Chapter 9 Rhett
Rhett
“Are you going to propose this weekend?” Angela asks, smile bright and blinding. “Just asking if I should get my nails done early.”
I blink away thoughts of the other day with Abby. How we got off together. I’m such a fucking idiot.
“Uh, no.” I grimace when she frowns. “Sorry, but, uh, I’m working on making it epic.”
Her smile is back but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “I suppose I did this to myself by getting involved and asking questions about the ring.”
Said ring is still rolling around in the floorboard of the backseat of my car. I really should put it somewhere safe, or at the very least, carry it in the house.
I haven’t been able to bring myself to touch it, though.
“Oh,” Angela says, digging her nails into my forearm. “I forgot to tell you. You know Ellie Crenshaw? She saw Abby.” A laugh tumbles out of her. “She said she got fat.”
Before I can answer, the waitress at the country club restaurant brings us our steaks. My stomach clenches with worry. Where did Abby go that she was seen? Do I actually expect her to stay hidden away forever?
“Where did she see her?”
“Shopping with two other ladies. Apparently, they seemed normal.” Angela snorts.
“I told her it couldn’t have been my sister.
She’s probably coked out and spreading her legs for a biker gang or something.
I mean, she was dabbling in drugs there for a little while.
Fat and happy and normal just aren’t her thing. ”
“Why do you say that shit?” I ask, voice dripping with irritation. “You know it’s not true. Why do you hate your sister so badly?”
Angela blinks her long, false lashes at me and her eyebrows pinch together. “She’s embarrassing, Rhett. I swear she was switched at birth or something. My real sister is out there somewhere.”
While she giggles at her own joke, I don’t twitch a facial muscle and wait for her to give me a legitimate answer.
After a heavy, annoyed sigh, she says, “She always wanted whatever I had. Like you.”
“Me?” My muscles tighten and sweat trickles down my back. “That’s bullshit.”
She got me, though. In the pantry that night we made a baby. And the other day. When came together on her couch.
“I tried to tell her good men like you don’t go for whores but—”
I cut her off by the scraping of my chair as I rise to my feet. From across the dining room, I see him. Beau Masterson. Sick, fucking rapist.
Angela says something behind me, but I’m already storming over to the douchebag. As soon as he sees me, and recognizes me as Owen’s son, he sneers my way. He doesn’t know that I know he’s a twisted monster.
“This is for Abby,” I say in warning before rearing back my fist. It swings fast and hard, slamming into his jaw. Beau stumbles back, lands on a table behind him, and everything crashes to the floor.
I flex my fingers and try to shake out the pain in my hand. There’s a chance I might have fractured something on this loser’s face. If he were still conscious, I’d give him another knock to the head, but I laid him out with one hit.
A few men grab hold of me and usher me out of the restaurant. Chaos ensues inside, but I’m grateful to get away from it. When they deposit me outside, I storm off to my car. Angela can catch a ride with her parents whom I’m sure saw everything from the bar.
Fuck these people.
It’s late when I sneak into Abby’s townhouse. I lock up after me and tiptoe up the stairs. After shucking off my clothes until I’m only in boxers, I climb into bed with her.
“Rhett?”
“Needed to see my baby,” I murmur, reaching for her stomach in the dark. “Go back to sleep, honey.”
She curls up on her side, and I spoon her from behind. I love rubbing her swollen stomach while inhaling her hair. It’s soothing. The pain still throbbing in my hand is ignored as I lose myself in the mother of my baby.
Our legs are both bare and only underwear stands between us. Her T-shirt is big and loose, so I’m easily able to explore her body beneath. I stick to her stomach, but I ache to touch her breasts that keep swelling with each day that passes.
“You’re upset about something.”
I brush my fingers over the underside of her belly, skimming them along the hem of her panties. “Not anymore. Now I’m happy.”
“Happy here with me?”
“Mmhhhmm.”
I trace over her stretch marks on the side of her stomach. Her tiny body is growing to accommodate a human inside of her. It’s fucking magical.
“Did something happen?”
I nuzzle my nose in her hair. “Yup.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“Nope.”
“You just want to keep rubbing on me and sniffing me?”
“Yes. You smell good. Feel good.”
She sighs heavily. “You confuse me, Rhett Monahan.”
I confuse myself. I’ll be asking Angela to marry me soon, and despite my brain telling me that’s what I want, my heart and body are in complete defiance.
I’m so much more relaxed here with Abby.
Life feels real and not fabricated. But it’s also a secret life.
What happens when it’s exposed to the light? Will it look as pretty and shiny?
No.
It won’t.
“I’m a cheater,” I grumble, angry at myself. “I don’t want to be, and yet I’m here. With you. Doing this.”
“We’re not doing anything bad,” she whispers.
But I want to.
I want to slide her panties down, press my cock against her pussy, and sink into her hot body. I’m desperate to be inside her again. The first time I was drunk and stupid. I’m still stupid, but at least I’d be sober enough to enjoy every second of it.
“Is it bad I want to sleep with you, honey?”
She lets out a little laugh. “You are. We’re in bed. You need to stop talking and close your eyes.”
I reach up and cup her bare breast under her shirt. “You know that’s not what I’m talking about.”
“Rhett,” she rasps out.
I bite at her neck and run my thumb over her nipple. “I want to fuck you, Abby. So bad.”
Her response is to push her ass against my stone-hard cock. But she hasn’t actually given me permission, so I continue to tease her nipple with my fingers and kiss her neck.
