Page 80 of Backup Plan

I don’t know her well enough to think she might’ve done this on purpose, but at this point, it doesn’t matter. She’s pregnant, and the baby is mine.

“I’ll come see you at the bar next time I’m in town, okay?” I say.

“When will that be?”

“This weekend. If you need anything between now and then, let me know.”

We end the call, and I should call my lawyer first, but I don’t. I call Penny first.

“Hey,” she answers.

“Hey.” My voice is subdued.

“You okay?”

“Izzy just called.”

“Oh. And?”

“It’s mine, and I need you here, Pen.” The words blurt out before I can even think them through. But it’s the truth. “I can’t go through this without you.”

She’s quiet, and I’ve probably scared her off. She’s this incredible force who has two little boys depending on her, and now here I am, stepping in and putting more on her plate.

The thought gives me pause.

I’ve been selfish through all of this. I’ve thought about how this is going to affect me and my life going forward.

And I’ve been living in this idea of a world rather than in actual reality. I keep thinking about having Pen and the boys here with me. I haven’t thought as much about what it would mean to completely uproot them from everything they know so I could have Penny close to me while I’m in season.

I blow out a breath, and just as I’m about to open my mouth to somehow backtrack or try to take it back or even just apologize for putting more pressure on her, she speaks first.

“The boys are with Brent next weekend. What if I come see you there?”

I just told Izzy I’d come see her at the bar when I get back into town. I want to go with her to her doctor appointments if I can…but I still don’t have a list of when those are. It’s all more reasons I should call my lawyer and talk this out.

Before I know what I’m saying, I agree to her suggestion. “I would love that.”

It feels like the perfect opportunity to show her around, to introduce her to my teammates, to make her fall in love with this town so she’ll want to move here, too, and to…

Hide?

This is still a secret. We still don’t want my sister to know what’s been going on between us.

And yet…

An idea is forming. A way we could be together. A way to make this work.

I just have to figure out the logistics.

I float the idea to test it out. “What if we tell Ev we’re faking it for Brent?”

“Huh?” she asks.

“You could get away from him. Together we can provide the sort of stability that Brent can’t possibly give them given his track record. If you wanted to, you could quit and live with me and be home when the boys are. Or if you wanted to continue working, you could take Ev up on her remote offer, and we’d have a dual income and a stable home. It would let you skip town and allow us to give this a real try together without having to admit the truth to my sister.”

“Oh, Liam,” she murmurs, and her voice is too low to give away her emotional state. I can’t tell if she thinks it’s a genius idea or a stupid one. “I, uh…I need to think about it. This is all just a lot, you know?”

“I know it is,” I say softly around the lump clogging my throat.