I didn’t want to dwell. I didn’t want to fight. I just wanted to make it through the next few hours without throwing up on anybody.
He nodded mutely and paused uncertainly in the doorway, as if wondering what to do next. “Well…are you sure you don’t want some company in there? I could—”
“Already done.”
I flicked off the water and stepped out into the steam, wrapping myself in a towel and hovering casually just out of his reach. I was really not in the mood to be coddled right now, but I could never bring myself to do anything to actively hurt his feelings.
“Do you think you could bring up some fruit for breakfast?” I asked helpfully. Maybe giving him a task would distract him from some of his well-deserved guilt about the morning’s agenda.
“Of course,” he replied instantly, relieved, as I knew he would be. “Peppermint tea?”
“That actually sounds wonderful,” I admitted. “Thanks, babe.”
He disappeared the next moment, and I heaved a silent sigh of relief. Since when was I uncomfortable around Marcus? Since when did I wait to take my guard down until he left?
Since he decided to force me to hide my shameful “out-of-wedlock” baby.
I gritted my teeth but stared determinedly into the mirror. I had agreed to this. I had committed. I picked up my brush and began tugging it fiercely through each of my tangled curls. With any luck, they wouldn’t even ask about the baby.
Chapter 14
“And why the quick wedding, Miss White? You aren’t pregnant, are you?”
My heart pounded guiltily away in my chest, and I lowered my head with a sigh. Mental note: don’t sign up for the polygraph. I wouldn’t make it past the first question.
“Why don’t I just say: take the Fifth?”
Amanda laughed, holding up my practice note cards in front of her face. “I’m pretty sure that’s an admission of guilt right there.”
“That’s what I’m talking about!” I threw up my hands in frustration. “It’s like we can’t talk about my baby without using words like ‘hide’ and ‘guilt.’ There’s nothing wrong here. This is supposed to be something wonderful. How would you feel?”
She shrugged but met my anger with steady sincerity. “I wouldn’t have agreed to it.”
My stomach dropped straight to the floor, and I stared down at my hands, fighting back frustrated tears. Her face softened sympathetically, and she clapped me on the shoulder.
“But you did, and I understand why you did—really, Bex, I do. So let’s just…move on to an easier question.” She flipped hastily through the cards. “Like…where did you two meet?” She glanced up with a quirky frown. “Gosh—you guys just can’t catch a break, can you?”
I shook my head and stared glumly into the mirror. “We met on vacation in Bermuda. His room was just across the hall from mine, and we were in the same scuba class. For the next few days we just…kept running into each other. Finally, he came over and introduced himself.”
“Like you would ever scuba.” She snorted at the thought. But when she met my exasperated stare, she quickly transformed her face into a serious frown. “No, that was good, very believable. I liked the thoughtful pause.” She looked at me. “And since when can you afford a trip to Bermuda?”
“I never could. They got these facts all wrong.”
“Just tell everyone the truth.”
“You know I can’t!”
“Not that! That you met Marcus on your way to work at the coffee shop.”
“Because that would make me too ordinary.”
She laughed. “We can’t have that now, can we?”
I dropped my head into my hands. “What the fuck am I doing?”
“Who wrote these anyway?” she asked, browsing through the questions. “It was love at first sight? You know…that feeling you get in your stomach that just never quite goes away?” She stopped quoting and lowered the cards to her lap. “I feel like I’m reading a Judy Bloom book here.”
“That’s all Billings,” I said wryly. “Some of his finest work, I’m assured.”