into mine.

The same eyes I once craved all over me.

“We need to go,” I barely manage to get out. “Like now, please.”

Hunter’s gaze drifts to where Beau is holding my hand, and if my instincts are somehow on point, his expression is anything but joyous. His jaw is clenched, with pinched eyes as he adopts a sullen look. As quickly as our eyes meet, he turns away coldly, ignoring me.

Beau ushers me across the street, the rush of his steps making it hard for me to keep up. When we’re far from the hotel, I beg him to stop so I can catch my breath.

“Why is he here?” I ask, knowing Beau has no answer.

“Let’s head back home.”

We cab ride it back instead of the subway. Back inside my dorm, I still can’t stop thinking about Hunter. How he looked and how I felt, all of which confused me. It’s not like I missed him, but seeing him brought back memories, and that combined with his ability to cheat on me while we were together, leaves me restless. I don’t know how to feel. All of it is overwhelming.

“God,” I shout, throwing my purse onto the chair. “What if he saw my stomach?”

“Then he would think it’s my baby.”

“I guess. I’m just so angry, you know. Why does my baby have to grow up without a father? I swear, I could punch a wall right now with how angry I am.”

“You need to calm down,” Beau suggests, motioning for me to lie down. “The guy is a jerk. End of fucking story.”

“I could use a drink. Distract me, tell me anything to make me forget how much I loathe him right now.”

“You were the best I’ve ever had,” Beau says faintly.

The anger inside me subsides, replaced by a warm sensation spreading throughout me. I slowly turn, meeting his gaze. His deep brown eyes burn into mine while silence falls between us.

“Beau,” I call in a soft tone. “You don’t have to say it just to make me feel better.”

“I’m telling you the truth. I’m not going to hide it anymore, Alexa. Now you know.”

“Now I know,” I repeat, still fixated on him. “But, you know we can’t, right? It would complicate things.”

Beau simply nods. “I should go anyway. I have to study.”

“Okay…” I don’t want him to leave, but I have no choice either. “Beau?”

He raises his eyes back to mine. “Yeah?”

“Ditto.”