his favourite.”
“Of course they are.” They look like a woman’s snatch … wait. How the hell does she know what his favourite flower is? I didn’t even know what his favourite flower is. “Who are you?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Chelcie.” She waits a second for that to sink in, and then prompts me with, “Jackson’s fiancé … Or, ex-fiancé, I guess.”
“Right.”
“And you must be Holly?” she says, sticking her hand out for me to shake. He talked about me? To his fiancé? That’s … weird, considering he’s never said a word to me about her. I knew about her, of course, I just didn’t know that this is what he’d left behind when he’d left her.
“Hi.” I shake her hand, noticing how satiny smooth her skin is in comparison to mine, then I stand up, because it feels weird being so close to him when his ex is right in front of me. My cardi falls away from my waist and she looks down, taking in my swollen belly.
“Oh, you’re … you’re pregnant.” Chelcie’s not being snide; at least, I don’t think she is. She seems genuinely surprised. “Jack didn’t mention that.”
“Yeah, twenty-one weeks.” I grab the cardigan, and pull it tightly around my stomach, feeling even more self-conscious than I already was.
“Wow, that’s … really great. Congratulations,” she says. Her brow furrows, and she swallows hard, and clears her throat. Then she eases past, placing the orchids on the shelf to the left of his bed.
Chelcie stares down at him, and a tear rolls down her face. Of course her mascara doesn’t run the way mine does. Oh, no, she probably planned ahead and wore waterproof so her perfect face wouldn’t look as though she was imitating a panda.
Goddamn it, be nice, Holly.
I force the frown from my face, and shove the nasty thoughts to the depths of my black soul. I know she’s probably feeling a thousand different emotions right now, because I feel them every time I look at him, too.
“What happened to him? Ana mentioned a crash?”
“You spoke to Ana?” I try not to sound accusatory, but I’m not gonna lie, it annoys the shit out of me that this woman is here.
“Jack calls me every Saturday without fail. When he missed this week, I called the house. Ana said he was here.” She gazes down at him, and absentmindedly brushes the hair from his forehead. I clench my teeth, and fight like hell not to punch her in the vagina. Either she’s a mindreader or she just realised the way she’s touching her ex is wildly inappropriate, because she pulls her hand away like she just got burnt, and looks at me sheepishly.
“We were camping when he got bitten,” I bite out. “I was the one driving his car when we crashed.”
“I didn’t know you two were involved.”
“We’re complicated.”
She gives me a weak smile. “Would you mind if I visited alone with him? This is all just a lot to take in.”
“Yeah, of course. I have to go meet Ana in the parking lot, or she’s gonna start having conniptions.”
“Thank you.” She sits down in the chair I was just occupying, the one that’s still more than likely warm from my fat, pregnant arse. “It so nice to finally meet you, Holly. Good luck with the baby.”
“Thanks,” I say, and steal one last look at Jack before I walk away.
I WAKE with a start. The first thing I feel is my throat constricting around the tube that’s shoved down inside it. A machine beside me beeps wildly, and the noise slices through my pounding head. I cough and sputter, and reach up and to rip the tube from my mouth. But Chelcie’s removing my hand, and then a nurse is talking in my ear, trying to get me to calm down, and easing me back against the pillow.
I feel like I’m choking with this damn thing in my mouth. My stomach flips. My chest tightens as I gasp in panic. I blink, and then when I open my eyes again my tube is being pulled from my throat. I dry retch as it slides out, and vomit into the basin the nurse holds in front
“Of course they are.” They look like a woman’s snatch … wait. How the hell does she know what his favourite flower is? I didn’t even know what his favourite flower is. “Who are you?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Chelcie.” She waits a second for that to sink in, and then prompts me with, “Jackson’s fiancé … Or, ex-fiancé, I guess.”
“Right.”
“And you must be Holly?” she says, sticking her hand out for me to shake. He talked about me? To his fiancé? That’s … weird, considering he’s never said a word to me about her. I knew about her, of course, I just didn’t know that this is what he’d left behind when he’d left her.
“Hi.” I shake her hand, noticing how satiny smooth her skin is in comparison to mine, then I stand up, because it feels weird being so close to him when his ex is right in front of me. My cardi falls away from my waist and she looks down, taking in my swollen belly.
“Oh, you’re … you’re pregnant.” Chelcie’s not being snide; at least, I don’t think she is. She seems genuinely surprised. “Jack didn’t mention that.”
“Yeah, twenty-one weeks.” I grab the cardigan, and pull it tightly around my stomach, feeling even more self-conscious than I already was.
“Wow, that’s … really great. Congratulations,” she says. Her brow furrows, and she swallows hard, and clears her throat. Then she eases past, placing the orchids on the shelf to the left of his bed.
Chelcie stares down at him, and a tear rolls down her face. Of course her mascara doesn’t run the way mine does. Oh, no, she probably planned ahead and wore waterproof so her perfect face wouldn’t look as though she was imitating a panda.
Goddamn it, be nice, Holly.
I force the frown from my face, and shove the nasty thoughts to the depths of my black soul. I know she’s probably feeling a thousand different emotions right now, because I feel them every time I look at him, too.
“What happened to him? Ana mentioned a crash?”
“You spoke to Ana?” I try not to sound accusatory, but I’m not gonna lie, it annoys the shit out of me that this woman is here.
“Jack calls me every Saturday without fail. When he missed this week, I called the house. Ana said he was here.” She gazes down at him, and absentmindedly brushes the hair from his forehead. I clench my teeth, and fight like hell not to punch her in the vagina. Either she’s a mindreader or she just realised the way she’s touching her ex is wildly inappropriate, because she pulls her hand away like she just got burnt, and looks at me sheepishly.
“We were camping when he got bitten,” I bite out. “I was the one driving his car when we crashed.”
“I didn’t know you two were involved.”
“We’re complicated.”
She gives me a weak smile. “Would you mind if I visited alone with him? This is all just a lot to take in.”
“Yeah, of course. I have to go meet Ana in the parking lot, or she’s gonna start having conniptions.”
“Thank you.” She sits down in the chair I was just occupying, the one that’s still more than likely warm from my fat, pregnant arse. “It so nice to finally meet you, Holly. Good luck with the baby.”
“Thanks,” I say, and steal one last look at Jack before I walk away.
I WAKE with a start. The first thing I feel is my throat constricting around the tube that’s shoved down inside it. A machine beside me beeps wildly, and the noise slices through my pounding head. I cough and sputter, and reach up and to rip the tube from my mouth. But Chelcie’s removing my hand, and then a nurse is talking in my ear, trying to get me to calm down, and easing me back against the pillow.
I feel like I’m choking with this damn thing in my mouth. My stomach flips. My chest tightens as I gasp in panic. I blink, and then when I open my eyes again my tube is being pulled from my throat. I dry retch as it slides out, and vomit into the basin the nurse holds in front
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