Page 116 of Ruthless Secrets
I hold out my hands for Holly. “Do you want me to try?”
Lila pushes her dark hair out of her face. “She’s overtired at this point. I doubt anything will help.”
“Let me give you a break at least.”
Lila doesn’t protest as I take Holly from her.
The poor baby is exhausted, and she’s looking around with panic in her eyes. I try to relax my body to help put her at ease, but it’s easier said than done, so I settle on singing to her softly as I rock her back and forth.
Rosa curls up on the other twin bed, pulling the checked comforter over her body as she starts reading a book that she must have grabbed from the living room.
I’m glad she decided to stay here with us so I can keep an eye on her. It’s what Marco would want.
“I don’t know how people manage two young kids at once.” I collapse onto the bed beside Lila once Holly is asleep.
I catch the sound of sniffing and glance over to see her wiping at her eyes. "Everything will be fine." I run my hand up and down her back in slow, soothing strokes. "You know how overprotective Marco and Andre are. They sent us here as a precaution. Nothing’s going to happen to them,”
We both know that’s not true, but maybe if I say it enough, it will come true.
Lila shakes her head, her fingers gripping the sleeve of my jumper as she clings to me, sniffing. "It’s not that. There’s something else."
I pull back slightly, watching as her lower lip trembles.
"What is it?"
She hesitates, her eyes darting to where Rosa lies on the bed before whispering under her breath, "I’m pregnant."
Her words are like a punch to the gut.
This should be a moment where all of us should be jumping for joy, and yet all I can think of is the fact that Andre might never get to hold this child.
Lila lets out a shaky breath, wiping at her damp cheeks. "I only just found out. I haven’t even had time to tell Andre yet. And now...what if I never get the chance? What if something happens to him and?—"
Her voice cracks, and then she’s sobbing in my arms.
"It won’t. You can’t think like that. They are going to come back to us, Lila. We are going to get through this."
She nods, though I know she’s not convinced.
I tighten my grip around her, holding her close as she cries softly into my shoulder.
My eyes flick to the bedside table, where a deck of cards sits abandoned, and an idea sparks in my mind.
It might be the middle of the night, but it seems none of us are going to be sleeping anytime soon, and we could all use a distraction.
"How about we play a game?" I pull away from Lila and reach for the deck. "Let’s play poker."
Lila looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.
"You want to play poker rightnow?"
Rosa perks up from her spot on the bed, finally looking away from her book. "I’m in."
"See?” I open the pack and pull out the cards. “Rosa’s got the right idea."
Lila huffs a small, tired laugh, but she doesn’t argue. It’s not like we’ve got anything else to be doing.
The three of us move onto the floor between the two beds, and I shuffle the cards.
