Since we were already in the City, the plan was to pay a visit to Edward at the hospital before heading back home. Thankfully, he was stable and continuing to make small improvements.
Rush was in the hospital room with his father when I decided to head to the cafeteria to grab something to drink.
As I turned a corner, someone smacked right into me, causing me to lose my balance and fall onto the ground.
“Fancy meeting you here, Gia.” His words cut like a knife. The smell of alcohol was immediately apparent on his breath, even from where I was lying on the floor.
Before I could find the words to respond to Elliott, Rush’s voice registered from behind me.
“What the fuck is going on?”
Oh no.
“Rush, tell your girlfriend we need to stop meeting like this…with her down on her knees.”
Rush was too upset about me being on the ground to even respond to that. He offered his hand and pulled me up. “Did he push you?”
“No, I fell. It was an accident.”
He continued to ignore Elliott as he wrapped his hands around my face. “Are you okay?”
Elliott gave me a once over. “Were you always this curvy? What are you feeding her, Rush?”
He’s such an asshole.
“She’s pregnant, you fuckhead,” Rush blurted out. “And you just knocked her to the ground.”
Well, that was an interesting way to unleash that news. Rush looked at me slightly panicked that he’d said it, and I gave him a look that told him it was okay that he’d let it out.
Elliott squinted. “What do you mean, she’s pregnant?”
Rush pulled me close. “I’m not sure how else to explain it.”
“You’re the father?”
Rush paused. “Yes.”
Shit.
Elliott didn’t even respond. He just looked between the two of us before storming past us and into Edward’s room.
After he left, Rush looked at me. “I’m sorry for blurting it out. But I just couldn’t tell him the truth right then and there.”
Blowing out a shaky breath, I nodded. “No. I get it.”
“It just didn’t seem like the right time or place. Not that he’s ever in a good frame of mind, but I’m not giving him news like that when he’s piss-ass drunk. He may not even remember this.” He rubbed my shoulder. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah…I’m fine.”
For now.
“Let’s get you home.”Later that night, Rush and I were having a peaceful evening relaxing in front of the television with a tub of Chunky Monkey when his cell phone rang.
After he picked up, I could tell by his face that something was wrong.
He mouthed, “It’s Elliott.”
My heart sank.
Rush was quiet for a long time as he just listened. I could hear the muffled sound of Elliott’s voice through the phone, although I wasn’t able to hear what he was saying. Rush closed his eyes for several seconds then opened them.
“What is he saying?” I asked.
“Hold on a second,” he simply said to his brother.
Rush placed his hand on my knee and whispered, “He’s sobered up and put two and two together. He wants to know if I was lying about being the father.”
My heart was racing. “Put him on speakerphone. I need to be the one to tell him.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I do.”
Rush did as I asked and said, “You’re on speakerphone, Elliott. Gia is here.”
“Elliott…” I said.
“Gia…” he said tauntingly.
I must have rehearsed how I was going to tell him a thousand times. In the end, my mind went blank, and I just said the first thing that came out.
“The night you and I were together resulted in my getting pregnant. I didn’t know about my condition when I met and fell in love with your brother. Rush and I want to raise this baby together, and you don’t need to be involved in its life, but you do need to know that it’s yours.”
Rush reached for my hand and squeezed it.
Elliott fell completely silent. All you could hear was his breathing for the longest time. Rush and I just kept looking at each other waiting for his response.
“How do I even know you’re telling the truth?” he finally said.
“You were the only person I slept with before I found out. I obviously can’t prove that to you, but it’s the truth.”
There was a long pause. “Did you know my wife is pregnant?”
“Yes,” Rush said. “She told me.”
“What you don’t know is that Lauren is filing for divorce.”
Shit.
Rush was biting his tongue. I knew he wanted to tell him that he deserved every bit of bad luck that came to him. But Rush was intentionally trying to be good for me. He didn’t want to make things worse than they already were.
“You have a good woman, Elliott. You should try to figure out a way to make things work.”
“Well, when she finds out I’ve impregnated your girlfriend, that’s going to go off real well, don’t you think? I’m sure she’ll come running back.”