Page 45 of Rush the Edge

“No. I just moved here a couple of weeks ago. Hence why I’m spilling my guts to a random Uber driver.” I snort. “I usually spill everything to my best friend, but she doesn’t live here, so lucky you.”

I glance at Reese again. With her dark hair piled on top of her head and warm eyes, she sort of resembles Natalia. Though, Natalia has much more of a firecracker personality than what I’ve seen from Reese so far.

She seems…soft…and sweet.

“Well…” Reese veers off toward the exit. “You’re welcome to use me as your sounding board. My friends back home used to call me Mother Teresa because they said I had the best advice and made all the right choices.” She laughs quietly. “Pretty ironic that I was the one of our friend group who had to drop out of college because I got pregnant…but whatever.”

I shrug. “It’s fine. Every?—”

“—thing’s fine,” she finishes for me.

We both look at each other and laugh quietly, careful not to wake her daughter.

“I’m not exactly on the path I thought I’d end up on either,” I admit. “I had to drop out of college too, and now I’m the mascot for the Blue Devils, so ya know…”

She taps on the brakes and shoots me a bewildered look. “The mascot?”

I shoot her a look. “Unfortunately.”

“It’s fine. Everything’s fine,” she mutters.

We share a smile, and it only takes me a few seconds to decide that Reese is as good as anyone to delve deeper into my thoughts over Kane.

By the time I come up for air, she’s pulling in front of the apartment building with her jaw on the floor.

“I can’t believe he ripped it!” She’s just as appalled as me. “What an asshole. I am so tired of men thinking they have the upper hand.”

“Right?” I cross my arms. “I cannot let him get away with it. He’s bullying me like a child. We’re not in high school anymore.” I gaze at my apartment building with dread. Knowing Kane, he’s probably brought some girl home and is having sex with her in the elevator again, just waiting for me to step onto it.

Reese’s phone pings for another ride, interrupting our unexpected hangout session. “Oh, right. You gotta go.” I grab the door handle.

“Wait.” I turn toward her, and she’s smiling deviously. “I have an idea to get back at him.”

Her phone pings again, and her baby sighs wistfully in her sleep.

“Here.” Reese pulls a receipt out of her purse and scribbles her number on it. “Text me your number, and we can meet up.”

I latch onto the paper with desperation and tuck it into my back pocket. I climb out of her car and whisper, “Be safe!”

Just then, her baby lets out a cry, and we both snap our attention to the backseat. Her binky has fallen out onto her lap.

In a panic, I reach toward the backseat and quickly pop it back into her mouth. She sucks on it for a few seconds before she seemingly falls right back to sleep.

Reese blows out a thankful breath. “Thank you.”

I smile, and she quickly drives off.

I turn and stare at the apartment building door and pray that Kane isn’t waiting for me on the other side.

* * *

I anxiously wait for Reese to hear her idea on how to get back at Kane. The coffee shop is right around the corner from Dr. Gibson’s office, and I have forty minutes to spare until my appointment with him to review my bloodwork. I tap my fingers against my mug full of matcha until I see a stroller pop through the door.

I quickly move to stand up, but an eager man beats me to it, holding it open for Reese.

“Thank you.” She smiles kindly, and unaware to her, he’s practically drooling.

Reese is beyond beautiful—and her daughter is too.

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