Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 53052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
Lucas, with an arm around her shoulders, squeezes her close. “Of course he does. You’re utterly loveable.”
They’re so sweet.
Jack snorts, obviously uncomfortable with the lovey-dovey behavior of his sister and her fiancé. He glances at Rainey. “Yeah, I do love you. And I was damned proud of you, too. The party was a huge success.”
I smile at their sibling dynamic. Holly and I support each other, but their byplay is sweet in its own way. “I’m sorry I missed it,” I say.
Tristan slings an arm around Kaylee’s shoulders. “It was a crazy day. First, Rainey’s stalker showed up and Rainey was able to catch her admission on tape, and then the party was fantastic,” he says.
“You had a stalker?” I ask, shocked.
She waves a hand through the air. “At the time it was scary, but it’s over, thank God.”
“I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”
I’m not happy Rainey had someone after her, but it helps to know I’m not the only one going through something out of their control. It also tells me that Jack isn’t a stranger to his family having serious issues. Maybe I can trust him with mine.
It’s definitely something to think about.
Jack casually copies his friends and slides his arm around my shoulders, pulling me against him. “Rainey didn’t mention that while all this was going on, I was in Charleston, and she was sneaking around with one of my best friends.”
Rainey wrinkles her nose. “Oh, boo-hoo. It’s not like I was with someone you don’t like,” Rainey retorts. “And you got a solid punch in before you gave us your blessing. Which we shouldn’t have needed, by the way.”
I stifle a smile. “Kaylee, how did you and Tristan get together?” I ask.
I’m then regaled with the story of how they ended up sharing a room with one bed at a wedding they both attended. “You all live romance novel lives,” I tell them. In my spare time, I enjoy a good happily ever after. It helps take the sting out of my situation with Chandler.
“Says the woman who met a man who was visiting and is now here getting to know him better.” Kaylee grins, her pointed gaze on Jack, who is now tangling his fingers in my hair. “You never know what’s in store for you,” she says, a smile on her pretty face.
A heated blush rises to my cheeks. I know what I wish for. That Jack and I didn’t have Chandler coming between whatever romance could happen between us.
“I have your lunch,” the steward says, walking in with a tray of food.
He serves us a variety of shellfish and my stomach does a combination of churning at the smell and sinking at the meal a pregnant woman shouldn’t eat. I don’t know how well everything is cooked, and I know better than to try it. Even if it wasn’t turning my stomach.
Oh, God. I nudge Jack with my knee. “I’m sorry. I need the ladies’ room.” I all but kick him in my rush to get out of the seat where I’m trapped and run to the bathroom that had been pointed out to us when we were given the grand tour of the yacht.
Once again, I make it to a small bathroom just in time. There’s going to come a day when my luck runs out. I wait to make sure I’m really finished vomiting, then stand, washing my hands in the sink. Luckily, there’s also mouthwash and cups, which lets me really clean up and feel ready to show my face again.
When I walk out, Jack is waiting for me. “Are you okay?” he asks. Lines of concern bracket his mouth.
“Yes. The smell of fish …” I shake my head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t go back and eat it. It’s on the no list for pregnant women.”
“You’re pregnant?!” Rainey’s voice rises from around the corner as she steps out and we come face to face.
“Didn’t I tell you to not to run after them?” Lucas asks, pulling her against him. “Jack had it handled.”
“You knew.” Rainey draws a deep breath and turns to her fiancé. “You knew Taylor was pregnant with Jack’s baby, and you didn’t tell me?” She sounds hurt and I feel bad for her.
“You’re jumping to conclusions,” Jack tells his sister.
I rub my hands up and down my arms. The last thing I want to do is come between siblings. “I—”
Rainey pivots to face Jack and raises her eyebrows in a way that reminds me of her brother. “Are you telling me Taylor isn’t pregnant? Or that it’s not yours?”
Jack folds his arm across his chest. “I’m telling you whatever is going on with Taylor is none of your business.”
“Oh? Like what was going on between Lucas and me was none of yours?” Rainey asks, mimicking him by crossing her arms over her chest.