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“I don’t know why I’m a wreck,” I stated with a nervous chuckle.
When we stepped off the elevator, Tripp took my hand in his.
“I know why.”
It took everything out of me to act normal.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
When I grabbed Harley’s purse it fell over and everything spilled out. I saw the pregnancy test box. When I picked it up and saw it open, my curiosity got the better of me.
When was she going to tell me? How long had she known? Was she planning on a special dinner to tell me?
Pregnant. Harley’s pregnant. With our baby.
The test was in my pocket. With every move I made I felt it. My heart was ready to burst at any second. Sitting in the waiting room with our entire family, I wanted to stand on my chair and yell….
“We’re having a baby!”
But I didn’t. I sat there, calm. Collected. Trying to remember to breathe each time I felt the stick in my pocket.
Harley was as calm as a cucumber until after we got to the hospital. Then it set in. She paced, her eyes lifting to meet mine every two to three minutes. She would give me a smile, then her focus would flitter away to someone else. But it always ended up back to me.
She was anxious, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she had just done the test today and was waiting for the right time to tell me. She could have told me on the drive over to see how Jonathon was doing with the construction. Or, hell, earlier that morning when I made love to her.
I pulled her along behind me, searching for a place where we could talk in private. There was no way I could wait for her to tell me. I was probably about to ruin some special plan she had, but I didn’t care.
After stepping out of the hospital, I saw a park across the street. I headed that way.
“Tripp, you’re about to pull my arm out of its socket. Is everything okay?”
When I didn’t answer her, she got agitated. She rattled something in Spanish and I smiled. When my sweet Harley got pissed, she bitched in Spanish—exactly like her father did to her mother. Little did Harley know, I’d taken Spanish classes for three years in college. I knew everything she was saying to me.
“I’m not trying to irritate you, Lee. I just want to be alone.”
Coming to a stop, Harley’s big eyes looked at me in shock. “How did you know what I said?”
With a wink, I replied, “I might have taken some Spanish classes in your absence.”
“What?” she gasped. “So…that day in my office…you definitely knew what I was saying?”
Guilt bubbled up before I popped it with my grin. “Every. Word. Well, almost every word. You and your father talk fast.”
“Tripp Parker! You sneak!”
We walked to a park bench, and I motioned for her to sit down.
My heart hammered in my chest. My hands started to sweat, and there was no way I could hold it back a second longer.
“When were you going to tell me?”
She looked at me confused. “Tell you what?”
I laughed. “Ha ha. You know.”
Harley chuckled and shook her head. “No. I don’t know.”
“Dinner? Did Corina throw everything off?”
Her head tilted slightly, and she gave me a concerned look. “Tripp, what are you talking about?”
I exhaled. “We’re having a baby?”
Her expression turned to utter shock.
That’s right, baby. I found your little secret.
“We are?”
My mouth opened to say something, but her reply caught me totally off guard.
Oh, shit. What if the test wasn’t hers!
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
“Are we?”
She went to speak, then clamped her mouth shut. Opened it again, then closed it. “I…I don’t know. I haven’t looked at the test yet.”
We stared at each other for a good two minutes. Finally, I shook my head. “Wait. Hold on. Was the test in your purse?”
Her throat swallowed hard. “Yes. Did you see it?”
I whispered, “Yes.”
When her eyes filled with tears, I held my breath. “You didn’t look at it yet, did you?”
“No,” she choked out, a sob slipping from her beautiful lips. “I wanted…to look at it together. To find out at the same time.”
The way my heart slammed against my chest made me physically ill. I’d ruined the moment for her.
“Fuck…” I said, dragging out the word.
My hands pushed into my hair and I tugged hard, punishing myself for ruining this moment.
You stupid idiot!
“It’s okay!” Harley said, pulling my arms down, pressing her palms on my chest.
“It’s not okay. I ruined it for you because I had to be a snoop.”
When the corners of her mouth rose, I felt a flutter in my chest. “The only thing I care about right now is that I have our baby growing inside of me. We’re having a baby, Tripp.”
Another round of emotions hit me. Christ, I was going to be exhausted from my mood swings.
