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I grip my hands together. His arm on my shoulder feels both heavy and warm. It hasn’t felt this awkward being in Seth’s company since we first moved in together. I have to say I absolutely hate it. I miss the days when we could talk comfortable with one another. Now, I feel like those days are gone forever, all because I decided to hide my pregnancy for far longer than I should have.
I open my mouth, knowing I should apologize to him, but before I can say anything I hear, “I’m sorry.”
I blink and turn toward Seth, finding tears streaming down his cheeks. My eyes widen. What the hell? Has Seth been abducted by aliens? I’m trying to recall the last time I have seen Seth crying, yet nothing pops up.
“I’m so sorry, Rachel,” Seth rasps while pulling me toward him. He hugs me tenderly as if he’s afraid I might break. I feel his tears trickling onto my neck. I lean into his touch, breathing him in. How I’ve missed him. I didn’t realize how much I missed him until this moment. I love the way he smells of grass, how warm he feels pressed up against me. More tears slip down my cheeks. I didn’t think I was ever going to have this moment with him. I thought he was done with me.
“I’m sorry too,” I whisper into his ear, feeling him shudder under my touch. “I should have told you sooner. I was stupid.”
“I was stupid, too.” Seth pulls away from me and I watch him wipe the tears from his face. He gently caresses my cheek, his eyes drinking me in as if he worries I will suddenly disappear. “So very stupid. I should have empathized with you more, but I was only thinking about myself.” He shakes his head, his lips trembling while more tears spring to his eyes. “I’m not ready to be a father. I’m worried I will end up like my father—that I will leave, that I will destroy everything. I’ve never had a good role model. What if I fuck this up?”
I cup his cheek and pull him toward me, pressing my forehead against his. “I don’t know how to do this either, Seth. But I’m sure, together, we can help each other. We can support each other. You don’t have to do this alone. You have me, Alex, Hunter, and Lucas. We’re all in this together.”
Seth nods and inhales deeply while wiping his eyes. “I just can’t lose you, Rachel. When Alex told me you were in the hospital… I thought… I…” Seth pauses and takes a shaky breath before saying, “I thought I was never going to see you again. And the last time we were together, I was such an asshole. I don’t want to ever leave your side again.”
“I don’t want you to leave my side, either, Seth.”
Seth pulls me toward him and our lips meet. He kisses me tenderly, drinking me in. I cling to him, my hands tangling themselves in his silky hair. We kiss each other as if this is our last kiss, and when we finish, we nuzzle our foreheads against each other, breathing each other in. I never want him to leave, ever again, and I believe him when he says he’s scared, because I’m scared, too. But with him and the other bros by my side, I believe we can get through anything.
Chapter 26
ALEX
Theringtonegoeson and on. This is my second attempt calling Susan Burnt and I have the suspicion she is dodging my calls. She’s pissed. That’s obvious. And I don’t blame her in the slightest. I would be pissed, too. I should have called her while I was in the cab driving back to Aurora, but I was too freaked out. All my thoughts were on Rachel and getting to Seth in time. And then, when we finally got to the hospital, I kept pacing back and forth, wondering when they were going to allow us to see her, when I should have been calling Susan Burnt and begging her for forgiveness.
Now, I’m pacing outside Rachel’s room, my gaze sliding toward the door, wondering if Seth and Rachel are making up. I hope so. At least, then there will be a little bit of normality if he moves back home. Sure, Lucas is still pissed and Hunter may be a bit moody around Seth, but at least Rachel will be happy. And yeah, there is that whole thing with Seth being my ex, but we can get around that. We can go back to being rivals again. That should be easy, right? No more worrying about Lucas and Hunter walking in on me making out with Seth. No more dragging Rachel into my room so Seth and I can have sex together without Lucas and Hunter suspecting anything. No more games. No more tricks.
Everything will be… just… normal.
I scowl and stab my finger onto the redial button. Susan Burnt is avoiding my calls. I glare down the hallway, wondering if Hunter and Lucas will be back before she finally picks up. They went to go get coffee and some breakfast since the food here sucks. Lucas mentioned that there was a quaint cafe nearby, which he noticed when Mike dropped him off last night. Apparently, they’re supposed to have waffles, and he wanted to get some for Rachel.
Is she even allowed waffles right now?
The nurses and doctors will take it away if they deem it unfit for Rachel. At the very least we can get her some decaf coffee. That will probably ease her nerves.
“I hope this is important,” comes Susan’s angry voice on the phone.
I stop in my tracks, putting on my bravest smile as I say, “Hi, Susan, it’s Alex.”
“I realize that,” Susan says haughtily.
I grimace and swallow the lump in my throat, deciding it’s best to make this fast. If she breaks me, so be it. I always knew Susan was a difficult boss. Then, I go and make it worse by forgetting to call her. She was the one who decided to give me a chance and I blew it. I only have myself to blame.
“I just wanted to apologize for not… coming. A family problem came up and I’m right now in the hospital.”
Susan scoffs and I imagine her rolling her eyes. “And you couldn’t have called me at a better time. You know, like yesterday when you decided not to board your flight.”
I hiss as if she’s struck me across the cheek.
“You do realize you left one of my colleagues high and dry at O’hare, right? Ann was left looking for you all over the airport, thinking she had missed you. Then, she called me, saying she could not find you. When I tried to call you, your phone was off.”
The hits just keep on coming. Yeah, I forgot I had my phone off. I turned it off when I got to the hospital, wanting to save my battery. Why am I such an idiot sometimes?
“I’m so sorry, Susan. I really am. I just… freaked out. I thought my girlfriend was having a miscarriage.”
There’s a long pause, followed by a, “Your girlfriend is pregnant?”
I grimace. I probably should have kept that little information for myself, especially since the baby isn’t mine. But, now that it’s out, I might as well roll with it. “Yeah,” I say awkwardly. “Turns out she has preeclampsia.”
