Chapter 10
The first missed period Greer had just chalked up to stress—after all, her big brother had almost been killed, that crazy guy had attacked Genny and Aubrey in Aubrey’s driveway, she’d started her job full-time, and things were just crazy everywhere lately.
But the second…had her picking up three pregnancy tests at the pharmacy in Barrattville.
And then sitting there on the end of her bed fighting the urge to panic worse than she ever had before. This was real.
She was pregnant.
It had happened.
Her one and only time of having sex—and she had gotten caught in the oldest consequence possible. She should have listened to her mother’s dire warnings about what a man truly wanted. She should have listened to Gene when he said stay away from Kurtland Chase.
This was not good. Not good.
Kurtland Chase’s baby grew inside her now. She ran into her bathroom and vomited when it sank in exactly what that meant.
She was going to be a mother. Be in charge of another human life. And that just…
Panic was starting to hit, hard.
She was going to have to see Kurt, to tell him. What if he wanted to be involved with the baby? He already had those two little girls he was adopting. Everyone was talking about that now.
About how the wealthy single millionaire rancher was now taking care of two precious orphaned babies. Women in town were cooing and sighing over the entire of it. Some had even talked about volunteering to help him with childcare duties—if the position was live-in. Gag.
It had made her livid to even think about it.
What about those two innocent little girls, stuck with a jerk like Kurt? What if he thought the baby would be better off with him full-time instead of her?
He was older, just as wealthy—maybe even wealthier considering her assets were all rolled into the ranch with her siblings’, well-connected throughout the state…
Kurt could win in a custody dispute. She knew he could win.
He could take her baby away from her, and he was just cruel enough to do it, too.
He had a big ranch and other businesses that he ran, was already in an established home with lots of room, and he already had two kids that he was providing for.
He was now more experienced than she was, even if just by weeks.
She lived in a small two-bedroom apartment and worked long hours. Kurt could win.
Kurt could take their baby away from her.
He hated the Hillers enough to do it. Why else had he done what he had?
Revenge. That was all it could be.
She was pregnant with Kurtland Chase’s revenge baby.
Greer jumped to her feet.
She couldn’t stay home. She would just go crazy, building fear. But…she couldn’t go back to the ranch. Not tonight. She would never be able to keep it a secret.
The last thing she needed was five angry older brothers battering her with questions.
She would crack. She would tell them. And then they would annihilate Kurtland Tyson Chase. Even Gunn might not be so peaceful after that.
So she just drove. And drove.
Until she ended up at Ayla’s house. Ayla and Aubrey had bought a little ranch house in town Value and had made it so cute for the two of them.
Aubrey was a doctor. She could explain what Greer needed to do next. First, Greer needed to make sure she and the baby were as healthy as possible. She was having a baby, and that meant taking care of herself from this moment on.
Then, she’d come up with a plan about how to deal with Kurtland Chase. She wasn’t going to go through this alone. She had to remember that. She had her family. And they loved her. No matter what.
Aubrey answered the door. “Greer…If you’re looking for Ayla, Gunn convinced her to go with him to the movies tonight.”
That had her pausing. Gunn and Ayla had been spending a lot of time together lately. Alone. Doing things…dates did. “Are they actually…dating? Like for real?”
Her brother the minister, and one of her best friends? Crazy. She hoped so, though. She really hoped so. Gunn would so perfect for Ayla—and Ayla would see Gunn for the man he really was.
Aubrey shook her head. “I’m not entirely sure that they are. But I’m not sure they’re not, either. Come in…and tell me what’s going on. I can see you’re upset about something.”
Right there, on Aubrey’s front steps, Greer just broke into a thousand pieces.
And the entire story just came right out.
She ended up spending the night at Aubrey and Ayla’s. It was fun to be there and grill Gunn about his intentions toward Ayla when he finally brought her home. Her big brother’s cheeks actually turned red when she teased him.
Gunn was one of the sweetest men she had ever known. Ayla was…the sweetest, kindest woman she had ever met.
Greer couldn’t think of two people more perfect for one another. Ayla was just made to be a minister’s wife, as much as she thrived on helping people. And the way her brother looked at Ayla…well, she thought it was beautiful.
They were the way love was supposed to be. But if they got married, who would do the ceremony, considering Gunn was the minister? Probably his friend from Nebraska who he was always talking about.
Greer told Ayla everything, as Aubrey made them all hot cocoa with extra marshmallows. Aubrey liked to fuss over people, she had noticed before.
Greer helped herself to a fresh pile of little white pillows of goodness—apparently, her baby liked marshmallows more than anything in the world. And she talked. Spilled it all. Even one little detail she hadn’t meant to share.
“Ok, so…this was the first time you’ve ever slept with a guy and you didn’t even get to have the big…
you know…” Ayla asked, all wide-eyed. “That is so unfair. I mean, if I ever get to the point of taking my clothes off with a man, I want to at least enjoy it. Not that I have even came close. The closest I have ever gotten was tonight…when your brother kissed me. Like right here. Between the eyes, between the eyes. Guys are so weird.”
Gunn had kissed her between the eyes. That was so…funny and sweet and goofy and something Gunn would do when he was feeling awkward. Those two…so romantic.
“No kidding. Let’s just say I’m not too up on the idea of jumping into another guy’s bed anytime soon. Say…at least nineteen…maybe…twenty years? And only then if he’s young and model-hot. Maybe.”
“It’s not always like that,” Aubrey said, abruptly. “My first time was very sweet. And with someone I really trusted. He was a good man.”
Was. That was telling. “What happened?”
She didn’t know much about Aubrey at all. Ayla’s big sister was a bit on the cool, mysterious side.
“He died when I was twenty-one. We were living in Houston together. Close to Ayla. He was a nursing supervisor. And there was an attack in the emergency department one night. He wrapped himself around a little girl when her abusive father went after her, to protect her. He was shot three times. I was in the building at the time. I was able to get to him, to hold him as…he died.” Aubrey stood, and put her cup in the sink.
Then she turned back to Ayla and Greer. The look on her face was fierce, almost frightening.
“Listen to me, you two. Don’t you dare just settle for pieces of anything.
Just scraps. Go for everything. There are good men out there.
I’m starting to learn that again lately.
Don’t let one bad experience keep you from seeing that, Greer.
Kurt Chase isn’t worth a moment more of your time.
And you aren’t doing this alone. I can think of five good men who are going to be standing shoulder-to-shoulder between you and him, if that’s what you want.
And probably Chad Fields and his brother Charlie on either side of them, like gorgeous redheaded bookends.
There have to be more men like them out there.
So promise me, don’t ever just settle. You deserve more than that. So much more. Both of you do.”
Greer wrapped her hands around the older woman’s. Aubrey had been hurt more than any woman Greer had ever met before. That hurt would always be ghosts in her eyes. “And so do you. We all do. Let’s make a pact, right now. None of us settle for less than the real deal. Okay?”