Page 106 of Shootout Daddies
For a second, my brain blanks. I blink at her, waiting for the punchline, the smirk, the “just kidding.” But her face stays broken open, eyes wet, lip trembling.
“Holy shit,” I breathe, sitting back hard.
Rhett… says nothing. He goes still, his hand pressed flat against his thigh, jaw clenched so tight I can see the muscle ticking.
Me? I can’t hold it in. A grin cracks wide across my face before I even know what I’m doing. My chest buzzes with energy that pushes all the exhaustion right out of me.
“Are you serious?” I blurt, sitting forward again. “Pregnant? Like… really?”
Her laugh is thin, watery. “Yes.”
I’m already firing questions. “When did you find out? Are you okay? Do you feel sick? Cravings? Are we supposed to… like… baby-proof already? Shit, do we even have baby gates? Rhett, do we have baby gates?”
Rhett doesn’t answer. He still hasn’t moved.
Ivy’s voice cuts through. “It wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“What do you mean?”
She drags in a shaky breath. “My IUD. It came out. I didn’t even realize until Storm dragged it out from under the bed. We tested. Positive. Then Brooke took me to her doctor.”
Her hands tremble harder now, and I wish I could hug her despite smelling like sweat and rink grime. My heart is hammering so hard it feels like it’s in my throat.
“It’s too early to know,” she whispers, eyes darting between us. “Who the father is.”
Silence slams down again.
It could be mine. It could be Rhett’s. It could be Landon’s.
But instead of panic, instead of fear, excitement burns through me. My blood is on fire. “That’s… incredible,” I say. “I mean—fuck. A baby, Ivy? Our baby. Another one of ours.”
Rhett shifts finally. Not much, just enough to lean back into the couch, his gaze fixed somewhere on the floor. He looks… stunned. Knocked off balance in a way I’ve never seen him.
I can’t stop. The words tumble out too fast. “Do you know how far along exactly? You said five weeks? That means—shit—that means right in the middle of?—”
“Hunter.” Rhett’s voice cuts sharp, low.
I shut my mouth, but the grin still won’t fade. I’m buzzing like I just scored a hat trick.
Ivy’s face twists, fear and hope tangled tight. “You’re not mad?”
I laugh, shaking my head.
“Mad? Baby girl, I’m fucking ecstatic. You have no idea. We’ve already been raising one together. And now this? This is—this is…” Words fail, and I just reach out, my hand covering hers, squeezing tight. “It’s everything.”
Her tears slip free, rolling down her cheeks, but this time there’s the tiniest smile pulling at her mouth.
Rhett exhales slowly, finally dragging his gaze up to her. “It’s a lot.”
I nod. “Yeah. It’s a lot. But it’s good.”
Ivy laughs weakly, wiping at her cheeks with her sleeve. “You don’t understand. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I’m moving in less than two weeks. New York. Plans. Everything’s already?—”
“Plans change,” I cut in gently, thumb rubbing over her knuckles. “You’ve changed ours. Hell, you’ve changed me. If this is happening, we figure it out. That’s what we do.”
She stares at me like she wants to believe it but doesn’t know how.
Rhett leans forward finally, his big hand settling over both of ours. “We’ll figure it out,” he echoes, his voice low.
