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She didn't say anything. She just kept staring at the bear.
“You're not going through this alone,” I added.
“Won't you be too busy?” she asked. “Especially since now you have two baby mamas to take care of?”
“Oh, I don't doubt I'll be busy,” I said, leaning my head back against the wall.
The weight of my situation hadn't fully hit me yet, but it would. Later. I could freak out later, once I calmed Casey down. She needed me in that moment. Needed me to be strong. To be her rock. I knew that, and I wasn't about to let her down. I was going to be whatever she needed me to be. I turned to face her, staring into those beautiful hazel eyes.
“I'll be busy, but I got you into this mess, and I'm going to take care of you, Casey,” I said. “You and that baby of ours.”
She put the teddy bear back on my bed and stood up. I joined her, helping her push herself up from the floor, then taking her into my arms. This time, she didn't fight me. She relaxed into my arms and let me kiss the top of her head. The crying had stopped, but she was still trembling in my arms.
Cupping her chin in my hands, I lifted her head and forced her to look up at me. Even through tear-stained eyes, she was beautiful. Stunning. I wanted nothing more than to kiss the tears away. Brushing my lips against hers, I kissed her gently. It took her a second, but she eventually kissed me back.
“We probably should get back down there,” she said, wiping at her eyes. “Or else they'll start asking a lot of questions.”
“They're going to ask anyway,” I sighed. “I'll take care of it. I want to keep you out of the family drama as much as possible. Trust me, it's the last thing you want or need. It tends to get a little messy.”
“And here, I thought you were afraid they wouldn't like me.”
“They'd be crazy not to like you,” I laughed. “No, I just wanted to protect you. My family is ruthless, and the farther you're away from it, the safer you'll be.”
“Pfft, they seemed pretty nice to me.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Really? Did you hear Danielle and Adam going at it when you stepped out?”
She chuckled. “Still beats my family.”
“Maybe one day I'll get to meet them,” I said. “Or maybe, I'll have to find some way to sneak in and crash a dinner party.
Her smile wavered for a second, but then she nodded, and her smile grew wide.
“Yean,” she said. “Maybe so.”
Voices came from out in the hallway. Adam and Danielle were talking, their voices raised.
“Why did you bring her here? You're ruining everything!” Danielle shouted.
Casey and I shared a look, but I put my finger to my lips, telling her to remain quiet.
Adam's voice came next. “Sweetie, don't you understand? It's part of the plan.”
He lowered his voice, and I had to step closer to the door, practically pressing my ear to it, to hear him talking.
“I wanted her to see that you're still in his life,” he said. “And I'd hoped you'd play up the pregnancy angle, but –”
“So you're pretending to be dating her too?” Danielle shouted.
“To help you, yes,” he said. “Because she's a problem, Danielle. If she gets pregnant with his child, which I suspect might actually be her real purpose here, I've lost everything. And if I lose everything, so do you. I don't need to remind you of that small fact, do I?”
“Maybe I should just keep up the charade then,” she said.
“Go ahead,” he said. “When the DNA test is done, you'll be the one screwed here.”
“As will you, Adam,” she said.
There was a long pause in their conversation and I was sorely tempted to open the door. To see what they were doing out there. But, I resisted because I hoped they'd keep talking. Keep digging themselves an even deeper hole.
