Page 12 of Tempting Bo (Montgomery Dreams #2)

KENZIE

“God, Bo doesn’t tell me anything ,” Oakley whines, rolling her eyes in exasperation. “He would hardly say anything other than that you were back in town last time I talked to him. He’s always been awful about answering his phone, so I guess I can’t expect much.”

I wince at that, although she’s just teasing her brother.

I’ve been carefully edging around telling her anything that happened recently between the two of us.

It’s been ages since I’ve seen her. Now that she’s off at college and living with Jamie, I don’t want to spoil our time together.

I wish I could knock back a drink or two to gather some courage, but Oakley’s still underage.

It would be rude of me to drink in front of her.

“Yeah, he’s been bad at answering me lately too.” I need to tell her—half the reason I invited her over was because I desperately need her advice—but I feel kind of guilty. I don’t want to seem like I’m badmouthing Bo. “Trouble in paradise, I guess.”

I laugh lamely to distract from the way my face flames in shame, but Oakley pays it no mind.

She pulls a blanket off the back of the couch and drapes it over my shoulders, her brow furrowed in a frown.

Even when she was a kid, she was always a good mother hen.

It feels ridiculous to be comforted by someone younger than me, especially about something like this.

I’m supposed to have my life together by now, not be crying over a boy.

I have a career and a place of my own, a plan for my life.

Bo was going to be a nice addition, but I can’t let myself wallow about this.

“What’s going on?” Oakley asks gently. “I may not have any amazing advice to give you, but I can at least lend an ear. Tell me what’s wrong, Kenzie.”

My lashes are wet with tears when I meet her eyes again, but I force a wobbly smile.

“Savannah Ward is pregnant.”

Oakley blinks at me in confusion, and I laugh weakly when I realize I dropped the news the same way Bo did. I guess both of us are bad at providing context when we’re shaken up.

“Okay?” Oakley shrugs, grimacing as though she feels a little guilty about what she’s saying. “I mean, I hate to be that guy, but she used to lie about shit like that all the time for attention when we were in school. I’ll believe it when I see it. What does that have to do with you and Bo?”

“She says Bo’s the father.”

My voice cracks over my despair as the words fall from my lips, and a tide of tears fall down my cheeks.

“No,” Oakley says without hesitation. “He’s not. There’s no way, he would never. And like I said, she used to say shit like that all the time about a bunch of random guys. It was never true.”

Her words may be sure, but her voice shakes as she says them, and there’s an edge of panic shining in her eyes.

“He said he went to a party that she was at and woke up naked in bed with her the next morning.” My voice is flat and emotionless as I repeat what he told me.

I’ve repeated it over and over in my head too many times for it to choke me up, but I can’t pretend not to care.

“He doesn’t remember anything from that night, but he said he got drunk and woke up with her.

Now she’s pregnant. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to put two and two together. ”

Oakley’s eyes are wide as she listens to me, her usually comforting brown gaze burning with fiery anger and disbelief.

“But Bo doesn’t drink like that,” she protests.

“I know.”

“I’ve never seen him black out.” She shakes her head firmly, but I can see a thread of worry in the way her brows furrow. She’s having just as hard a time clinging to her instinctual disbelief as I am. “Even if he was that drunk, he’d never sleep with her. He just wouldn’t. I know he wouldn’t.”

Hearing her struggle to believe herself is only making it harder for me to cast my own suspicion away.

This is really how it ends between me and Bo, isn’t it?

“He texted me a few times.” I glance over at my phone where it sits on the low coffee table in the center of my living room.

The text and calls remain unanswered, but I can’t seem to stop myself from reading everything he sends.

“He said it happened before I got back to town, so at least he didn’t cheat on me. ”

Small comforts.

He also keeps insisting that he thinks Savannah is lying about all of it. If he was so sure of that, I don’t know why he would have such a hard time handling it.

“Kenzie…” Oakley trails off, and I can tell she’s trying not to make some empty promise about things being okay.

She’s always been a fixer, and this puts her in between a rock and a hard place.

“I’m going to get to the bottom of all this, okay?

Something’s off, and I just don’t believe that she’s actually pregnant, or that Bo slept with her. ”

It’s nice to hear, but I don’t know what to believe anymore. Oakley can definitely do some serious digging, at least. Whether I’ll want to hear what she uncovers is a whole different story, though.

“Thanks, Oakley.” I keep my voice upbeat, but can’t hide the exhaustion lingering around the edges. “I’m lucky to have a friend like you.”

Oakley’s face crumples as she makes a sympathetic little noise, and she pulls me into a tight hug. It’s an uncomfortable position, half bent over on my own couch, but I bury my face into the soft waves of her hair.

“Are you okay to be alone tonight?” she asks, still holding me close. “I can crash on the couch if you need someone around.”

I laugh softly, shaking my head as I pull back.

