by Rhian Cahill
“There’s nothing to be angry about. You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“I didn’t tell you,” she argued.
“And you didn’t know where I was.” Dumbass that he was, he’d made sure of that. “What did you do when you found out I was in Winter Lake?”
“I packed up as quickly as I could and came here.”
Tristan smiled, dropped a kiss on the top of her head, and finally loosened his hold. “You think about that and let me know if you still believe I have reason to be angry about not knowing before now.”
“I should have at least called.”
“And told me over the phone? No.” He shook his head. “Not your style.”
“Still.”
“No. You haven’t done anything to hide this from me. If anything, I hid from you and for that I’m so fucking sorry. Sorry I wasn’t there when you found out. Sorry I wasn’t there to hold your hair back when the babies made you sick. Sorry you had to drive thousands of miles in only a few days to find me.”
“I don’t understand you.” She pulled away and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “I didn’t exactly tell you you’re the father.”
“I am though, right?”
Suddenly he needed the words. Needed to hear her say those babies were his while looking him in the eyes.
“Yes, they’re yours. You’re the only man I’ve been with in ten months.” She ducked her head.
“What?” That couldn’t be right. She’d been engaged to Gavin…
That fucking asshole. If ever he showed his face in front of Tris again, he’d find it full of fist.
She sniffed and rubbed her nose again. “Gavin wasn’t interested.”
Fist followed by fist followed by foot.
“That fucker,” he growled under his breath.
“It wasn’t Gavin’s fault.”
“Yes, it was.” He clenched his jaw. Ground his teeth.
She didn’t need to see his anger over the whole Gavin situation. Pulling it in, he reminded himself they had better things to discuss than her ex-fiancé and his ex-friend.
“I don’t want to get into that now.” Or ever really. As far as he was concerned, they could put Gavin firmly in the past and move on from here. The two of them. Shit. Four. The four of them.
Cov glanced around them, said, “Oh,” as if she’d completely forgotten where they were, making him smile and tug on her hand.
“C’mon. Della will get upset if we let our dinner go cold.”
She sniffled again as her stomach let loose with a rumbling growl.
Tris laughed. “I think our babies are hungry.”
Her hand jerked in his and he tightened his grip in case she thought about letting go.
“Everything will be fine,” he vowed. And it would be. He’d make sure of it.
Why he felt the need to reassure her he didn’t know, but the urge was too potent to resist. Then again, maybe he was the one in need of verbal reassurance. At this point, he wasn’t sure how to untangle the chaotic emotions tugging at him.
One thing he did know now that he knew those babies were his, he was definitely putting a ring on her finger.
The sooner the better.
How long did it take to get a license? Didn’t they need blood tests or something?
He’d have to Google it later. After he’d seen to Cov.
She’d spent four months dealing with her pregnancy alone. There would be no more of that.
From now on, he would be with her every step of the way.
Which led him back to their need to find a doctor.
“We should stop by the clinic after here. See about getting in to see Jared Groves before I go back on shift.”
“I saw my doctor just before I left LA.”
“I’d still like you to see Jared.” He needed her to see him.
“Well, I do have to find someone to take over my care but there isn’t any rush.”
She might not think so, and a qualified medical practitioner might agree with her, but Tris didn’t want to leave anything to chance. Not with Cov, and not with their babies.
He swallowed.
Their babies.
He definitely needed medical reassurance that everything was okay. Her loss of weight worried him in spite of her reassurance that it wasn’t a concern.
“How about you just give me this one? No arguments. After this we’ll discuss everything to do with you and the babies and decide together, but right now I need you to see a doctor. And I’ll be honest and admit it’s not about you or them, it’s about me.”
Cov turned that smile on him, the one that made him feel a thousand feet tall and invincible, gutted and weak in the knees all at once. “Okay.”
“Damn.” He grinned. “You gave in too easy. That’s going to bite me in the ass at some point for sure.”
“Oh good, you’re still here.”
They turned to see Kirby walking toward them.
“I wrote down the details for you, Covington.” Kirby held out a piece of paper. “I added my cell number too.”
“Thanks.” Cov took the note.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“I invited Covington to Books and Bitches,” Kirby explained.
“Books and Bitches?”
“Yep.”
“Is this the book club Chief Murdock’s wife goes to?” he asked, not really wanting the answer.
From what he’d heard around the station house, it was more like an excuse for the women of Winter Lake to get together, drink wine, and gossip.
Kirby grinned. “That would be the one.”
“Oh.” He frowned.
“Don’t worry. We don’t have any dirty little secrets about you to reveal. Although…” Kirby’s gaze lowered to Cov’s midsection. “I’m sure there’s some we could discover.”
Before he could argue for or against that proclamation, Kirby waltzed back down the hall and vanished.
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell them anything.”
He returned his gaze to Cov. “I’m not worried about what you’ll tell them.”
“Then why is your forehead all scrunched up and your mouth threatening to split in half with the frown dragging the ends down off your face?”
“Because I’ve heard rumors about that book club.”
