The Bachelor's Little Bonus (Proposals & Promises 3)

“He isn’t away. Dusty lives here now. And, um, so does Cole.”

A startled silence followed her revelation. Jenny and Tess looked at her as if neither was quite sure she’d heard correctly.

Jenny recovered first. “Cole lives here? Since when?”

Stevie held up her left hand to display the glittering rings. “Since we eloped Friday afternoon. We got married.”

Chapter Six

The quiet in the room was deafening. Stevie could almost hear her own rapid heartbeat as she waited for her friends’ reactions. Of all their possible responses, silence was the last thing she expected.

It seemed minutes before Tess roused first from the temporary paralysis. “You’re married?”

“Yes. For three whole days now.” With a look of apology, she sought out the gaze of her oldest friend. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. It’s just...well, it all

happened very fast.”

Setting aside her teacup, Jenny rose slowly to her feet. “I can’t believe this, Stevie. It’s...it’s just...I can’t believe you’re married.”

“When did all this come about?” Tess nudged the cat gently out of the way and stood. “You never even hinted that you and Cole were seeing each other.”

Stevie twisted her hands in front of her. “It’s sort of a long story. I was going to tell you part of it when we got together last week, but it was the night you announced your pregnancy, Jen. I didn’t want to steal your thunder or worry either of you. Cole and I agreed it might be easier for us to elope and tell you everything afterward. Please don’t be hurt that I didn’t tell you first. As I said, this all came about very quickly, and there was hardly time to make any calls. I didn’t even tell my mom until after the wedding.”

She watched as her friends exchanged glances that held all the doubts and concerns she’d braced for. “You don’t have to look so worried. I knew what I was doing, and I gave it careful consideration.”

Okay, maybe she’d given it all of five minutes consideration before she’d accepted Cole’s proposal, she thought with a slight wince of memory. Perhaps it would be best not to mention that just now.

“Forgive us for being skeptical,” Jenny said slowly, “but, Stevie...have you lost your mind?”

Stevie didn’t take offense. She might have said exactly the same thing if the tables had been turned. “No. I have my reasons, Jen, and I think when you hear them you’ll agree they’re good ones.”

“The only valid reason to marry is for love,” Jenny retorted flatly. “Aren’t you the one who made that declaration repeatedly when I was considering Thad’s proposal? You were never enthusiastic about my relationship with him because you said it was too calculated and dispassionate. You were all for me getting back with Gavin despite our differences, because you knew I had always loved him.”

“And didn’t you nag me to make sure Scott and I were getting married for the right reasons?” Tess chimed in. “You said marriage should be more than a practical business arrangement. You were so insistent that I actually broke off our engagement until Scott was able to convince me he was in love with me. So I hope you have a very good reason for eloping with your neighbor.”

“I did marry Cole for love,” Stevie assured them, her hand on her stomach. She loved this baby enough to give him or her as many advantages as she could provide, including a man who would dedicate himself to being a wonderful father. She thought her friends would agree there was nothing cold-blooded or calculated about this marriage, despite its functional foundation.

Jenny knew her too well and for too long to simply accept those words at face value. She took a step closer and frowned intently into Stevie’s eyes. “You broke up with Joe only three months ago. I knew you weren’t particularly heartbroken by that split—and frankly, I thought it was well past time—but you never said a word about having feelings for anyone else. This wasn’t a rebound thing, was it? Or were you involved with Cole even then?”

Again, Stevie wasn’t insulted by Jenny’s personal questions. As both her friends had just reminded her, she’d butted her nose into their affairs a few times, always with the best intentions. Just as they held now toward her. “No. At the time, Cole and I were simply good friends.”

“When did that change?”

She drew a deep breath, then confessed, “When I told him I was pregnant and that I was nervous about trying to raise the child alone.”

Tess sank abruptly back down onto the couch, as if this newest surprise had taken the stiffening right out of her knees. “You’re pregnant?”

“Yes.” She aimed another look of apology toward Jenny. “Now do you understand why it was so hard to tell you on the same night you told us about your baby? You were so thrilled and excited, and I was so happy for you and Gavin. I knew there would be time to share my own news later.”

Jenny gripped Stevie’s arm as if she couldn’t restrain herself any longer. She looked from her face to her waistline and back again, her expression almost comically conflicted. “You’re pregnant? You’re sure? How far along are you? Do you feel okay? Is Cole happy about the baby?”

A laugh escaping her, Stevie covered Jenny’s hand with her own and rested her cheek for a moment against her friend’s shoulder in a little hug. “Yes, I’m absolutely sure, and I’m fine. I’ve only been sick once, and that was this past weekend, probably from too much rich food. Cole is very excited about the baby. He’ll be a good dad. He’s a great guy, Jen. Smart and dependable and kind, with a dry sense of humor and a generous heart. You’ll like him, I promise.”

“Where is he?”

“He went next door to his house to give us some privacy for this talk. I told him I’d text him when you were ready to meet him.”

“Well, call him over.” Jenny bounced a couple of times on the balls of her feet, her lips pursed in what was meant to be an intimidating frown. “I want to get a look at this guy. Maybe rake him over the coals a little to make sure he’s worthy of you.”