Chapter 7 Rhett
Rhett
“You haven’t kissed me in months, Rhett.”
I blink away my daze and stare at Angela. “What?”
“And like that? You’re always somewhere else.”
Panic fills my chest. “I have a lot on my plate with practice and games and school.” And spending every waking moment making sure your sister is taken care of.
“If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were cheating on me.”
My tongue goes dry and I gape at her. “I’m not sleeping with anyone,” I blurt out, voice bordering on shrill. “Why would you say that?”
Not sleeping with anyone at the moment.
But you did before…
“You’re just so distant,” she mutters. “And here I thought all the secrecy was because you were going to propose. How wrong was I?”
“Propose?”
Her parents choose that exact moment to approach the table. Vivian squeals with excitement but David grunts.
“I know you’re not proposing to my daughter like that,” David says, voice tight. “My little girl deserves something far more special than an offhanded comment at dinner. Plus, if you were to get a ring, I know you’d get it from me.”
Well, fuck.
And, an hour later, that’s how I find myself at Serengeti’s local jewelry store, picking out a ring that’s more expensive than my car.
David explains all the cuts and metal types and everything I didn’t care to know about engagement rings.
Meanwhile, my phone buzzes nonstop. When I finally escape, there’re several messages from Abby.
Abby: I fell.
Abby: It’s probably fine.
Abby: My back really hurts, though.
Abby: What if the baby’s not fine? Oh God.
I toss the ring box in the backseat of my car and haul ass to Moonlit Gables.
Abby winces as I help her into the passenger seat. Thankfully, the doctor said Abby and the baby were fine, and likely just pulled a muscle in her back. It scared the shit out of both of us, though.
When we make it back to the townhouse, Riko pops his head out of his door.
“She’s okay,” I tell him as I exit my car. “Baby is too.”
“Thank fuck,” he says and saunters over to us as I assist Abby out of the car.
He follows us inside and stops to cuddle the cats. I guide Abby to the couch, find her favorite blanket, and then grab her a Sprite.
“So,” Riko says, voice unusually shaky. “I talked to Derek and we want to put an offer on the table.”
“You can’t have our cats,” I deadpan.
He snorts. “Your cats? I thought they were Abby’s.”
“What’s hers is mine.”
She rolls her eyes. “Caveman.”
Riko smirks. “Anyway, we know how you want to put little Buck—”
“We’re not naming him Buck,” I blurt out at the same time Abby says, “See, it’s catching on!”
Riko cackles with laughter. “Buck is totally catching on.”
Abby preens as she sips her soda. She’s glowing now that the scare is out of the way. I prefer seeing her like this than sick with worry.
“We want to adopt Buck. You’re putting him up for adoption anyway, so why not adopt him out to someone you know?”
I whip my head over to see if Riko’s serious. His expression is gentle and hopeful. A sudden burst of relief gushes through me.
Until I see Abby’s face.
The glow has vanished and she’s paler than ever before.
“Uh, sorry,” Riko blurts out. “I didn’t mean to just throw that on you. Think about it and let us know. We have plenty of time.”
He leaves us both in stunned silence. Then, Abby makes a whining sound. She squeezes her eyes shut and rubs her belly. I panic, wondering if the baby really is hurt.
“Hey, honey,” I croon as I kneel on the floor beside her. “What’s wrong? What hurts? Want me to rub your back?”
She shakes her head and tears fling from her jaw. Gently, I take her wet cheek in my hand and stroke her flesh with my thumb.
“Look at me, Abs.”
Her red eyes open and her brows pinch together as if she’s in pain. “I can’t let him go. I know this isn’t what you want and I’m sorry, but I can’t do it. I love him already.”
“But that was the plan, remember?”
“Was it?” Her bottom lip trembles violently. “I don’t remember agreeing to that suggestion.”
Her emotions are wild and out of control. From what the internet says, it’s only exasperated by pregnancy hormones. Rogue hops onto the couch and tries to wedge himself between us. Runaway joins a second later. They’re her Velcro animals and can always sense when she’s not doing well.
“We don’t have to figure all that out right now,” I say softly. “Today has been a long, hard day for you. Why don’t you take a nap, honey?”
She nods. “Okay. Can you stay with me?”
As if I’m going to leave her in this state.
“I wasn’t planning on going anywhere.”
Her smile is sweet and it makes my chest ache. “Thank you.”
Since her back is still hurt, I assist her up the stairs. The entire time, my phone buzzes in my pocket. Once I get her to her room, I excuse myself to the nursery to see who’s blowing me up.
Angela: Daddy said you got the perfect ring for me.
Angela: He won’t give me any details. So annoying.
Angela: I can see your location. I hope this means you’re planning the most epic proposal with Riko rather than avoiding me. LOL.
My stomach twists.
Me: Yup. Talk soon.
Angela: Love you.
Me: Yep.
I kick off my shoes, drop my phone beside them, and make my way to Abby’s room so I can comfort her without distraction.
When I enter, I stop dead in my tracks. She’s changing out of her clothes and into an oversized T-shirt.