“I’ll be okay.” I pull the box of tissues on the edge of the couch closer. “It’s probably good for me to just veg out for the night, y’know?”

Sniffling, I dab at the tears on my face, but I feel better after talking to her. She’s always been good at calming me down.

“Do you still have those Epsom salts I sent you for Christmas?” she asks, tucking a coil of messy red hair behind my ear.

“I think so.”

“Good. Light some candles and take a bath. Order takeout or something, just take it easy on yourself for tonight, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I say teasingly. “I’ll take care of myself, promise.”

Her eyes are back to the soft, caring brown I’m used to seeing, and she nods decisively before standing.

“I’m going to head home before it gets dark out. I’ll lock the bottom lock on my way out, make sure you get the deadbolt before you go to bed.” I nod in agreement, smiling affectionately as she gathers her things and tosses them back into her purse. “I have a big brother to chew out, after all.”

I wince at the mention of Bo, but laugh nonetheless. It’s nice that Oakley is willing to bat for me, even when it comes to her family. She’s always had a strong head on her shoulders, so I shouldn’t be surprised.

“Drive safe, Oakley.”

“Always do.” She leans down to press a kiss to the crown of my head before heading for the door. “I love you! Have a good night, doctor’s orders.”

“I love you too.”

The door clicks shut behind her, and I feel lighter than I have all day.

Maybe a bath is a good idea. I haven’t used the fancy kit Oakley got me, and maybe some pampering is what I need.

I keep a knitted blanket draped over my shoulders as I wander to the door and flip the deadbolt.

The air in my apartment doesn’t feel quite so cold or heavy anymore.

This may be the end of anything between me and Bo, but it doesn’t have to mean the end of anything else. I’m still a successful person with a bright life ahead of me, and it’s time I act like it.

I snag my phone from the coffee table, then pad my way toward the bathroom.

All my notifications are turned off, so I can be sure of my peace, but music would be nice. I set one of my favorite albums to play before pulling candles and the little kit of lavender Epsom salts and vanilla soap from under the sink. It’s not often that I treat myself to a spa night at home.

The scent of pine fills the air as I flip off the overhead light, and threads of relaxation wrap around me as the candlelight flickers along the walls.

The air soon fills with steam as I dump the Epsom salts in and start the tap running, filling the tub with water hot enough to scald.

I let the blanket slip from my shoulders to pool on the floor before stripping out of my baggy shirt and sleep shorts.

The water is hot enough to make me hiss as I sink into it, but I quickly grow accustomed to the warmth of it. It sinks all the way into my bones, and I rest my head back against the wall.

True relaxation is something I struggle with on a good day, and today is… not that.

I try valiantly to clear my mind and let the warm water and soothing scents do their thing, but I just can’t seem to clear my mind. Every time I close my eyes, I see Bo’s stricken face, hear the echoes of his words bouncing around my skull on repeat.

Tension sits stubbornly on my shoulders, and I sit up to twist the tap off.

I just can’t shake the frustration and unease that bubbles beneath my sternum. Why would Bo do something like this? Even if I take myself out of the equation, he’s a family man, through and through. He would never betray Oakley like this.

Besides that, I know Bo. No matter how differently I look at him after this, that doesn’t change a lifetime spent together.

He’s not the kind of person to run away from responsibility, even if he doesn’t want to shoulder it.

He’s careful and gentle, and I just can’t make this situation connect with the man that I know.

I stretch to snatch my phone from the sink, straddling the fence between desperate and angry.

I’m not friends with Savannah, but she’s pretty infamous around town, especially after the stunt her cousin pulled with Oakley.

It’s not hard to find her online, and her profile isn’t private.

I scroll through mindless status updates as I debate messaging her myself and sorting this out instead of overthinking it to death.

Uncertainty creeps up my spine the further I scroll.

Everything she posts is about one party or another, pictures of herself and a posse of ever-changing friends in skimpy outfits with colorful drinks in hand.

I don’t know enough about alcohol to tell at a glance if the drinks in the photos are booze, but she certainly seems to be partying it up, regardless.

Her latest update is a picture of her and a few friends at the lake, all of them wearing strappy bikinis and bejeweled cowboy hats.

She doesn’t look like someone trying to hide a pregnancy in that outfit, although I guess she’s probably too early to be showing yet.

Something about it just rubs me the wrong way.

If I were panicking about a surprise pregnancy and struggling with getting the father to take responsibility, I wouldn’t be partying and playing around at every opportunity.

At the end of the day, I guess we’re just different people. It doesn’t matter what Savannah Ward is up to. There’s no use in playing sleuth and trying to psychoanalyze a person I’ve only met in passing.

I’m supposed to be relaxing.

I toss my phone down onto the bath mat and resolve to do absolutely nothing but enjoy my bath.

The water’s already getting cold.