Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 142976 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 477(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142976 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 477(@300wpm)
Or maybe it was Fern who was the ghost. She couldn’t be certain; all she knew was that what she and Cade were doing could hardly be classified as co-habiting. Not when they never saw each other. Or heard each other. All they found were echoes of the other in recently vacated rooms. The lingering scent of cologne, the still warm couch seat, a coffee mug left in the kitchen sink…
“And you’re okay with that?” Beth asked, looking troubled.
“That’s the arrangement.” An evasion if ever there was one.
“I see.” She worried her lower lip between her thumb and index finger. “Do you want me to keep this news—about the baby—from Gideon?”
Oh. Fern hadn’t even considered that possibility, she’d opted to confide in her new friend, not once thinking of the awkward position within which she was placing the other woman. She had so much to learn when it came to closer relationships and friendships.
“I’ll tell Cade I told you. If you wouldn’t mind holding off for a while, and maybe giving him a chance to tell the family first? I’d really appreciate that. I’m sorry, I know I’ve put you in a bit of a bind now.”
“What? Don’t be silly. I hope we’re becoming friends, Fern. And if you want me to keep your secret from my husband, I will. It’s not my place to tell him.”
“But…”
“No buts…” Beth said adamantly. “Gideon and I are best friends, but we respect each other’s privacy.”
How lovely it must be to share a relationship like that with someone.
“Thank you, I just have no one to talk to about it. And Cade is the only other person who knows but as you can imagine, anything to do with the baby is a little awkward and I don’t think either of us is very comfortable talking about it with the other. I’m excited about my pregnancy and Cade definitely isn’t. There’s no overcoming that and I just—”
“You needed a confidante,” Beth said with a smile. “And that’s okay. I’m here if you want to talk. And obviously, with us hopefully being only a few months apart on the same journey, we can support each other through this. Ooh, and this means we’re going to have to factor maternity wear into this new wardrobe of yours.”
Fern smiled as well and for the first time in a long, long time, finally felt like she had someone in her corner. Her relief and gratitude was almost dizzying and the happiness blooming in her chest felt too good to be true.
Chapter
Fifteen
“Iknow. I know… I-I bought too much,” Fern stumbled over her words a couple of hours later when Cade’s brow settled into a familiar glower as he scanned the bags and boxes surrounding her when she returned home from her shopping trip a few hours later. “But I needed a bit of everything.”
His inscrutable gaze came up to meet hers and he shook his head, before saying, “Stop trying to guess my every thought. You’re inevitably wrong and it irritates the hell out of me.”
“I’m—”
“Don’t you fucking dare,” he warned, cutting her off and her lips twitched in amusement.
“As I was trying to say—I’m not sure how else to interpret your clear glare of disapproval. Don’t glower and I won’t automatically assume you’re pissed off.”
His glare deepened.
“This is just how I look.”
“Aah the resting brood face strikes again,” she muttered and this time that dark frown took on a hint of confusion.
“What?”
“Nothing,” she dismissed, with a wave of her hand. “What has you looking so aggravated then?”
“I’m not aggravated,” he snapped. Then paused and acknowledged. “But—thanks to this pointless conversation—I’m getting there fast.”
His broody, disapproving gaze dropped to the packages at her feet again.
“This doesn’t look like enough stuff,” he said, his hand making an abrupt, irritated gesture in the general direction of her new purchases.
“Oh,” she said, looking down at what—to her—had been an exorbitant expense. She wasn’t accustomed to spending money, and buying designer brands from outrageously pricey stores had seemed like a huge extravagance. “This is all worth thousands.”
“From what I’ve seen of your wardrobe, it needs a complete overhaul,” Cade said with a shrug, before tugging a hand through his dark, wavy hair. “Buying enough should’ve run into the tens of thousands.”
She tried not the blanch and instead swallowed queasily at the thought of spending that much money in just a day.
“This is a good start. I’ll buy more as I go along. Beth reminded me that I’ll be needing maternity clothes soon as well—” This time there was no mistaking the dark glower that descended over his features as anything other than disapproval.
“You told her?”
Disapproval and dismay as evidenced by the alarmed rise in his voice.
“What?” she stalled, uncertain of his frame of mind.
“About the pregnancy? You told Beth?”
“It just came out. But she won’t tell Gideon. We both agreed that you should be the one to tell your siblings.”