Page 51 of Tight Spot

I rushed out of the elegant conference center, barely recognizing a handful of heads swiveling in my wake as strangers watched me hightail it out of there like my ass was on fire, straight toward the long hallway and into the women’s restroom. It wasn’t until I was inside, my back against the wall, cooling from the cold wood behind me I finally breathed again.

“Damn it,” I muttered and shook out my hands and arms to relieve the tension building faster than a forest fire.

I’d run out of there, didn’t even look at Dawson. Probably looked like I was rushing to escape him in the middle of a freaking dinner with all of his teammates. His coach and owner. All the people he’d needed to impress and now I’d completely, one hundred percent not only screwed up, but tears were gathering in my eyes faster than I could stop them from falling.

Shit shit shit.

This was bad. Really, really bad.

No wonder Darrick left me. Cheated on me.

I couldn’t even make it through a dinner without losing my mind.

“Oh god,” I groaned and went straight to the paper towels sitting in a basket next to the sinks. I flipped on the faucet taps and soaked it in cold water, squeezed out all the excess and pressed it to my forehead.

My makeup would probably be ruined.

My mascara destroyed. Dropping the paper towel to the counter I shoved my hands under the ice-cold water to help calm the hell down.

I was drying my hands, staring at my pale face, mesmerized by my pulse racing at the base of my throat when the door opened.

Great. A witness to my complete and utterly humiliating breakdown.

Instead of one of the hundreds of strangers, it was Maggie.

“I’m really sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.” I flipped off the water and grabbed a fresh paper towel to dry my hands.

She stepped forward. “Dawson told us how you met, you know, or well Davis told me. So I know this thing between you isn’t exactly organic.”

“Okay.” I was focused on drying my hands but glanced up at her through the mirror’s reflection.

“He also just told me that you were supposed to be married a couple of months ago.”

“Right.” Of course he did. “Like I said, it’s not your fault, and just because my life imploded doesn’t mean I don’t want other people to find their happiness.”

“Yeah, but if I’d known before I wouldn’t have kept talking about it. So I’m really sorry I hurt you, even if it was unintentional.”

“Thank you. That’s very sweet.”

“He’s really worried about you.”

“Dawson?”

“Yeah. And I’m pretty sure if I can’t get you out the door so he can see you’re okay in the next minute or so he’s going to bust it down.”

She glanced at the door as if to prove her point, but it was unnecessary. “If you know how we met, then you should know this isn’t really real. We have an understanding.”

“Yeah, so did Davis and I, at least at first.” She chuckled and rubbed her hands over the top of her protruding belly in her skintight, black dress. She was so tiny her belly stuck right out in front of her I had no idea where she’d fit anymore with all the growing she still had left to do.

“What does that mean?”

“It means, I got pregnant on a one-night stand and when I went to tell Davis about the baby, he insisted I move in to help me. And then about two weeks later we couldn’t keep our hands off each other. Understandings and arrangements only last for so long when you start to really like the person or fall in love.”

Oh, that was where she was wrong.

“Dawson won’t fall in love with me.”

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