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“Did you even think for a second about how this might affect me? About how I would feel having this bombshell dropped on me out of nowhere?”
“If I hadn’t have done that, we wouldn’t have the information at all. It was the only possible way.”
“You’re such an arrogant son of a bitch. It’s always your way! Everything you want, you get! And you don’t give two fucks about who you steamroll in the process!”
A thousand objections rose to my lips. All perfectly valid arguments, of course. Didn’t she understand I was doing this for her? For the babies? Fair’s fair, though, she was under a lot of stress. “I know you’re upset, and I don’t blame you.” I kept my voice low, trying to sound gentle and calm.
“Big of you!”
So, the soothing tone didn’t work. Fucking hell. “You’re being completely unreasonable here.” Now I was struggling to keep my voice level. “I did what needed to be done to help you and the twins. We can’t afford any delays when their health is at risk.”
She opened her mouth, clearly ready to argue some more, but I held up my hand to silence her. “What else do you suggest? Waiting around for the doctors to run a battery of tests and still come up short? This is possibly the quickest route to getting what we need. It’s also the only route. Just hear me out. We’re in uncharted territory with this high-risk twin pregnancy. Having your biological family’s medical background is critical, not just a luxury. Every doctor has stressed that.”
She folded her arms, her eyes still spitting fire. “Tell me something I don’t know, why don’t you?”
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I attempted to organize my reasoning in a way she might actually listen to. “I get that the method wasn’t ideal. But I exhausted all the proper channels first. When those failed, I had to take more... aggressive steps. This isn’t about me disrespecting your boundaries or steamrolling you. It’s about doing whatever is necessary to get the best outcome.” I locked eyes with her, my jaw tensing. “So you can be as pissed at me all you want, but you fucking well know it was the only option.”
I could see the anger simmering behind Scarlett’s eyes as she took in my words, that stubborn set to her chin that told me she wasn’t going to back down easily. But there was something else too - an inkling of understanding, perhaps? A glimmer of acceptance that, despite my tactless approach, my intentions were good? “Just so you know, I fucking hate it that you’re right.” It wasn’t much, but I’d take it. “Here’s how we’ll handle it. So that there’s no pressure on her, we’ll simply invite her to forward the family history details directly to Dr. Morris. I’ll get the lawyer onto it and let you know as soon as I hear back. How does that sound?”
“Great, thanks,” she mumbled flatly, turning away to stare out the window. Dismissing me. But fuck, she looked so worn down, and anxious and vulnerable. All I wanted to do was pull her into my arms, kiss her head and tell her everything was going to be alright.
But then I remembered. I just wasn’t the guy for that. Look how much I’d already fucked this up. I was completely out of my depth here. Just bouncing from one fire to the next, putting them out as quickly as I could. Action man. That’s me.
Scarlett had been through enough trauma in her life already. Finding out she was adopted, then being cut off from her parents for years... she didn’t need me adding to that pain and confusion. I was supposed to be supporting her through this crazy situation, not making it even harder.
But how? How the hell was I meant to do that when I could barely sort through my own bullshit? Caring about someone else’s needs and feelings...it was so far outside anything I’d ever dealt with before.
All I knew was the drive to succeed, no matter what it took. Doing whatever was needed to achieve the desired outcome, consequences be damned. It was how I had operated my entire life - the only way I knew how to function. Because it was so much fucking easier than caring.
The problem was that Scarlett and the babies... they needed more from me than I was capable of giving. The very thought made my chest tighten so hard I could hardly breathe. I was so far out of my depth in this, and I felt like I was wearing concrete boots. There was not a chance in hell I was going to be able to learn to swim.
CHAPTER 29
Scarlett
Iwas exhausted - physically, mentally, emotionally. This whole situation was such a mindfuck. One minute I was feeling cautiously optimistic, the next I was a complete mess, on the verge of tears.
I was just... overwhelmed. Finding out about the babies’ health issues, having to drop everything and come to this fancy-schmancy medical center, what Rhett had done about finding my birth mom. Fuck, it was a lot to process.
The weirdest thing about it was that I felt like Rhett was the one constant I could rely on. Which I guess meant I was well and truly losing my mind. When I’d texted to say the Doctor had some news for us, he hadn’t hesitated. No clowning around or smart remarks. He’d just gotten to the hospital as quickly as he could and sat down next to me.
Sure, it was a bit awkward, but he was here and that was all that mattered.
All I knew right now was that Rhett’s lawyer had sent the letter off to my birth mom, and two days later, the doctor was requesting an urgent meeting.
Dr. Morris walked into the room, her expression serious but calm. She pulled out a chair from the little dining table and sat down, placing a thick white envelope on the table and folding her hands together on top of it.
My heart started pounding as I watched her, looking for subtle cues that told me whatever she had to share, it was gonna be okay. A knot of anxiety twisted in my stomach. I glanced over at Rhett, seated beside me on the edge of the bed, his face impassive but his knee bouncing slightly with nervous energy.
Drawing in a steadying breath, I turned back to face the doctor. “What is that?” I asked, proud of how level my voice sounded. “Is everything okay with the babies?”
Dr. Morris gave me a reassuring smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “First up, I gotta say, you guys work fast. I received this,” she tapped a fingertip on the envelope, “an hour ago, via courier.”
“Is it…Is it from my birth mother?”
“It is.”
Oh. “Is it good or bad?”