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“Anytime.” She glances in the direction Grant disappeared. “Men like that love thinking they’re untouchable.”
“Well, unfortunately for him, he picked a very public place to be an asshole,” I say.
The woman snorts and slips her phone back into her bag. “Seriously, though. Message me if you need me.”
“I will. Thank you.”
Her friend gives me a little wave before the two of them head toward the next row of tents, leaving Ellie and me standing beside the wallet booth.
When I turn back to my best friend, the laugh dies almost as quickly as it came.
The adrenaline that got me through the last few minutes is starting to wear off, and my body has been waiting for that exact opportunity to completely lose its shit.
The band is still playing somewhere down the block, and people keep flowing around us, but everything feels a little too loud now.
I lift my tea toward my mouth and hear the ice knock against the sides of the cup because my hand’s shaking.
Ellie notices and takes the tea from me. “Come on, G. We’re getting out of here.”
I open my mouth to tell her I’m fine out of pure reflex, but I can’t even make myself say it.
I’m really fucking not.
My legs feel shaky now, and I’m suddenly very aware that we still have to walk all the way back to the parking garage. But that barely registers compared to where my brain goes next.
Sumner.
Oh, God.
I have to tell Sumner.
The baby moves again, and my throat tightens as a tear drips down my face.
Ellie is watching me closely now. “Hey. Talk to me.”
I shake my head because if I start talking here, surrounded by hundreds of strangers, I’m going to start sobbing.
“I need to sit down.”
“Okay.” She doesn’t hesitate. She takes my cup with her to the nearest trash can and dumps both drinks before coming straight back to me. “We’re going to the car. You can sit in the AC, and we’ll figure out what to do after we cool down.”
That sounds infinitely better than falling apart beside a table of old vinyl records, so I let her hook her arm through mine and pull me along.
We head toward the parking garage at a slower pace, and I keep one hand over my stomach while I walk.
By the time we reach my SUV, tears are running down my face, and my whole body’s shaking.
I dig my keys out of my bag, but Ellie holds out her hand before I can unlock the driver’s side.
“Give me those.”
“I can drive.”
“I know you can.” She wiggles her fingers at me. “You’re still not going to.”
On any other day, I’d probably argue just because she told me what to do. Today I drop the keys into her palm and walk around to the passenger side.
Ellie gets behind the wheel and starts the SUV while I sink into the seat and shove my sunglasses onto my head so I can wipe away the tears that won’t stop falling. Cold air blasts from the vents, and I close my eyes for a second while she pulls the door shut beside me.
