Wicked Ever After (Wicked & Devoted 2)

She tried not to freeze up. “Other than being upset, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? You’re looking awfully pale these days.”

“Not surprising. My summer tan has definitely faded,” she quipped.

“Seems like you’re tired, too. All the time. Have you seen Dr. Rawson?”

“Daddy, he’s a pediatrician.” But Brea still saw him for most things because he was local and he knew her so well, and she was sidestepping the question.

“All right, then. Any other doctor you’ve been seeing?”

Had he somehow figured out that she’d met with the obstetrician in Lafayette that the clinic had recommended? She’d tried so hard to be discreet.

“I just neglected to take my vitamins for a few months, and you know how I get anemic. I’m back on them now.” All true…but it felt like a tremendous lie.

“You’ve been in Lafayette a lot lately. Why?”

“Just trips to the beauty supply…” She struggled for more of the truth. “And since Cutter is out in Cali, I stopped by his place yesterday to make sure everything was all right.”

Not that he’d asked her to, but after seeing the female doctor and talking about her baby—taking video as she’d heard the heartbeat for the first amazing time—being in any way near her best friend brought her comfort.

Daddy’s eyes narrowed. “Is there anything you want to tell me?”

She hated lying to him. Eventually she would have to come clean about her pregnancy…but not until she’d decided her next course of action. Not until she felt sure her father’s heart could take it. “No.”

Daddy didn’t look convinced. “I heard you up early this morning.”

“Couldn’t sleep.” That was the truth. Morning sickness had jolted her from bed and sent her charging for the bathroom. She’d barely managed to get the door shut and land in front of the toilet before her stomach had given way.

“I thought I heard you throwing up.”

Her heart started to pound. If he’d heard her retching, she wouldn’t be able to talk him out of it. “I, um…got home late from the salon last night. I ate cereal for dinner, and I think our milk has gone bad.”

He raised a graying brow. “Really? I had cereal this morning and I felt just fine.”

“Huh.” She shrugged. “Must have been something else. Maybe I caught a bug.”

Daddy pushed his plate aside and leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Are you sure? I noticed you’ve been skipping breakfast a lot. This morning wasn’t the first I’ve heard you throwing up.”

Panic rose, and she tried to stamp it down. “Stress isn’t good for my appetite or my stomach.”

“What’s got you worried?”

“Your health, Daddy. Always your health. Things are a little crazy at the salon and…and the holidays are coming up. And I’ve missed Cutter since he’s gone.”

Her father nodded like he heard every word she said—and he didn’t believe a single one. “Listen to me, Brea Felicity. If there’s something you want to tell me—”

“Cutter and I are thinking about getting married,” she blurted to cut him off.

After ten days of thinking through her options, she didn’t see many others that didn’t lead to giving up her home and family. She’d eventually have to tell Daddy she was expecting, and he would undoubtedly do the math. Hopefully, his health would be more stable then so he could better weather the shock.

That stopped his questioning instantly. “He proposed?”

“Yes.”

Her father frowned. “When?”

“A few days before he left for Cali. I’ve been thinking about it since.”

“I thought you two were just friends.”

“Well…” Think fast… “He hasn’t met anyone else he’d like to marry, but he’s thirty. He’s ready to settle down.”

“First I’m hearing of that.”

“And the time I spent with the man I’d been seeing convinced me that you’re right; no one else will ever be as good to me as Cutter. So we started talking about getting hitched.”

“Do you want to be married to Cutter?”

Brea tried not to squirm in her seat. “We both think the time to be sensible has come. I just need to let him know that I’m saying yes.”

If there was one thing Daddy appreciated, it was a well-measured response. This one would hopefully set him at ease.

To her surprise, he scowled. “I never meant to give you the impression you should marry for any reason other than love.”

“I know, but Cutter and I both think getting married seems like the logical, adult choice.”

“Hmm,” Daddy mused. “How’s that going to work?”

“What do you mean?”

“In Corinthians, Paul tells us one of the reasons for marriage is to avoid fornication. Cutter loves you, but not in a…carnal way. So if he’s marrying you to avoid succumbing to temptation…”

“We both know there will be an…adjustment.”

“A huge one.”

She acknowledged her father with a nod. “Neither of us expects our feelings to morph overnight. But Genesis tells us that it’s not good for man to be alone, so God made him a helpmate. In Cutter’s case, that’s me.”