“Nah. Just worried about you is all.”
“I’m fine, so stop worrying.”
“I’ll talk to you later then. I have to get some ink done.”
“Bye, Ruby. And thank you.”
“You don’t have to keep thanking me, Bella. We’re friends. I’m always here for my friends.”
I’m not sure why that makes tears prick my eyes, but I clear my throat and thank her again before hanging up. It’s always been just Allie and me against the world. It’s hard to believe I suddenly have a slew of friends who are just as devoted to me as she is.
But Ruby’s right. We are friends. I’d do anything for her if she ever needed it.
By the time I reach my temporary home, I’m exhausted. Unfortunately, it looks like someone decided to throw a party in my absence. I check twice to make sure I’m at the right house, and get a little queasy when I realize I am.
Cars are everywhere, and a brief sense of panic hits me. Until I see Allie’s new Escalade among them.
What the hell?
Rain’s car. Tria’s car. Brin’s pimped out Camry. Ruby’s car. Even Raya’s car is here. I’m fairly positive I see Ash’s SUV among them. And is that Bo’s car? What the ever-loving-hell is going on?
I walk in, wondering if I forgot my birthday, half expecting a “surprise” to be yelled at me when I enter. Instead, I’m greeted by a group of girls all sitting in Ruby’s living room on the sterile furniture like they’re waiting on a funeral procession. They’re all gathered around quietly, as though they’ve been waiting on me to get here.
I look around, confused, when no one speaks.
“Um… Did I miss something? Forget a girls’ night?” I ask, getting a little creeped out with everyone’s eyes on me.
“No,” Allie says as she stands up and takes a deep breath. “This is sort of an intervention.?
??
My eyebrows go up in surprise. “Okay… What are you intervening? Because I haven’t touched drugs. I rarely ever drink. Well, now I don’t drink at all.” I omit my pregnancy thing, since half of them aren’t aware of it. “And I have no vices that I’m aware of. Someone want to fill me in?”
Tria starts to speak, but then stops.
Instead, Ruby takes the floor, well, figuratively speaking, since she remains sitting.
“It’s about the baby.”
My eyes widen, but she shrugs. “Sorry. They all know.”
Brin clears her throat a few times. “Allie told Wren she wasn’t pregnant,” Brin explains. “And Wren told everyone else. The guys haven’t done the math yet, but they all sort of did.”
She gestures to Rain, Raya, Tria, and Ash. “I couldn’t lie to them when they asked. I couldn’t even lie to Rye that night. He doesn’t know you’re pregnant, but I stuttered and couldn’t answer when he thought it was me, because I knew he’d ask who was pregnant.”
“And Rye freaked out, even though he loves you. Imagine how Ethan is going to take it,” I point out angrily, feeling like they’re all teaming up on me, when moments ago I felt like I had friends galore.
“Rye’s childhood has scared him off from having children. He had an issue with commitment for the same reason,” Brin says quietly. “There’s a reason he reacted that way. Ethan won’t.”
That’s because she doesn’t know about his childhood, even though he doesn’t seem affected by it anymore. Apparently Rye’s scars run deeper than Ethan’s, but that doesn’t mean things would be different.
“Why is everyone here?” I ask, expecting a more detailed answer.
“Because Ethan needs to know,” Rain says softly. “I realize he’s probably done something really messed up, because he’s Ethan. It’s a Noles thing. Trust me, I have more Noles in me than I like to admit. We tend to royally fuck up the best things in our lives. But he’s not Edward—my father. He’s better than him. He’d love his kid, Bella.”
“And I’m going to tell him when I’m ready,” I say defensively. “This is my child. Not any of yours.”
“She’s right,” Raya says, then she gets glared at by everyone. Raya shrugs. “What? She is. This isn’t our business. I’ve had my entire Drivel family poking their noses into my engagement since they found out about it. Kade’s family is determined to make this a historical event. No one cares what we think, and it’s our lives. Just like this is Bella’s life.”