“Oh, really? Anything juicy? I could use a little excitement in my life.”
“I think you’ll be getting plenty of that in the next few months; hell, with two babies it’ll be years of excitement, so maybe you shouldn’t go. Keep things calm and easy while you can.”
“Why, Tristan Harding, are you scared of a group of women getting together and talking?”
He didn’t like the grin on her face. He knew that grin. It meant he’d somehow challenged her and she’d do the opposite of what he’d suggested.
“Damn it.” He sighed. “You’re going, aren’t you?”
“Yep.” She nodded. “And you’re going to take me.”
Recoiling, he blurted, “I can’t go to book club. It’s a women’s thing.”
Cov laughed. The beautiful sound vibrated along his skin and into his bones, sinking deep until he felt it in every corner of his body.
He’d missed that laugh. The sweetness of it. Her pleasure so audible, so apparent.
“You need to do more of that,” he said, stroking a finger over her cheek before gripping her elbow and steering her out of the hallway and back to their table where their dinner waited.
“What?” she asked.
“Be happy.”
Chapter 9
“I don’t need new boots,” she argued.
“Yes. You do.” Tris gripped her chin and locked eyes with her. “When the snow is thick on the ground, you’ll want them. Your feet will freeze otherwise.”
“But—”
“Cov, you need boots and a jacket.”
“Fine. But I can pay for them myself.” She tipped up her chin, daring him to disagree.
“Ok
ay, you pay for the boots and jacket and I’ll pay for the new pants and shirts you need.”
“What?” she gasped. “You can’t—”
“Are those my babies?” He pointed at her belly.
Covington eyed him through narrowed lids. “Oh, I see where this is going.”
“Yep. I’m the reason your clothes don’t fit, so I’m paying for ones that do.”
“Tristan,” she whined. Yep, she went there. In her defense, she was getting tired.
They’d been in Winter Lake Wears for half an hour, and in between arguing over who was paying, answering his questions about when she’d first realized she was pregnant and how she’d felt about it, she’d tried on outfit after outfit.
She had been surprised to discover the store had a large selection of maternity wear and there was now a pile of new clothes at the register waiting to be paid for.
They’d moved to the outerwear section, Tris insisting she needed boots and a coat. She’d concede on the boots, maybe, but she didn’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on a jacket when she could just borrow one of his if she needed to.
“You need them, Cov.” He palmed her cheeks, his hands warm against her skin. “I know you’re probably worried about money. I won’t get into it here, but we should talk about that. For now, let me do this. I need to do this.”
She could see the truth in his gaze. She understood him enough to know he felt guilty for not being there for her before now and with a sigh, she gave in and muttered, “Okay.”
He grinned. “There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”
“Don’t push it.”
Pulling her close, he dropped his mouth on hers for a quick kiss. It was the second time he’d done that since they’d left Della’s.
Both times, a rush of need had flooded her veins and made her tremble. Swallowing her reaction, she smiled at him.
There was so much in his eyes. So many things neither of them had spoken of yet.
Their friendship, their night together—being parents.
They probably would have stayed like that, caught in each other’s gaze, indefinitely if they hadn’t been interrupted.
“Can I get those in your size?” the salesgirl asked.
“Oh, yes.” Heat flooded her face. “Do you have them in a six?”
“We do. I’ll be right back.”
Covington watched the teenager head away and noticed two women near the back of the store staring at her and Tris. When one of them smiled and moved toward them, she nudged Tris.
He turned, a big smile stretching his lips before he stepped forward and pulled the slender blonde into his arms.
She couldn’t stop the frown, nor could she stop the shaft of jealousy that shot through her. They remained in the tight clinch far longer than Cov thought necessary. Their familiarity spoke of history—intimacy—and something inside her cracked.
She’d never thought about Tris being with someone.
He hadn’t dated—that she knew off—in all the time she’d known him.
And not once in the months since she’d shoved him out of her apartment had she considered the possibility of him having a girlfriend.
The idea gutted her in a way finding her fiancé balls deep in a bulimic plastic Barbie hadn’t.
She must have made a sound because Tris spun around, panic in his eyes.
“Cov.” He gripped her elbows. “What’s wrong? Do you need to sit down? You’re as white as a ghost. Here.”
He urged her toward the bench running down the middle of the shoe aisle and pushed her down, crouching in front of her.
“Breathe. Nice and slow,” he ordered as he pushed her head between her knees.
She hadn’t realized she was sucking air like an Olympic sprinter after the hundred meter final.
“That’s it, slower. Deeper.”
Why couldn’t she breathe properly? Her heart pounded, her chest hurt, and her skin was coated in a slick layer of sweat.
“Here.” A bottle of water was thrust between them. “I haven’t opened it.”
Tris took the bottle and twisted off the cap. Easing her up slowly, he held it to her lips. “Small sips, baby.”
She tried. Except her breath still came in short and sharp. Stars danced in her vision and her whole body felt tingly, numb.
“Covington,” Tris barked. “Look at me.”
