“I certainly do. Although, your morning sickness has been worse than mine.” Rina searches my face. “If it gets bad, we can always make up an excuse. Hugh and Evelyn will understand.”
Her thoughtfulness makes my eyes burn. I shake my head, more determined than ever to put on a brave face and get through this evening. “No. I’ll be fine.”
“All right. But if you start feeling sick, let me know and we’ll take off. Deal?”
I nod. “Deal.”
She links her arm through mine. “Don’t worry. We’ll get through this together.”
We step into the hallway just as Oliver appears from the living room, shrugging on a navy jacket over his light-blue shirt.
His gaze lands on Rina, and everything about him changes. His shoulders relax and his mouth curves up. “Wow. You both look incredible. Are we ready to go?”
“Almost,” Rina says, stepping closer and adjusting his lapels. As soon as she does, he bends to kiss her, one palm settling over her abdomen.
It’s ridiculously sweet.
The intimacy of the gesture hits me straight in the ribs. Oliver, who once treated relationships like a disease, is going to be an incredible father.
And my baby won’t have one at all.
That thought hits so hard, I have to look away, pretending to fumble with the strap of my purse so neither of them notice the wetness gathering in my eyes.
There are times when I feel like an intruder around them. As if I’m trespassing on the small, self-contained bubble they’ve built for themselves all the while lingering at the edges, carrying a secret, and wondering what it would feel like to have someone rest a hand on my stomach and be happy about it instead of calling it a problem that needs to be erased.
“Kia?” Oliver’s voice jerks me back to the present. “Are you good?”
“Yup.” I force a smile. “Just thinking about how much food I plan to put away.”
“Totally valid. I’ve been doing the same.” He slips an arm around Rina’s waist and steers her toward the elevator. “I’m sure there’ll be enough to feed an army.”
“Or, at the very least, a hockey team,” Rina adds with a laugh.
Once in the elevator, Oliver murmurs against Rina’s temple. With a chuckle, she covers his hand with hers.
I really am happy for them. I just wish it didn’t make the ache inside me feel so raw.
The drive to Hugh’s penthouse takes about ten minutes. Rina fills me in on who’ll be there—Steele and Lilah, River, Callie and her daughter Nora, Jax, Knox, and Laiken with his daughter, Elody.
My belly tilts sideways at the mention of Laiken.
“You met most of the guys at poker night when you babysat Elody,” Oliver adds. “They’re a good bunch. Mostly.”
I nod as my thoughts drift to the last time I saw Laiken Lennox. You could tell exactly what kind of father he was by the way his expression softened anytime he looked at his daughter. There’s a quiet intensity about the man that’s lingered in my thoughts long after that night.
“Sure,” I say lightly. “It’ll be fun.”
Hugh’s building is all sleek glass and polished stone, the entrance flanked by warm lighting and a doorman in a tailored coat who looks like he stepped out of a luxury ad. After the valet takes Oliver’s keys, we head inside, the revolving doors whispering to a stop behind us.
The doorman greets Oliver by name. It’s one more reminder that the Railers are celebrities in this city. I trail a step behind, unable to stop my gaze from traveling around the lobby.
It looks like a staged photo pulled straight from the glossy pages of a magazine. Marble floors gleam beneath soaring ceilings as gold fixtures catch the light from overhead. Massive vases overflow with white orchids arranged so perfectly they almost look fake. Everything smells faintly of citrus and something expensive I can’t quite place.
At the concierge desk, Oliver checks in, exchanging easy conversation with the receptionist. His voice fades into the background when my phone vibrates inside my purse.
That’s all it takes for my muscles to lock up and dread to rush in. I slip my phone from my purse, already bracing for an unknown number to flash across the screen. Instead, it’s one of my roommates from school checking in, making sure I’m okay since I’ve pretty much gone MIA after dropping out and showing up on my brother’s doorstep a few weeks ago.
The relief that hits is enough to make my knees give out as tension drains from my body in one long exhale. My shoulders sag as everything inside me deflates, the panic loosening its grip just enough for me to breathe again.
