Chapter Forty-Five
Max
Ailee and I linger over the parfaits and tea, then hit some stores for baby items. I want to give her some super-cute onesies. On the table for twins is a set in navy, one with Ctrl + C, and the other one with Ctrl + V. “Ooh, check this out.” I show them to Ailee.
She laughs. “That’s adorable!”
“Perfect for the twins, right?”
“Yeah.”
I start to grab them off the table, then stop. “What if they’re fraternal?”
“Does it matter?” She smiles.
“How about these?” I pick out the ones with the words WOMB MATE. One has an arrow pointing to right, and the other to left.
Her eyes sparkle. “Those’re great, too! How come so many are so adorable?”
“I’ll get both, just to cover all my bases.” I grin.
She picks up a onesie with the plump polar bear with the heart in the center, that says: Lovely Like Mommy. “This is perfect.” She sighs.
“Aww, I love it!”
We browse around, although we don’t buy much. “Akiko told me not to overbuy,” Ailee says.
“How come?” I ask in curiosity. Her husband’s family is too wealthy to care about dropping a few hundred bucks on baby items.
“She says they grow too fast. Apparently, most onesies will fit for about two months or so before becoming too tight.”
“That’s…sad.” I look at the polar bear onesie wistfully. The world is so unfair that little ones can wear it for only a couple of months. I go back and exchange the WOMB MATE onesies for a couple of sizes larger.
“But that’s the sign of healthy babies.” Ailee beams. “We can always come back and buy more together.”
I smile back. The unease that’s been plaguing me since finding out I’m pregnant eases a bit.
It’ll be all right, I tell myself. I’m not like Mom, who had no one but Dad in L.A.
I have my bestie, and millions in an emergency fund.
I’ll shower my baby with so much love, it’ll have no choice but to see how amazing it is.
Besides, I’ve stewed long enough. Later today, when Rhys is back from brunch with his brothers, I’ll have an honest, no-holds-barred conversation and lay out all my cards.
The plan terrifies me, but at the same time, it lightens the weight that’s been pressing on my soul since telling him about the pregnancy.
Be brave. You can do it!
By the time I return, Rhys is just climbing out of his car. He’s staring at his phone, brow furrowed. Guess the brunch with his brothers wasn’t as relaxing as I’d hoped. Or something’s happened with one of the acquisitions. He finally looks up.
“Welcome home, Freckles.” His eyes fall to the paper bag in my hand. “Shopping?”
“Ailee and I went to some baby stores.”
Something unidentifiable flickers in his gaze. “What did you get?”
“Actually, we bought onesies for each other’s babies.” I pull out her present. “Nice, isn’t it?”
“Very.” He runs his fingers along the writing. “‘Lovely Like Mommy.’” He lifts his beautiful blue eyes to meet mine. “Fitting.”
Air stutters in my lungs. Since I moved in with him, every time our eyes meet, tingling shivers just zing through me. “How was your brunch?”
“Good. A lot of fun, as usual. And productive.”
“Bet it was delicious too. Finn said Silas is a great cook when I was looking for a caterer for the office party my first year. He said something about how it was a shame that Silas doesn’t cater professionally.”
“Yeah, he would’ve done an amazing job, but his heart is set on managing Mom’s empire.” Rhys’s expression grows serious. “By the way, I need to be out of town for about a week.”
“Oh.” That was an abrupt change of topic. Guess the frown was for an acquisition becoming more difficult than expected. I want to talk to him about my fears and the baby, but that isn’t happening, not while he’s wearing that face. “How soon are we leaving?”
“You aren’t coming. It’s just me.”
“Just you,” I say stupidly as shock sucker-punches me. He’s never left me behind for a business trip. This is a first. I can’t process or decide what to think.
He nods.
“Do you want me to coordinate from the office?” I’m relieved my voice is neutral and professional.
“No, that won’t be necessary. I just have something I need to deal with.”
I search his face. My instinct tells me he’s hiding something. Although he meets my eyes, he doesn’t hold contact for more than a few seconds. He’s never done that before.
Just what is he planning to do while out of town? Is it really a business trip? Even if it’s personal, why would he avoid telling me about it?
Suddenly what Mom said on one of the very few calls with Aunt Bea crosses my mind.
“I guess I should have seen the signs when he just disappeared for days with his assistant, claiming it was for business. I trusted him too much. And I ended up hurting my kid. That’s something I just can’t forgive, you know?
You can gloat and say, ‘I told you so.’”
“Told ya so,” came Aunt Bea’s flat voice through the phone.
The current situation mirrors too much of what happened to my mom.
Although Rhys is traveling alone, he could be meeting someone.
It stabs straight into my insecurity. A tremor shakes my fingers.
I clench my hands to hide my reaction and force a smile.
“I see. Do you need me to arrange for a flight with Saito?”
“You don’t have to do anything. But thanks. I got this.” Rhys places a soft kiss on my forehead. His lips are cooler than usual, the expression on his face taut despite his words. “The workload will be lighter without me in the office, so just relax and take it easy.”