Page 43

Letting out a sigh, I dragged my gaze away, fingers tapping on the steering wheel as I chewed my lip. Rhett Rivers, playboy billionaire, turned…fucked if I knew what this was.
It was kind of weird how easily he’d seemed to accept the sudden and dramatic change in our situation. He was probably thinking it was weird how easily I’d gone along with all of his arrangements. And yeah, he wouldn’t be wrong about that. Most of the time I felt like I was in a Gravitron, spinning so fast I couldn’t catch my breath or form a coherent thought. Having someone just sweep in and take care of everything was like a dream.
I wasn’t naïve enough to think this meant he was reforming his playboy ways. Rhett was still an arrogant, cocky asshole who enjoyed pushing my buttons far too much. I let out a sigh.Imagine thinking, or hoping, that the playboy billionaire might have hidden depths. Stupid.
He came out moments later with two large coffees and two white paper bags. Fucking excellent, because the cakes from Poppy’s were to die for. “What did you get?”
“A little bit of everything, since I wasn’t sure what you’d like.”
“All the above, please and thank you.”
He chuckled and leaned back in the seat, draping his arm casually along the back of my seat. Rude of him to smell so good, I must say.
I pulled into my driveway and cut the engine. Then we just sat there in silence. Fuck, this was not going to be easy. “Come on. Let’s do this.”
“After you.” His usual cocky smile was gone, so at least he seemed prepared. As I unbuckled my seatbelt and climbed out of the SUV, I knew I had to brace myself for one long, complicated conversation. And right now, I had no idea how that was going to go, which had butterflies rioting in my belly, making me feel a bit sick.
Because whether we liked it or not, our lives were now inextricably intertwined. For the next eighteen years, at least.
At the front door, Rhett handed me the keys. “I’ve got a set as well, but I won’t ever use it without checking with you first.”
Well, that was a good start. We walked through the house to the living room. Of course, there was no furniture, so Rhett said, “How about we sit outside?”
“Yeah, nice.”
When he pulled up the blinds that covered the back windows of the living room, I almost shrieked. “Aswimming pool?What thefuck?”
He laughed at that. “What kid doesn’t like a swimming pool? Come on, there’s a nice spot here in the sun.”
I followed him out and sat down on the wide, shallow stone steps that led down to the pool area. A fucking swimming pool. He sat on the step next to me, close enough that I could feel his warmth, and dropped the bag of cakes in my lap.
“It’s crazy to think our kids are going to swim in there. Maybe play catch over there on the grass. Go down there to the pier and fish in the river.” God, that made me feel so weird. If it was weirding me out, what must Rhett be thinking? Possibly not the best way to start this conversation. Okay, here goes. “I’ve had a bit longer to get used to the idea of becoming a parent. The twins thing is a shock, obviously. But it’s all fresh news for you. Less than a week old.”
“Yeah.”
“How’s that going?”
He shrugged and didn’t look at me. “It’s a lot.”
I waited for him to go on, but he didn’t, so I guess it was on me to push it. “Are you…happy, sad, scared, indifferent?”
He shrugged again andstilldidn’t look at me.
It was the not making eye contact that got me, making me feel stupidly emotional. “Rhett, please. It’s really important that we can talk openly with each other. You can be honest with me.” I couldn’t read the look he shot me. His expression was completely blank.
“Right now, it just doesn’t feel real. I saw those images on the ultrasound and it just…didn’t mean anything to me. I don’t know what you’ll make of that, but you asked, so…” He turned away again, taking a sip from his coffee cup.
I did ask, so it wasn’t fair to get mad because I didn’t like the reply.
“My name suits me.”
“Huh?”
There was an edge of bitterness to his voice when he said, “Rhett.”
I frowned as it took me a moment to figure out what he meant. “As in, you don’t give a damn?”
“Exactly.”