I stare at her smooth, naked back. No bra.
Her purple panties are tight on her growing bottom showing off a lot of cheek. My cock twitches.
Not helpful, dude.
I clear my throat. She quickly yanks on the shirt and then whirls around to look at me.
Since she’s getting comfortable, I decide to do the same and shed my shirt.
A flicker of pride races through me when her heated gaze skims over my chest. I’ve been working my ass off at the gym to keep up with the other athletes. Guess it’s paying off.
Abby crawls into bed and I follow. Once I’m on my back, she curls around me and her palm rests on the center of my chest. My heart hammers beneath her fingertips, sending blood straight to my cock.
“Sorry I freaked out earlier,” she whispers, hot breath tickling over my skin. “I feel so out of control lately.”
“It’s okay.”
She scoffs. “No, it’s not, Rhett. You’ve been doing so much for me. At first, I was pissed at you when I got pregnant, but I’m so grateful for you. This would be a nightmare with anyone else, but with you, it’s not.”
I hug her to me and kiss her hair. “I’m a step above a nightmare. Winning over here.”
“Just a tiny step. Don’t let it go to your head.”
She tilts her head up and when I look down at her, our mouths are close. Too close. Her tongue sweeps across her bottom lip and it transfixes me. I find myself leaning a little closer, aching to lick it too.
Dude. No.
What the fuck.
A small sigh escapes her as she closes her eyes. Her lips part as though she’s waiting for the kiss that will never come. I’ve already screwed up royally. I have more self-control than that, so I remain still, not meeting her for the kiss.
“I’m with Angela,” I remind us both.
Her lips purse together and her eyes reopen. Fire burns angrily in her gaze. “I know.”
“Well, stop making me want to kiss you.” Shit. That didn’t come out right. “Fuck. I mean, stop looking at me like you want me to kiss you.”
Her fingertips skate over my chest and brush over one of my nipples. My cock is completely at attention now, straining in my boxers. I’m thankful the blanket is covering me, and she isn’t looking at it. It’s betraying the words I speak.
“You want to kiss me?” she purrs, voice sounding like one of her clingy cats.
Why must she tease me so fucking bad sometimes? It’s what got us in this predicament in the first place. There’s something about Abby Serengeti that’s hard for me to resist.
“No,” I lie.
“I don’t want to kiss you either.” She also lies.
I grunt as I slide my palm to her waist. “Stop talking.”
Her lips curl into a teasing grin. “You could stop me.”
As much as I want to do just that, I ignore the taunt and gently rub at the muscle on her lower back, beneath her shirt. She stiffens and breathes heavily.
“Still hurts?”
“Yep,” she breathes. “It’s a little lower, though.”
I can’t meet her intense stare as I slip my fingers beneath the hem of her panties. She whimpers and whines as I massage the tender muscle. We’re quiet as I work out the tension. Eventually, she falls asleep.
Do I remove my hand from inside her panties?
Yes.
Do I hate every second of it?
Also, yes.
I do gently roll her onto her back so I can watch her sleep. With her eyes closed and breath coming out in even exhales, I admire her without guilt.
Beautiful. There’s a reason why I got swept up in her in the first place. It wasn’t because we were drunk or she was challenging me. It’s because there’s always been an attraction between us.
Unfortunately, she’s the wrong sister.
The right one thinks I’m planning a wedding proposal. Her expensive-ass engagement ring is probably laying in the floorboard of the backseat of my car, discarded and unwanted.
Dread consumes me. Am I spending too much time with Abby and letting my emotions get confused? Abby is carrying my baby, but I’m not going to marry her. I’m marrying her sister.
When I start to pull away, my fingertips drag across her stomach. It’s then I realize she’s growing a little there. The bump is barely there, but I notice it. I splay my palm across her stomach, a grin tugging at my lips. There’s a piece of me growing inside her. Fucking wild.
I try to imagine a future where I coparent this baby with her. Keeping it a secret from Angela and her family might be damn near impossible. I’m probably setting myself up for epic failure.
This is going to get messy. I can feel it in my bones. The best thing to do would be to put distance between us. But that doesn’t feel right either. I’ve fucked my life up and I don’t know how to fix it.
I slide down a little further, the urge to kiss her stomach something I can no longer ignore. It makes me wonder if little Buck can hear me or recognize the sound of my voice.
“Hey, kid,” I whisper against her flesh. “It’s Daddy.”
Of course nothing happens, but I pretend the baby is inside listening to me.
“I’ll figure out a way to be a part of your life,” I promise him. “Maybe one day I’ll confess everything to Angela. By then, maybe you’ll have a bunch of step siblings to play with. Your aunt would have to forgive me.”
I can’t imagine Angela with a mess of kids around her for some reason.
What I can imagine is Abby’s teasing eyes as she nurses little Buck in this very bed. In my fantasy, she’s still pregnant. Or maybe she’s pregnant again. Regardless, it’s stupid and I need to get it out of my head.
She once asked me what my dreams were and I told her the truth.
But now they’re changing.
It’s confusing and I need to get my head on straight before I destroy everything.