Page 109

I was going to lose my shit, my goddamn mind—
“Rhett?”
I spun on my heel.
She appeared like sweet sunshine with a messy bun and widened bloodshot eyes.
“Skylar,” I croaked out.
A tear slid down her cheek in unchecked release.
She would never ridicule me for being weak like my parents had done. I could trust Skylar with my vulnerabilities, same as I did Ash.
Sobs ripped from my lungs, a keening noise I didn’t recognize as the shit I’d kept locked up inside me let loose.
“Oh, Rhett.” She sprinted toward me, tears pouring down her cheeks, and I grabbed her up in my arms.
I buried my face in her neck and clung to her softness, the scent of coconuts filling my nose with every gasped inhale. Although my mind reeled with all the words I needed to say to her, I couldn’t stop the anguish from stealing my voice, the tears from soaking her skin.
No questions poured from her lips, no blabbering with worry. Skylar kept silent and clutched at my back. Fucking held me tight like a promise she would never let go.
The familiarity, the sense of comfort her forgiving arms offered, made me feel…safe. Accepted. Regardless of the shit I’d caused between us, she gave in my moment of heartache.
I’d been a fool to withhold myself from her, and Ash had been right.
I needed her sunshine to light up all the dark corners I’d shoved my emotions into.
And I would find a way to keep our Ash on the earth because the three of us had a future to look forward to.
38
Skylar
The hospital had put in a call to the landline at home—I’d been the one to give the operator Rhett’s cell number since I didn’t have the guts to contact him myself.
I’d shed more tears than I had in my entire life while waiting for the Uber to pick me up and take me to the ER. Still tired from the weekend, cramps riddling my core, and miserable from that time of the month, I’d left my hair in a messy bun. I’d hopped in the car in old sweats and a T-shirt of Ashton’s when my ride showed up.
I hadn’t even bothered with a bra.
My mind had flitted from one possible tragedy to the next, and I almost forgot the house key before leaving.
Until I got to the hospital, I hadn’t been able to think straight, couldn’t stop the jitters itching my legs—or how I’d freaked on the receptionist.
“I-I’m here to see Ashton Blackwood,” I croaked, my entire body twitchy with anxiety.
“Are you family?”
“Um…no? I mean, not really?”
“Then I’m sorry, but I can’t let you in to see him.”
My breath left like she’d hauled off and punched me in the gut. All the bad feels erupted at once, my face going hot. “What do you mean I can’t go in there!” I shrieked, arms flailing like a madwoman. “I-I’m pregnant with his child! And I’m an emotional wreck—hormones, you know! If…if you don’t let me back there right now to see my baby daddy, there will be hell to pay!”
The receptionist stared. Blinked. Glanced down over my clothes—and I quickly pushed my stomach out to make myself look a little less thin.
“I understand,” she stated quietly. “I’m sorry…would you please just fill this out?”
Since the woman asked so damn kindly, I did as told with my shaking hand, listing my name and who I was there to visit.