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“What? No way. I think I need witnesses for this! You can’t really be saying what I think you’re saying.”
I rolled my eyes, the familiar banter easing the weird tension between us. “Oh, shut up, you ass. I’m trying to apologize here.”
Rhett chuckled, the sound low and rich. “No need, Scarlett. I know you can’t resist my irresistible charm for long.” He winked, earning himself another eye roll from me.
“In your dreams, jackass,” I retorted, but there was no real bite to my words. Somehow, even in the midst of this upheaval, his teasing managed to make me feel a little bit better. “Anyway, now we have a diagnosis and a plan of action, and it’s all because of you. I just wanted to say thank you, and I’m sorry for blowing up at you.”
“Well, since we’re doling out apologies, I’d like to get mine in.”
“Oh. Um, okay.” Yeah, I kinda wasn’t expecting that.
“Scarlett, I’m sorry. I should have handled this situation better instead of just barreling ahead.” He ran a hand through his hair, looking more than a little uncomfortable. “I’m sorry for scaring you and adding more stress. That’s the last thing you need right now.”
“Thank you. I appreciate you saying that.”
“I’m glad. Now eat something, for the love of God.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Scarlett.” His voice had a low tone of warning in it, that I swear vibrated deep in my belly.
Raising an eyebrow, I stabbed my fork into a piece of pumpkin and shoved it into my mouth. “Yes? Is there a problem?”
“You call me sir like that again, it’s not problems you’re gonna have.”
“Hmm. Very interesting. Care to expand on that idea?”
“Now is not the time, or the place. But just you wait.”
“Promises, promises.”
The way he scrubbed his hands over his face let me know I was getting to him. Then I decided to be generous, since we were on such good terms again, and let him off the hook. Besides, it was something I kinda wanted to talk about. Sort of. But not in any detailed way. I wasn’t that great at talking about my feelings. “Anyway, I just wanted to say one more thing. That peppy nurse just told me that…” deep breath, “that there are thirty people here, getting tested, ready to step up. And they wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. So, yeah, thanks.”
“Yeah, about that….”
Oh. Fuck. Why did his tone have my insides flipping over? “What’s happened now?”
“I, uh, I had a visitor today.” He looked so uncertain, uncomfortable, that it made me even more nervous.
“You did?”
I could see him steeling himself before he continued. “Look, I’m not good with this sort of stuff, so I’m just going to come right out and say it. I met your birth mom.”
My heart lurched. “You...you what?” I stared at him, searching his face for any sign that this was some kind of weird joke. But the tense set of his jaw told me he was deadly serious.
Rhett ran a hand through his hair, like he always did when he was stressed. “Yeah. She, uh, she came to see me. To talk about you. And the babies.”
“What did she say? What is she like? Did she seem…nice?”
“You look like her.”
“Oh.”
“And yeah, she did seem really nice. We talked for a bit. She asked lots of questions about you. I didn’t answer everything, because I wasn’t sure what you would want her to know. But the thing is…”
The way he kept trailing off was really starting to make me anxious. “The thing is what?”
“She really wants to meet you. And, uh, she’s here. In the hospital. Waiting downstairs.”