Blurred gaze darting to his, she attempted to focus on the color of his eyes, not the panic swirling in them.
She wasn’t sure where the bottle went but his hands cradled her face now, his thumbs stroking her cheeks in mesmerizing sweeps that drew her attention. Leaning forward, he brought his forehead to hers.
“Breathe with me, Cov. Nice and deep and slow.”
“Should I call the clinic?”
Cov glanced up only for Tristan to snap her gaze back to his.
“Eyes on me.”
The pain in her chest eased, her breathing evened out, and the sound of her heart in her ears no longer drowned out everything around them.
“That’s it. Keep going.”
“Tristan?”
“What?” he growled, his eyes still glued to hers.
“Do you want me to call the clinic?”
He raised an eyebrow and Cov didn’t need him to speak to know it was her call.
Shaking her head as much as his hands would allow, she croaked, “No. I just need a minute.”
“Here. Try this now.” He held the bottle of water to her lips and she sipped at the cool liquid, finding some relief from the burning in her chest. “Good?”
Nodding, she took another sip of the water and chanced a look at the women beside them.
The salesgirl had returned, her face scrunched in concern but it was the woman who’d given Tris the hug who looked the most concerned.
“I think you should go to the clinic. Just to be sure. In your condition, you can never be too careful.”
Cov couldn’t be sure, but she thought a flash of pain moved through the other woman’s eyes.
“We’re going there later. I’m okay, though, just a little tired.” She tried to reassure everyone.
There was no way she was going to admit to having a panic attack.
She’d had one once before in her life so she knew exactly what had happened. It was why it happened that worried her.
“Thanks for the water, Addy.” Tristan moved to the bench beside her. “What do I owe you?”
“Don’t insult me, Tristan.” Addy glared at him.
He held his hand up in surrender. “Okay. Okay.”
“We haven’t been introduced.” Addy held out her hand. “I’m Addy and this is my sister, Willa.”
“Oh.” Taking the offered hand, she said, “I’m Covington.”
“Oo… You’re one of us,” Willa said with a little clap of glee.
“One of you?” she asked, confused by the small elfin woman’s excitement.
“Willa likes to collect people with unusual names. My full name is Adelia and she’s Wilhelmina,” Addy explained. “Of course, neither of us go by those anymore. Not since our grandmothers passed. Being named after the older generations can be a pain in the ass in this day and age.”
“Better than being named after your mother’s hometown,” Cov said with a smile.
“Oh, really? Good thing she wasn’t from Rutland or Pottersville or something equally bad.” Willa laughed.
“Are you in town for long,” Addy asked.
Covington glanced at Tristan but didn’t get a chance to answer before he said, “She just moved here.”
“You’re staying?” Willa smiled; this time her clap of glee was accompanied by a little hop.
“Yes, I… Yes.” She nodded. She should own her decision to move here and be near Tris. With Tris? She wasn’t sure where that stood now he knew the babies were his.
“You should join us for our next book club meeting,” Addy said.
“Is that the same book club Kirby invited her to?” Tris
asked.
“Kirby’s in town?” Addy asked “I didn’t think she was coming home for a few weeks yet.”
Tris shrugged. “No idea about that, but she and Race were at Della’s a little while ago.”
“Oh, come on.” Willa tugged on her sister’s arm. “We need to see if we can catch them before they head out.”
“We do. It was lovely to meet you, Covington. Don’t be a stranger. We own Booked.” Addy waved her hand toward the front of the store. “It’s the book shop down the block. Come by any time.”
“See you later, Covington,” Willa called over her shoulder as she headed for the door. “C’mon, Addy, let’s hustle.”
Shaking her head, Addy rolled her eyes and said, “Talk later,” as she followed her sister from the store.
“I’m sorry.” Tristan shrugged. “They can be a little overwhelming.”
“Oh, I didn’t have a panic attack because of them.” Too late she realized what she’d said and cringed waiting for Tristan’s reply.
“A panic attack? I thought that’s what it was. Want to tell me what triggered it, and since when do you suffer from them?”
Sighing, she tipped her head to the side and leaned on his arm. “Can we talk about it later? It’s not a thing. I’ve only ever had one before.”
She could feel him studying her and held her breath. She really didn’t want to get into it here, and if she were honest, the afternoon had done her in and she really was tired, and they still had to finish up here, pay for her stuff, and get to the grocery store.
“You’re wiped out. We should get home so you can rest.”
“No. Let’s finish this then get what we need at the grocery store. I’ll be fine if we take it slow, and we have to be at the clinic later too.” She couldn’t stop the yawn her words brought on.
“We’ll get done here then I’ll take you home. I can come back out to get the food while you nap.”
“If I nap now, I’ll never sleep tonight.”
“I really think—”
“Please, Tristan. I’m okay. Promise.” She grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. “But I am tired enough to not argue when you try to pay for everything.”
“Deal.” Grinning he added, “And I have a witness to that, don’t I, Jem?”
“You do. Let’s try these on to be sure they’re a good fit.”