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“You better call a car."

“I'm calling my wife. Kids are at daycare.” He grins, his eyes glassy.

I chuckle. “Maybe this won’t piss her off all over again.”

I say my goodbyes and head back to the hotel, staring at Meredith’s contact on my phone for what seems like an hour before texting her.

How are you feeling?

She doesn’t respond for half an hour, and then it’s just,fine.

I huff out a breath and call her.

She doesn’t answer, so I call her back instantly.

She finally picks up. “You can’t call me like that.”

“I need to be able to get in touch with you.”

“Well, I can’t exactly answer when I’m eating with my mother, can I?”

“Grayson just told me your mother asked your father to get everyone to the mansion. Said it’s about you.”

She lets out a long breath. “Yes. I told her.”

“About me?”

“No, not about you, of course. Just about the baby. She’s taking it... surprisingly well.”

“We’ll see about that.” I know things will be different when she knows I’m the dad and not some rich colleague of Meredith’s.

Some things never change.

“It’s the reality of things, Logan. You should come. Talk to Grayson before the announcement.”

“I’m already ahead of you. He invited me.” I pause, wincing. “For moral support.”

“Yikes.”

“Yikes, indeed.” I sigh. “I’m sorry this got all messed up, Meredith. I didn’t plan?—”

“To get me pregnant? Yeah, I know.”

Her dismissive tone pisses me off, but what can I say? I can’t make promises to her. I know that her family will never accept me as her husband or the father of this baby.

They’ll probably run me out of town on a rail, if I’m lucky. If Grayson doesn’t kill me first.

Still, I need to apologize to her. “Meredith, about earlier?—”

“I meant what I said. You don’t get to touch me again until you tell me the truth.”

I squeeze my eyes shut. “All right.”

“All right? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Meredith, I don’t want to fight.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have called.”