Total pages in book: 186
Estimated words: 176552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 883(@200wpm)___ 706(@250wpm)___ 589(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 176552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 883(@200wpm)___ 706(@250wpm)___ 589(@300wpm)
When I reached the feminine hygiene aisle, my steps slowed. My heart ticked up as I stood there, face-to-face with something I’d only ever half-joked about with the girls.
Pregnancy tests.
I didn’t know shit about these things other than the obvious. Whichever outcome you were rooting for, you had to pee on them and pray. Why were some so expensive? I picked two different brands to be safe. Then, after a beat, I grabbed a third one. A classic line test with no digital screen. That seemed simpler somehow. My stomach twisted thinking about Layla and how scared she’d looked. What if she were pregnant? I knew it wasn’t the end of the world, but it sure as hell wasn’t the life plan for a varsity cheerleader barely halfway through college. And definitely not from their stepdad, of all baby daddy candidates.
With the tests gathered in one hand, I cut through to the candy aisle and scanned until I found Ryder’s favorites, Snickers and an oversized KitKat. He always pretended he didn’t like sweets, but the man had a sugar addiction that could rival mine.
At the register, the older woman behind the counter gave me a once-over, then smiled like she knew my entire family lineage. “Aren’t you Anima’s granddaughter?”
Ah. Great.
I smiled tightly. “Yep, that’s me.”
“Mm. I thought so. You look so much like her and your mother.” She rang up the items, failing to discreetly look at my stomach as if the results were already revealed.
Wrong girl, lady.
I muttered a half-hearted “thanks” after I paid the $39.84, scooped up the plastic bag, and then patted myself on the back for not calling her out for her less-than-subtle judgment.
I was definitely going to have to call Sugarmama before this got spun into some juicy small-town version of a new mom PSA.
CHAPTER EIGHT
SANJANA
I stepped back into the cold evening air, noticing how the sky had grown darker, with streetlights buzzing above. I hurried towards Ryder’s truck, my pace quickened. The silence around me was unsettling. I kept an eye on my surroundings—the parking lot, the store windows, and the building’s perimeter. No one was visible, but I felt it, the sensation of unseen eyes. Or I was just doing a great job freaking myself out.
Ryder was still in the driver’s seat, hand on the wheel, head slightly turned, watching me approach. He reached over and popped the door open for me. I scrambled right in.
“You’re scared.” He didn’t say it to tease or prove a point, but because he knew. Ryder could read me blind, deaf, and dead.
I gave a small nod. “A little.”
He reached over, cupping my face, his thumb gently brushing my cheekbone, warm and reassuring. “I’m going to take care of this,” he promised softly.
I grabbed his wrist before he could pull away. “No, nothing happened, I’m fine,” I insisted, trying to sound firm, though my fingers held onto him like a lifeline. “You’re going to behave yourself.”
He flashed a slow, mischievous grin that made my stomach flip. “And what do I get if I’m good, Sass?” he asked, his voice low and teasing. “Actually, I can think of a few rewards.”
“Knock it off,” I reprimanded, heat climbing into my cheeks.
He laughed, pleased with himself.
I let him go, and he took us out of the parking lot. He was silent after that, and I knew his mind was turning over what happened, calculating and revving up to cause havoc for the second time in a matter of hours. I needed to distract him.
“Where were you going when you saw us?” I asked, genuinely curious.
He gave a casual shrug, eyes still on the road. “Nowhere in particular. You know driving helps clear my mind. I tracked your location first to make sure you were home, and when I saw you weren’t, my destination became you.”
“Thank you,” I said softly.
He shook his head. “You never need to thank me for the bare minimum, Sass.”
I smiled at that, then frowned, replaying what he’d said. “If you were going on a drive, something’s wrong.”
“I wouldn’t say it’s wrong.” A beat of silence. “Do you have a problem with me dating Brooke?”
My whole body stiffened. “What? That’s what’s bothering you?”
“Just answer the question.”
“Why would I have a problem with that? Not only is she a baddie, but Brooke’s all-around great. She’s nice and seems to truly care about you.”
The words tasted like sand mixed with glass. Wrong. In every damn way and never meant to be in my mouth. He stayed unnerving quiet for what felt like forever after that, his fingers drumming against the steering wheel.
“I just wanted to see if you’d lie to me again.”
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting him to say, but it wasn’t that. Oh, fuck you, universe. Fuck you for dangling everything I wanted right in front of my face, knowing exactly how catastrophic it would be to reach for it. In another life, I wouldn’t hesitate. I’d grab onto him and never let go. I wouldn’t have to love him in the way that I do now.