Page 33 of Play the Game
I sigh, leaning against him. “No, it sure wasn’t.”
“Are you okay? Do you need anything? I wish you would have told us sooner. Did you think we would judge you for this or something? You know we’re on your side, Ev. Always and no matter what.”
I lean my head on Chris’s shoulder and glance at Rio, feeling a rush of love for both of them. “I have no idea if I’m okay or not, and to be honest, I hate the very thought of this. I didn’t tell you yet because I’m still trying to tell myself that this is real life. I don’t know how to be a pregnant person.”
Chris squeezes my shoulder. “We’re here for you. Day or night. Whatever you need. Are you…” Chris cuts himself off, and I know exactly what he was going to say.
“Just say it.” I sigh.
He blows out a breath. “Are you going to tell Mom and Dad?”
I close my eyes, feeling the low hum of a tension headache settle over me. “I guess I’ll have to eventually, but let’s not rush that day. I’m holding on by a very frayed thread as it is.”
“You’re doing fine, Rhodes,” Cooper says. “This is one big mindfuck, but you’re not doing it alone.”
Rio gives Cooper an approving smile. “I think maybe you’reone of the good ones, Cooper Wyles. And did Ev say you made these bagels? Because if so, we need to keep you around forever.”
Cooper smiles back. “Cooking and baking is a hobby of mine, and Evan said bagels were all she could eat right now without getting sick. Figured I would bring breakfast.”
Rio takes another bite of his bagel. “Well now, that’s the kind of caretaking I can get behind. And I do love a good hobby. Has Ev told you about hers?”
I shoot Rio aShut the fuck uplook, because I’m not quite ready to open that part of myself up, and Cooper definitely catches the look because he grins lazily. “She sure hasn’t, but babies cook for a pretty long time, so we have a while to get to know each other.”
“Let’s not rush that,” I mumble.
Cooper trails a finger over my knee and goosebumps rise on my skin. “All in good time, Rhodes. And I meant it when I said you’re not doing it alone. I’m here, and so are your brother and Rio. And if you want it, I have a whole family full of brothers, sisters-in-law, a mom, dad, and a zany possibly psychic grandma who would really love to get to know you.”
“Definitely one of the good ones,” Chris whispers in my ear so only I can hear. And as I sit back and watch Cooper chat with my brother and Rio, getting up multiple times to refill my drink or get me the second bagel I want or relight one of the candles when it goes out, I think that maybe, just maybe, with the three of them on my side, I’ve got this handled.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
EVAN
“It’s a little high. Let’s check your other arm.”
The unsmiling nurse whips off the blood pressure cuff. Sweat drips down the back of my neck and anxiety sinks its claws into me as I hold out my other arm, wincing at the scraping of Velcro, the whirring of the machine, and the tightening of the cuff until I want to scream.
For one wild moment, I wish the nurse hadn’t made Cooper stand outside this little room that seems to get smaller with every passing second. Strangely, I think his calm reassurance might be exactly what I need right now, and isn’t that just the stupidest shit. My toes are curled tightly in my shoes, and I grip the bottom of my chair with my free arm until the cuff finally, mercifully, loosens.
“Hmmm,” the nurse says, typing something into the computer. “We’ll have the doctor take a look. Follow me.”
Her gruff, no-nonsense tone does nothing to calm my sparking nerves, and I wonder whether I’ve failed pregnancy already. I imagine what she typed into that computer.
High blood pressure. Unfit to be a mother.
Tell me something I don’t already know.
The nurse opens the door, and as soon as I step out into the hallway, Cooper is the first thing I see. I try really hard not to think about why the sight of him leaning against the opposite wall in his work clothes, legs crossed in front of him, feels like I’m taking my first deep breath in twenty minutes.
His eyes zero right in on my face. “Everything okay?” he asks in a quiet voice, falling into step beside me and following the nurse down the hallway.
“Not even close,” I mutter.
As we walk, the back of his hand brushes mine in a way that feels intentional. One that seems to sayI’m hereandWe’re in this together.
I like it way too much.
“Take off everything from the waist down,” the nurse says when she waves us into an exam room, barely even looking at me as she busies herself arranging the ultrasound machine. “Cover up with the paper sheet. The doctor should be in shortly.”
