Page 55 of Gatling
I hesitated and plucked at the sheets.
“Yes.”
Noah scrubbed a hand over his face, sinking deeper into his chair.
“Don’t be angry with him,” I pleaded.
Noah huffed a dry laugh.
“I can’t make that promise. Not right now.”
Which was understandable. He needed time to process this. Ryker and I went behind his back, and kept him in the dark. He was bound to feel betrayed, hurt.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I really am.”
Noah waved off my apology, shaking his head.
“The thing is, I’m not that surprised. I kind of knew already. I just didn’t want to admit it. You look at Ryker like he hung the damn moon and the stars. You’ve had a crush on him since you were a teenager, despite your best attempts to hide it from me.”
I blushed with scalding heat, slinking under the sheets.
“How come you never brought it up? You love embarrassing me. I would have been mortified.”
Noah shrugged.
“I hoped it would simply go away or die out after a while. Ryker is so much older than you, Kels. And he’s not exactly a warm and fuzzy teddy bear either.”
But I still love him,I thought.
“That crush only got worse as you grew older,” Noah continued. “I had no idea he felt the same way about you though.”
My heart fluttered at his words. I twisted the sheets in my fingers, resisting the urge to blurt a million questions. Have you seen him? Is he okay? Did you talk to him about the baby? Did he visit me in the hospital? Where is he now?
“When did you find out?” Noah asked. “About the pregnancy.”
“Yesterday,” I replied. “At the Gala. My stomach was bothering me all day, remember? So, I started putting the pieces together and doing the math. I took three pregnancy tests to be sure.”
He heaved a sigh.
“You’re supposed to use protection, Kelsie. Didn’t I teach you that?”
I grimaced.
“Yes, you did. It was a very awkward conversation and I don’t want to repeat it. Besides, Ryker and I did use protection. But…accidents happen. It’s not foolproof.”
Now it was Noah’s turn to grimace.
“Okay, okay, I don’t need details about what you and Ryker are doing when I’m not looking. Gross.”
I giggled as he squirmed in his chair.
“Am I making you uncomfortable? It’s usually the other way around.”
“That’s because it’s my job, butterbean. I’m your big brother. Which means I am duty bound to embarrass the crap out of my little sister at every opportunity that presents itself.”
“And you do your job very well,” I conceded.
Noah gave a sage nod.
