Page 61 of Duke
I hear him draw to a stop outside the door.
“A minute, please,” Mollie calls.
I don’t want to sob again, but I can’t control it. I’m scared and I’m sad and…yeah, justso fucking scared.
Duke’s going to be so angry.
Wait, why is that my first thought?
Ah yes. Because the only emotion my father ever expressed was anger. If we were lucky, he’d only bark at us when we were kids. If we were unlucky, he’d barkandbite.
I grew up terrified of him. I know rationally that Duke’s given me absolutely no reason to be scared of him too. He’s not an angry person, and he’s not mean. But try telling that to my nervous system, which is currently completely shot.
Mollie holds me tighter. “Oh, sweetie.”
“Wheeler? Is that you?” Cash’s voice is urgent. “Are you hurt? What’s going on?”
“I’m…fine?” I say thickly.
“We’re fine, Cash,” Mollie adds. “Just—a moment, please?”
“Y’all take all the time you need. But you got me worried.”
My heart clenches. I pull back, meeting Mollie’s eyes. “If you want me to go—”
“What?” She frowns. “Of course I don’t want you to go. You shouldn’t be alone right now, Wheeler. Here.” She uses her thumbs to wipe away my tears. “Give me a sec to kick my dear husband’s ass to the curb.” Turning, she reaches for the door and opens it just enough to stick her head through the crack. “We need some privacy, Cash.”
“Okay,” he replies slowly. “Is there anything I can do, or—”
“You can go back to doing your cowboy things, please and thank you.”
Cash is a smart guy. He knows better than to ask what we’re doing or why we need said privacy. But he’s more than a little overprotective of his wife, especially now that she’s pregnant—holy shit, I’m pregnant too—so I get why he hesitates.
“Check in with me in a bit, then?” he asks. “Just so I know y’all are still okay?”
“Of course.” Mollie opens the door a little wider so she can lean out to give her husband a peck on the lips. “Thank you for understanding.”
But when she falls back, she stumbles into me and immediately turns around to apologize. The door stays open for a split second. Just long enough for me to lock eyes with Cash. They’re the same shade of cobalt as Duke’s.
These cowboys all look so much alike.
I see the flare of panic in Cash’s eyes as they rake over my face. No doubt I’m puffy and pink from all the crying I’ve been doing.
Then his gaze moves to the vanity.
The tests areright there, the blue crosses definitely visible from where he stands.
His eyes go wide as they move back to me. A beat of silent, searing understanding moves between us. I have no idea what Duke told his brothers about our weekend in Aspen. Did he say anything at all? Mollie swore up and down that she didn’t say a word to Cash, and I trust her with my life.
Judging by the gleam of understanding in Cash’s eyes, he knows Duke and I hooked up. My pulse skips several beats. What does it mean that Duke told his brothers about us? What did he say? Does he miss me?
Why does any of that matter? Your relationship with Duke is purely platonic now.
Only these tests might throw a wrench in my carefully laid plans tobe just friendswith Duke. We’ll have to talk. A lot. Somehow I know he’d rather die than leave me to deal with this alone.
I have to tell him. Especially now that Cash knows, because judging by the grave concern in this man’s expression, he definitely knows I’m pregnant with his brother’s baby.
“Please don’t say anything,” I blurt. “We—I literally just found out, and I don’t know—I’m going to tell Duke, but I need a minute to get my thoughts together. More than a minute.”
