Page 29 of Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake

Lizzie couldn’t help the little puff of nervous laughter that escaped her lips. “Hey, yeah. It’s me. Lizzie. Not sure if you remember me. The girl from Philly.” Her voice was hoarse, tense.

“Like I could forget you, Birdy. How are you?” His words were light, but an undercurrent of sensuality punctuated each one, stirring her pulse. She pushed those feelings away.

“I have something I have to tell you. Something serious.”

There was silence on the line, a pause that felt, well, pregnant.

“What’s wrong?” he asked at last, all humor gone from his voice.

Tears pricked at Lizzie’s eyes again. She couldn’t seem to pull herself together. “I—” She took a deep breath, her hands trembling as she clutched the phone to her ear. “I’m pregnant.”

There.

The words were out.

They’d left her throat and traveled across miles and wires and oceans and mountains to the other side of the world and into Rake’s ears. She’d done it.

But the silence stretched. It grew and pushed, and Lizzie checked that the call wasn’t dropped three times before a hoarse noise broke through the line.

“What?” he finally managed, barely an audible whisper.

“I’m pregnant,” she said more firmly. “And I… I’m planning on keeping it. I just thought you should know.”

“Is it… are you sure it’s mine?”

“Okay, fuck you, I’m hanging up,” Lizzie said, indignation flaring across her skin and lighting up in her veins.

“No! No. I’m sorry. Don’t hang up.” She heard him take a few rattling breaths through the phone, a gulping sound. “That was a terrible way to say that. I’m sorry,” he choked out. “I think I’m… in shock? I’m not sure. Are you sure, though?”

“Yes, I’m sure it’s yours, you giant-cocked dickhead.”

“So you aren’t—or youweren’ton birth control?”

“Wereyou?! Oh no, that’s right. The pill is the woman’s job. Heaven forbid it makes her feel like total shit and she choose not to take it.”

“I’m sorry!” Rake’s voice was close to a shout.

“Don’t yell at me,” Lizzie shot back.

There was a pause. “I’m sorry,” he repeated, his voice softer, but still holding a jagged edge. Lizzie understood that edge. She was dancing on it herself. “I’m sorry. This is just… This is the last thing I expected.”

Lizzie snorted. “Yeah, join the club.”

“We used condoms.”

Lizzie shrugged, even though he couldn’t see it. “They were… expired,” she admitted, swallowing past a dry, tight throat. “I’m sorry. That’s on me.”

“I—” Rake coughed. “I had just as much ability to check them as you did,” he whispered.

Another silence stretched out and threatened to kill her.

“Listen,” she said, finding some pretend reservoir of strength in her voice. “I’m calling because I thought you deserved to know. I don’t expectanythingfrom you, okay? I don’t expect you to uproot your life or be forced to play house or do anything just because I want to keep the baby. I just thought you should know.” The words were tumbling out of her, a rambling disaster, but she needed him to understand that she didn’t need him. She could figure out her mess.

“I want to be involved,” he said suddenly. Forcefully. “I want to be involved, please don’t try and stop me.”

Lizzie’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline. “Wait, what? Stop you? I’m saying—”

“I know what you’re saying,” he cut her off, “butI’msaying I want to be involved. If you’re keeping the baby, I want to be involved. Completely.”