But as quickly as that thought creeps in, I dismiss it. Samuel won’t let me do this alone. I know it in my bones. He may not have signed up for this, but he’s loyal and committed to a fault. So even though he may not be mine anymore, I know he’ll be there for his child.
Our child.
The tears are falling before I can stop them, and this time, I don’t. I let them slide, unchecked, down my face, as the weight of the day finally sets in. Strong arms wrap around me as Harper practically climbs onto my bed and holds me tight. She doesn’t say a word, just lets me cry and is there for me. Like she always is. The one person I can always count on.
No, that’s not true.
I know Mary Ann, Marissa, Jensen, and the rest of their gang is there for me. They have been since I was a teenager with knobby knees and mismatched clothes.
And Samuel.
He’s always been there too, even if I didn’t really notice it at the time. But now, looking back, I see him, waiting in the corner, always willing to lend a helping hand, even if he grumbled about it first.
“I’m okay,” I whisper, wiping the wetness from my eyes.
Harper grabs a Kleenex from a nearby counter and brings it to me. “I take it this was an unplanned surprise?” she asks softly.
“Yeah,” I tell her, blowing my nose in the tissue and then reaching out my hand for another.
She brings the entire box to me and sets them on the bed beside me. “Apparently Snuggles isn’t the only hussy in town.”
The laughter that bubbles from my chest is freeing, and the next thing I know, we’re both practically rolling on the floor—err, the bed, since I can’t get up at the moment. “Oh my God, I so needed that,” I tell her through my giggle fits.
“Sorry, you know I love you,” she says.
I reach for her hand and place mine around it. “Yeah, I do. Thank you for being here with me.”
Harper grins. “Nowhere else I’d rather be,” she says as she takes her seat beside me again. “And I assume since you didn’t know, Samuel doesn’t know yet.”
“Obviously.”
“Well, he’s going to be so excited,” she says, gazing off at the wall. “He’ll make a great dad.”
“Yeah,” I reply softly.
She picks up on the tone of my word, though. It’s sad and resolved. “Free, what’s going on? You’ve been a little gloomy today, and even though you’ve tried to hide it, I’m certain you’ve been crying. What’s up?”
Sighing, I glance down at my flat stomach. “It’s over.”
“What’s over?” she asks, concerned and a little alarmed.
“Samuel and me. I signed divorce papers.” Just saying the words brings back that moment again, when I found them in the drawer. The unexpected popping of the happiness bubble I thought we lived in.
“What?” she gasps harshly. “Why?”
I shrug. “You know as well as I do things aren’t always what they seem. And you also know your brother. He’s very…set in his ways.”
“Anally-retentive?” she asks with a smile.
“That, yes. And I think this entire thing has been difficult for him,” I tell her. “I mean, who falls in love after they accidentally get married in Vegas, right?” I ask with a laugh, but even though I try for humor, it hurts the same, because I know the truth.
I fall in love after accidentally getting married in Vegas.
Me.
Hell, I loved him before Vegas.
But he’s not built that way. I knew it before, and I definitely know it now. Even if the quickie wedding was his idea, it was the booze talking, not him. Samuel would never willingly do anything so rash, so rushed, and so impulsive. That’s not how he’s wired, and that’s okay. It’s part of what makes him him.
Latham appears in the doorway, rubbing his neck. “Uhh, hey.”
Harper instantly smiles. “She’s being discharged. We’re waiting on the papers, and then we’ll take her home. I can run and fill the prescription,” Harper is saying, but Latham seems…nervous.
“Listen, so remember how we agreed to not call anyone?” he asks, his eyes on me. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as I slowly nod. “Well, here’s the thing,” he starts, but is cut off by the commotion coming from behind him. Samuel bursts through the doorway, almost knocking Latham down. He doesn’t say a word to his brother-in-law, his eyes are wild and locked on me.
As he approaches my bed, I catch Harper moving away out of the corner of my eye. She heads over to the doorway, where she and Latham slip out of the room to give us privacy. “What are you doing here?” I ask, trying to sit up a little straighter in bed. I’m sure I look a fright, with my hair all askew and my fancy hospital gown hanging awkwardly off my shoulder.
“What am I doing here?” he asks, a little winded and definitely a bit frazzled. “I came to see you.” His eyes scan my body from head to toe, as if searching for injuries. “Are you okay?” his voice is hoarse and thick, his eyes landing on the IV sticking out of my hand, and the I swear he blinks a few times rapidly.
“I’m fine,” I reassure him, hating how my body aches to lean into him, to find comfort in his arms.
I don’t know if he’s been home yet, if he knows about the signed papers, but the more I look at his frazzled appearance, at his older T-shirt and the shorts he usually wears to bed, I can tell he’s been home. While I might be used to seeing him like this, the world is definitely not accustomed to seeing him in anything but a suit and tie.
He takes the empty seat beside me and carefully reaches for my hand. I almost pull it away. Not because I don’t want him
