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“I’m going to Tahoe.”
My eyes bulge. “What?”
She bites her lip. “Ryan called last night. His sister is getting married and he needs a date to the wedding. Apparently, the women in town have been trying to set him up with one disaster after another so he told them he has a girlfriend.” She shimmies her shoulders as if she’s a prize. “And you’re looking at her. But I won’t go if you need me,” she adds for good measure.
I shake my head. “It’s fine.I’m fine. I’m only a few months along. Nothing is going to happen while you’re gone. This is a good thing, T. You need a break.”
She sighs. “You don’t think I’m running away?”
“Maybe, but there are worse arms to run into.”
Tessa rolls her eyes. “We’re just friends. Knowing Ryan, he’ll probably have a revolving door of women while I’m there. He just doesn’t want to give any of them false hope that he can be anything more. Which is why I’m the perfect decoy.”
I shake my head. Ryan and Tessa have been best friends since middle school, but they’ve never dated. I always thought things would turn romantic between them but then he up and moved to Tahoe a decade ago and that ended that. I’m pretty sure they talk almost daily, but she’s never gone to visit him. “This is a big deal, T.”
She lets out a shaky breath. “It’s not. I just need a change of scenery, and since I have some time off that I need to use before the end of the year…” She drifts off.
We both know this is a big deal. She’s going to spend Christmas withtheguy. Even if she doesn’t know it yet, I do. I have a feeling that this will be life changing for her, but since I don’t want to scare her into backing out, I don’t fight her on this. Let her live in denial for a little longer.
“Whatever you say. So when will you be back?”
She gnaws on her finger. “After New Year’s. Ryan convinced me to stay after the wedding because he says there is some big party he doesn’t want me to miss.”
I bite back a smile. “Sounds like a perfect break.”
“Are you spending the holidays with Marion?” Tessa asks.
I almost consider lying because I know when she finds out that I’ll be alone for Christmas she’ll try to cancel her plans. But I also know she’ll kill me when she finds out I lied, so I just tell her the truth. “No, she and Asher are going to Paris for their second honeymoon,” I say dreamily.
Tessa smiles but then her face falls. “Well, then who are you spending Christmas with?”
“In case you forgot, I just took over running my own business. Holidays are one of the busiest times for dating. Besides, the baby and I will be happy to curl up with a good romance novel, a cup of tea, and watch the snow fall out the window.” The picture I paint in my head is pretty freaking tempting to be honest. I’m not upset at all if that’s how it all pans out.
She looks at me thoughtfully. “Or you could be spending it with the hot half-Brit that is obsessed with you.” She wiggles her brow and I drop my fry.
“Hayden is not obsessed with me.”
She gives me a knowing glance. “Hmm, interesting that you knew precisely who I was referring to.”
I laugh. “Because I don’t spend any time with Garreth, so clearly you were talking about Hayden. And we’re just friends. I have enough on my plate.” I look down at my actual plate and laugh. It’s almost empty. Okay, so it was a bad euphemism.
“Or maybe you’re just sticking around because you want to hang out with a young billionaire without any of us watching.”
I roll my eyes. For God’s sake. “Tessa, he’s not some young billionaire. He’s the father of this baby. And I do have to spend time with him. I owe it to the peanut to find out if we have a shot of being an actual family.”
“And you love him,” she spits out.
Before I can think, I agree, “Yes, and I love him.”
Both our eyes grow wide when I realize what I said. “Fuck.”
She pats my hand. “Yes, you really are fucked.”
I blow out a long breath. “I really hope he doesn’t make me regret this.”
In the end, I try on five outfits that Tessa bought and decide to go with a black sweater dress and thigh-high black boots. The dress hangs loosely so my bump is not pronounced which I prefer. It puts less emphasis on the pregnancy.
For tonight at least I need to see if Cash and I can get back to even being in the same space without fighting. Or without me breaking down and sobbing. Unfortunately, that is all that happens every time I see him.