“We can’t,” she says softly. “Rhett, stop. Now.”
As if doused in cold water, I jerk my hand away from her breast and out from under her shirt. When I start to scramble away from her, she rolls toward me and curls around my body.
“Stay. Sleep. Please.” Her lips find my jaw in the dark. “You’re upset right now and I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret later. Plus, I can’t take the back and forth. Can you just hold me tonight?”
I know she’s right.
“Yeah,” I choke out as I pull her tighter to me. “I’m sorry, honey.”
“It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.”
I ignore my buzzing phone as the ultrasound tech slides the wand over Abby’s lubed-up stomach. It doesn’t take long for us to hear the sound of the heartbeat again. And, like the other doctor’s visits, it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.
Abby beams at me, tears welling in her eyes. She’s such a good mom already and we’re only halfway there. I’m dying for her dream to come true. To hold our son. Such a simple, easy dream. I realize, it’s become one of mine too.
“Are you sure you want to know the sex?” the tech asks, grinning at us. “I can tell you right now if you want.”
I defer to Abby, eyebrows furled. “What do you want, honey?”
“I want to know,” she says quickly. “If you do.”
We both nod and the tech chuckles.
“New parents are always the cutest,” the tech says, eyes twinkling. “Do you lovebirds have any other kids or is this your first?”
Lovebirds?
Does she think we’re married?
“Two cats,” Abby says, smirking at me. “Lay it on us. If it’s a girl, I’ll still be happy, but I really—”
“You’re having a boy.”
“A boy?” I choke out as Abby gapes at the woman.
“Here,” the tech continues. “I’ll print out a picture so you can see his little boy parts.”
I stare at the screen, confused on how the lady can determine such a thing, completely in awe.
“We’re having a boy,” Abby says through her tears. “I knew it.”
This moment is special and pure, but my phone just goes and goes nonstop. Abby’s smile falters when I quickly peek at the screen.
Fuck.
Angela: Why are you at the hospital? Everything okay? Did you break your hand?
I keep forgetting that woman is tracking my every move. When I’m at Abby’s it’s easy for Angela to assume it’s Riko’s place. But, while out and about, it’s more obvious as to the things I’m up to.
Like finding the sex of my child with her sister.
Last night I almost slept with Abby again.
I couldn’t blame it on the alcohol this time.
It was pure need that was driving me. Now that I’m awake and more rooted in reality, I’m grateful she put a stop to it.
I’m spending so much time with Abby lately, it’s easy to see why my cock is getting confused.
Your cock’s never been confused around Abby…
I miss whatever the tech says and then she says Abby can get dressed.
“Why don’t you step out and take that call?” Abby suggests, her tone cool. “I don’t need an audience.”
The tech chuckles. “Ruh-roh. Dad’s in trouble for taking work calls during an ultrasound. If I had a dollar for every time that happens, I’d be rich. Come on, Daddy. I’ll show you back to the waiting room up front. Get her food after. She’ll forgive you.”
I meet Abby’s hard stare and realize there’s no arguing with her. After a resigned sigh, I follow after the tech and head for the car, dialing Angela.
“Yeah?” I say, a bite of irritation when she answers. “Why are you blowing up my phone?”
“Excuse me? Why don’t you try again because I won’t be spoken to that way.”
Guilt floods through me. Apparently, I’m an asshole to everyone.
“Sorry,” I grunt out. “Long day. What’s up?”
“I wanted to tell you the update, but you weren’t answering. I’d seen where you stayed over at Riko’s last night and now you’re at the hospital. So, naturally, I went from ready to gossip to worried. Is your hand okay? Will you still be able to play sports?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Hand is fine. Just bruised. What’s the tea?”
“So,” she says, rushing into what she really wanted to talk about. “Beau Masterson threw a fit with the club owners. Demanded you and your entire family be banned for life.”
Fuck.
“But,” she continues, “Daddy stepped in and defended your honor. Beau magically conceded after that. You’re so lucky my father did that. It would have been so embarrassing to not be able to have my own boyfriend up at the club where we hang out so often.”
“Why would Beau concede so easily?” I ask, suddenly needing her to admit what she knows about what happened.
She chuckles. “Because he’s afraid of Daddy. Everyone is.”
“No other reason than that one?”
“Nope,” she lies. “But Daddy isn’t too happy with you either. He understands you were defending your dad since he’s had prior beef with Beau, but violence is never the answer.”
No, money is.
When I see Abby exit the front of the hospital, I zip my car over to her.
“Angela, I have to go.”
“Angela?” She laughs nervously. “I’m babe, remember? Angela sounds so formal. Like I’m in trouble.”
I grumble out a fake laugh and manage a goodbye before quickly ending the call. Once parked in front of Abby, I jump out and round the vehicle. She’s still frowning, but some of the fire has gone.
“Come here, honey,” I say, yanking her into my arms. “I fucked up in there and I’m sorry. Can I make it up to you with ice cream?”
“Get me two scoops and I’ll think about forgiving you,” she teases, eyes glimmering with her usual mischief. “How’s Angela?”
I grimace and shake my head. “Same.” Dipping my forehead to Abby’s, I murmur, “How are you and our son?”
“Better now that we’ve been promised ice cream.” She beams at me.
She’s so damn pretty it makes my chest hurt. I want to kiss her right now in front of everyone, but I force myself to open the car door and help her inside.
Everything’s so fucking messy in my head.
But, when I’m with Abby, all I see is her.