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Chapter 27
Grace
“Whatdoyouthinkof this crib?” Tessa asks, pointing to a beautiful bassinet with white bedding and little lambs embroidered into the lace.
My eyes double at the price. “Tessa, it’s a thousand dollars.For a bassinet.The baby is going to sleep in it for, like, six months. Maybe not even that long.”
“It’s my gift. Don’t worry about the price.” She points to a bedroom set beside it. “Look at that. It matches. You should get it all. My treat.”
I shake my head. “Tessa, you don’t have to do this.”
“I do. I really do, Grace, because if not for me—”
I stop her from finishing her sentence by putting my hand on her wrist. “Forgive yourself. I’ve forgiven you; it was a mistake.”
Tessa’s lip quivers and I sigh in annoyance. My best friend doesn’t cry, and if she starts, then this stupid pregnancy is going to make me cry too. “But he still doesn’t know. You need to tell him it was my fault.”
I look away, focusing on a blue blanket in the corner. Lifting it up, I inspect it and run my hand across the soft fabric. Now this is worth buying. It feels like a cloud against my skin. I soothe myself by strumming my fingers against it mindlessly.
“Fine, if you don’t let me buy it you should at least tell him about the baby sohecan buy it. You shouldn’t be paying for all of this alone.”
We’ve been over this several times a day since I told her about the pregnancy. I change the subject because I don’t want to talk about it. “I am happy to be alone, Tessa. I’d rather be a divorced pregnant lady then a married miserable mom. I am finally free. I thought about going back to my maiden name, but I hate having any association with my mom. Can I just make one up?”
“Want to take my last name? The offer still stands; I’ll marry you and we can raise this baby together just like we always dreamed.” She eyes me and smiles.
“That was never a dream. That was your insane ramblings.”
“Come on, admit it. I’d make a good second mom.”
I pull her close. “Of course you would. And you will make an excellent aunt to this baby. But I’m not giving the baby your last name. Nice try.”
She shrugs. “You need to let me do something. I can’t believe I got drunk and spilled all of Carter’s family secrets to Vanessa. What was I thinking?”
I shake my head. “You thought you were talking to someone who was a friend of the family.Cat’s friend. You were trying to get her to understand why we kept our relationship under wraps. How could you know she was a conniving bitch who would stab us all in the back and try to rise to fame from it?”
“I still think you should talk to Cash. I told Carter everything. I’m sure he’s told Cash the truth by now. He’s got to forgive you.”
I eye her. It’s interesting that everyone thinks I’m waiting for him to forgive me. Screw that. I’ve come to terms with the fact that this is our reality. I did nothing wrong. I made a deal with Vanessa that Cash was off-limits. I talked to her about my business. That was it. However she managed to twist my words and use whatever secrets she had cultivated isn’t on me.
Hell, I was ready to stand in the sun with that man, accept any of the storms that came our way—together—and if Cash had given me five seconds to explain rather than exploding, he would know that. Even worse, he echoed the words of my mother, cutting me to the core. And he did it intentionally. And then after weeks of radio silence, he drags me to his secret office, fucks me senseless, and then tells me he can’t trust me. Only to do it again and again…even telling me he loves me, but that he can’t forgive me.
If accepting that I’m going to be a mother has taught me anything, it’s that I need to be strong. I need to stand up for myself. The only people I need in my life are those that support me, that trust me, and that lift me up. So no, I am not looking for forgiveness from that man.
“Can we talk about something else, please?” I walk to the front of the store with the blanket, and Tessa follows after me, grabbing it from my hand and pulling her credit card out of her wallet.
“Stop. I can buy my own damn blanket.”
She smiles. “I’m very aware, Ms. Hotshot Businesswoman. Should we change your last name to that?”
I can’t help but laugh. “Shut up.”
“Oh, I can’t help it that my best friend is now the owner of the hottest matchmaking company for WOMEN and that you have a line out the door for your services.”
I flip my eyes to the sky. Business really is booming ever since Jay and Cat’s announcement and their subsequent engagement. Who saw that one coming? Not me. They were barely together a few weeks when he dropped down on one knee. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear this was Jay’s plan all along. I just don’t know exactly what he’s getting from the deal. But it’s good for business, so I’m not digging.
“Speaking of, I have an appointment in thirty minutes, so I have to go.”
Tessa frowns before pulling me in for a hug. “Fine. Bye, my little alien,” she says to my stomach, and I laugh. “Thank you to Steven for being such a diabolical asshole that he screwed with your birth control.”
