Page 2 of Save Me (The Wolf Hotel Mermaid Beach #2)

“ Y ou are so incredibly stupid.” I cradle my forehead in my palm as I stare at the two pink lines on the stick. They match the lines from the first test I took. There’s no doubt about it.

I am pregnant.

How could I have let this happen? I’m thirty-one years old. I’ve been on birth control for almost half my life. I’m smarter than this! And way too responsible. Then again, the last few months have been chaotic and stressful. Sure, I was late taking a pill. Or a few. I didn’t think it would matter.

I didn’t think, period.

And now, I am pregnant by some guy I barely know, who I swore off just yesterday because we are not a good match in any world. It’s clear Ronan sleeps with every female who crosses his path. Am I the first he’s managed to knock up? Does Ronan have children with other women?

I have no idea because …

I don’t know him!

I let out a strangled sound, my anger and frustration impossible to contain. All we had to do was put on a condom. One stupid condom that was surely sitting in his wallet. That’s it, and that day would have been nothing more than a lapse in judgment that we can both move on from. Now, though?

A clattering sound carries from the kitchen, announcing that I’m not alone in my house.

Not surprising. During the summer season, there’s a constant stream of people parading in and out of the kitchen, bringing groceries, grabbing a snack, starting a meal.

Everyone has the door code—even Ron, the wannabe traitor.

Stuffing the test and its packaging deep into the wastebasket, I pull myself to my feet.

On impulse, I lift my Sea Witch T-shirt to study my flat stomach. Is this really happening to me? Is there truly the spark of a human being growing inside there? It seems impossible.

There were fleeting moments in the past where I wondered what it would be like to be pregnant. I thought I was heading that way once Cody proposed.

What the hell am I going to do?

Not hide out in the bathroom until people get suspicious, that’s for sure.

Shock grips me as I emerge. Rebel’s back is to me, her jet-black pixie cut styled to messy perfection. She’s focused on whatever she’s washing in the sink. Grocery bags clutter the counter, and the slow cooker is waiting to be filled .

“What’s on for tonight?” I ask, hoping she can’t hear the strain in my voice.

“Oh, hey! I thought chicken enchiladas and a side salad. The greens in the garden are looking good.” She peers over her shoulder at me, her smile bright even as her face shows worry. “You feeling okay? You were in there for a while.”

“Oh, I’m fine. Just … too much coffee on an empty stomach, I guess.” I stumble over my excuse. “How was the shop when you left?”

“The usual. Nothing exciting. I ran to get groceries after the morning rush. Skye’s training Lara.”

“Oh, good.” I forgot about the new employee. “How’s she doing?”

“Quick learner and funny. A lot better than that last one.”

“Well, that’s a low bar. But good. I was hoping she’d fit in.”

“She’s great! I’m going to get this all going, and then I’ll head back before Skye leaves for the cruise shack.”

“Right. What time is it?”

As if in answer, Gigi’s teal-and-yellow cuckoo bird pops out of its box to announce the eleventh hour.

It instantly brings me back to the last time it so poignantly announced its presence, that fateful day when Ronan and I stood in this exact spot, naked and breathless—the whole reason I’m now in such a mess.

Hell, if I’m being honest, though, I was doomed the day he walked into the Sea Witch. Maybe that was Henry Wolf’s plan all along, though. Maybe Ronan is a plant, come to seduce and destroy me .

I swallow against a burst of nerves and resist the urge to touch my stomach. “I should get back to the office.”

Rebel’s brow furrows. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay? You seem off.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just …” In shock is what I am. Thank God Frank is taking the cruise shift. I don’t think I could play fun captain right now. “I didn’t sleep well.”

She jerks her chin toward my room. “Take a nap. You’re the boss.”

“I wish, but I have so much to do. Payroll and accounting stuff, inventory orders, next week’s schedule for bookings.” And I’d just stare at the ceiling while mentally berating myself anyway. No, keeping my mind busy and off my dire situation is the right move.

“Okay, well, dinner’s taken care of for tonight.” Rebel waves her hands around the kitchen to prove her point. “One less thing to worry about, right?”

“You’re the best.” Though the last thing on my mind is food, and I doubt I’ll have much of an appetite later either.

“Of course. We’re all in this together. We’re family.” With a wink, she sets back to her task.

“Exactly. Family . Not a commune.” I grab my purse and the keys to the Cherokee off the hook and head out the door.