Chapter Sixteen – Lilibeth #2
Before he could answer, the nurse walked up and handed me a small book and a prescription. “Here’s the book Dr. Lawrence was talking about, and your prenatal vitamins ’script.”
“Oh, thank you so much.”
“Sure thing. See you next month.”
Caden and I walked up to the checkout window. I was told what my insurance would cover for the visit, and Caden paid for what it wouldn’t.
“Can you please keep this card on file, and use it for any co-pays?”
The young woman behind the counter grinned. “Of course we can. Congratulations to you and your wife.”
“We’re not married,” I said quickly.
“Girlfriend?” she asked, with a sudden gleam in her eye.
I wasn’t sure why, but I replied, “No, we’re just friends.”
Her brows shot up— and she turned her full attention on Caden. “Well. Then I hope we’ll get to see you both next month.”
He gave her that smile of his, the one he used to charm literally everyone. He winked as he said, “Oh, I’ll be here.”
I wanted to roll my eyes. I got it, though, and I couldn’t really blame the girl.
Caden was beyond good-looking; he could be a flirt, and to top it all off, today, he’d had the audacity to wear a baseball cap.
I thought he looked hot in a cowboy hat.
The baseball cap was even hotter. If he turned it backward, I would climb him like a tree.
“Lili?”
I shook my head to get rid of where my thoughts were going.
“Ready?”
Smiling tightly, I replied, “Yep.”
We walked out of the waiting room, and on the way to the elevator, Caden looked at me and asked, “What were you thinking about back there? Your cheeks turned bright red.”
“Nothing,” I lied. “I suddenly got hot. The cool air will feel good once we get outside.”
He grinned. “I’ll give you twenty seconds before you say you’re cold.”
“You’re probably right.”
After helping me into his truck, he got in and started it. We sat there in silence for a few minutes. Me staring at Caden, Caden staring out the windshield.
“Are you okay?” I softly asked.
He turned to face me. “It’s real. We’re having a baby.”
I nodded. “I guess now that it’s official, I need to tell my parents. Especially when they ask why I’m moving out of the garage apartment. Are you absolutely sure you want me to move in with you?”
He looked down, then back out the window as he asked, “Will it be hard on you?”
I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat. The memory of Christmas night came flooding back to me, along with the truth of the situation. I might be having Caden Wilde’s baby, but he clearly still wasn’t interested in anything beyond friendship.
“This is a partnership, and I’m pretty sure I can keep my hands off of you.”
Caden softly laughed, then cleared his throat. “I’m sorry that I’m fucked up, Lili. Everything is so confusing, and now we’ve just added a huge element to this story.”
“Caden, I don’t expect anything from you. I’ve made that clear from the very beginning. If you’re worried about me, I can handle my feelings for you. I know where you stand.”
He reached for my hand and gave it a light squeeze. “Should we tell our parents together?”
The last thing I wanted to do was stand in front of Vivianne and Ladd and tell them I was having a child with their son, who wasn’t interested in a relationship, yet was asking me to move in with him.
“Your mother and father are going to hate me.”
“What? Why in the world would you say that?”
I shrugged. “I’m trying to put myself in their shoes. I hope they don’t think I trapped you.”
Caden laughed. “Trapped me? Because I’m such a great catch? I can’t commit to a relationship, I work long hours on our ranch, I’m a…grumpy bug, is what I believe you called me…”
His words trailed off as he shook his head and started to pull out of the parking lot.
“Why do you do that?”
“Do what?” he asked.
“Insist that you’re less than what you are? Caden, you’re an amazing man, and any woman who can’t see that is a freaking idiot.”
He laughed, but it lacked any humor. “I don’t know about amazing.”
“Well, I do. My stomach is feeling a bit off. Do you mind if we skip Anna’s?”
“Are you okay?”
I nodded. “I am. Just feeling a bit overwhelmed.”
“If you’re sure,” he stated with a frown.
We drove in silence for another five minutes before Caden pulled into my parents’ driveway. He put it in park and turned to look at me. “When do you want to move in?”
I shrugged. “I don’t think we have to rush it.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Well, to be honest, I’d rather you move in sooner than later. I don’t want you moving boxes and such. As a matter of fact, don’t lift anything heavy from this point on.”
I raised my brows. “Are you being serious right now? Please tell me you’re not going to start thinking you can tell me what to do?”
He huffed. “Of course not, Lilibeth. But you’re carrying our baby, and I want you to be careful.”
“You know,” I said as I unbuckled and turned to face him, “you’re handling this very well, and a part of me wonders when the truth of it all is going to sink in.”
“Tonight. When I ask Gatlin to take me out and get me drunk.”
I threw my head back and laughed. “At least you’re honest about it. Lucky you. I guess I can sit here with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and fall apart.”
“I’m not falling apart.”
“No, you’re going out and getting drunk.”
He smirked. “Does that make you mad, Flower Child?”
The old nickname was back, and I didn’t want to admit how it felt like a stab to my heart. I reached for my purse and opened the truck door. Sliding out, I looked back at him. I wasn’t sure why the nickname had made me so upset, but all I wanted to do was scream. We were back to this.
When I couldn’t think of anything to say, I slammed the truck door and started for the steps that led to my apartment.
“Lilibeth!” Caden called out.
“Just go, Caden. Have your night out.”
I could hear the truck door open and shut, and I cursed.
When I got to the top of the stairs, Caden was directly behind me. I opened the door, slipped inside, and tried to shut it, but his foot was in the way.
“Are you telling your parents today?” he asked.
I sighed. “Yes. But I don’t want to tell anyone else until I’m past twelve weeks, just in case. As a matter of fact, I think we should wait for me to move in until then…just in case anything happens.”
“Should we wait until then to tell our parents?” he asked.
“I don’t care what you do, Caden.”
My mood had clearly soured, and a part of me wondered why. Maybe it was because Caden had used that stupid nickname. Flower Child. I almost wondered if he did it on purpose. If he called me the name he’d used when we were frenemies, maybe he could keep his distance again.
He’d removed his foot, so I took advantage and shut the door. I held my breath and waited for him to knock.
Instead, I heard him slowly descend the steps. A few moments later, the sound of his truck pulling out caused me to turn and lean against the door.
I closed my eyes and cursed inwardly. The way I’d just acted wasn’t like me at all. Why did I care if Caden went out and got drunk?
Maybe it’s because you can’t help but wonder if he’ll end up sleeping with someone? a little voice inside my head whispered to remind me of what he was capable of before we slept together.
Would he do that? After finding out I was pregnant?
Pushing away from the door, I exhaled and tossed my purse onto the sofa. “It’s none of your business, Lilibeth. He can sleep with whomever he wants. He owes you nothing.”
I headed toward my little kitchen and opened the freezer.
“Damn it. This is when I miss having Uber Eats.”
Turning on my heel, I made my way back to my purse, headed down to my car, and went straight to the grocery store to buy every pint of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia they had.