Pit Stop: Baby! (Crescent Cove 4)

Not that anyone would be able to tell from the last few minutes.

This was like the situation with Kathy, except worse, because Sage hadn’t done anything to harm me. She hadn’t even given me attitude. She was just so blond and pretty and self-assured, with her perfect husband and adorable vomiting hooker-baby.

Bad Rylee.

“I’m not assuming anything there.”

“Because he’s irresponsible,” Kelsey said flatly, crossing her arms. “You’re steeling yourself against certain disappointment.”

“No, I didn’t say that.”

Well, maybe a little.

“I’m your sister. You can be honest with me about your fears. I’m on your side.”

The compassion in her expression nearly undid me. Instead, I held up the book I’d fought wars for. “This is going to tell me how to do everything. I won’t feel so helpless and stupid after I read this.”

Kelsey sighed. “It’s just a book, Ry. Not a fairy godmother who will grant you all the knowledge in the universe.” She rubbed the side of her belly. “Maybe you should talk to Mom?”

“Why?”

“She raised two girls. Might have some insight, you know.”

“Well, yeah, I’m sure she does. But what is she going to say when she hears I’m knocked up too, just like you were?”

“I’m sure she’ll be shocked and appalled, but she’ll probably recover. Someday. After lots of therapy.”

I paced away from her up the aisle and picked up a giraffe that lit up and giggled maniacally. Creepy. I set it back down. “I’m not like you, Kel. She knows I can’t hold a job. I’m not a stable teacher with a planner that has my life detailed out to the nth degree. I’m lucky if I can remember to buy TP.”

“Yet I still had to deal with an unexpected situation,” she reminded me. “Life happens.”

Sometimes I hated how reasonable my sister was. It was probably why she’d been born first. If I’d been the older sister, my advice would’ve been stuff like, “Never combine beer with hard liquor.”

“You had Dare though. He knew how to do the kid thing. Gage is as clueless as I am.”

“And he’s not exactly the kind of man to step up and offer his hand either.”

I frowned. “Hand for what?”

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She moved closer and extended her arms to place her hands on my shoulders. With her rapidly increased belly size, she couldn’t quite hug me the way she once had.

That would be me soon enough. Especially due to my peanut butter obsession.

“I know it’s scary to be going through this alone. But I’m here for you. Dare and I both will be, if you need anything. Like…a loan or a place to stay—”

“I told you, I’m not alone. He’s trying.” Why couldn’t she believe that? Were Kel and Dare that determined to believe the worst about Gage?

I could get why I was seen as the Ford family fuck-up. But Gage was a millionaire. Had to be. He’d been super successful in his career and could do anything he wanted. Yet they acted as if he couldn’t be trusted to put down the toilet seat.

“I understand that you want to hope for the best.”

“Of course I do, but it’s not Gage I’m worried about.” Or not entirely. Pretty much everything had me panicked at the moment. “I just don’t know what the future is going to look like. I’m not the girl who needs to plan out every day in advance, but it feels like I have to now. Because I don’t want to screw up this baby. It just feels like I’m destined to.”

“Can you give us a second?”

I went still at the perky voice coming from behind us. Mainly because I felt like it was a trap. Sage shouldn’t be sounding that way toward me after my heinous remark.