"You've done enough. Leave her the hell alone, Rush. She doesn't need this from you. Not now," Woods barked.
"You don't know anything," Rush growled and Woods took a step in Rush's direction. Woods was either going to blurt out that I was pregnant and make it very obvious that he did know something or he was going to start throwing punches with Rush. It was once again time for me to get over this and fix it.
I turned back and went to stand in front of Rush. I looked up at Woods. "It's okay. Just give me a minute with him. It'll be okay. He didn't do anything wrong. I was just being emotional. That's all," I told him.
Woods' jaw worked back and forth as he ground his teeth. Keeping his mouth shut was proving difficult for him. He finally nodded and stalked away.
I had to face Rush now.
"Blaire," Rush said gently as his hand reached out and grabbed mine. "Please look at me."
I could do this. I had to do this. I turned around letting Rush continue holding my hand in his. I should remove it but I couldn't just yet. I'd seen him with a woman who was probably keeping his bed warm at night while I continued to push him away. I was losing him. So was our baby. But then... had we ever really had him?
I lifted my eyes and met his worried gaze. He didn't like upsetting me. I loved that about him. "It's okay. I overreacted. I was just, um, surprised is all. I should have known you'd have moved on by now. I just - "
"Stop it," Rush interrupted me and pulled me up against him. "I haven't moved anywhere. What you think you saw you didn't. Meg is an old friend. That is all. She means nothing to me. I came looking for you. I needed to see you and I went to play golf. You weren't there. I ran into Meg and she suggested we have lunch. That's it. I had no idea you were in here working. I'd have never done that. Even though I wasn't doing anything. I love you Blaire. Just you. I'm not with anyone else. I never will be."
I wanted to believe him. As selfish and wrong as it was I wanted to believe he loved me enough not to need anyone else. Even if I was pushing him away from me. I was lying to him. I hated liars. He would hate me too if I didn't tell him soon. I didn't want him to hate me. But I couldn't trust him. Did lying make that okay? Was lying ever okay? How could he ever trust me?
"I'm pregnant." The words came out of me before I realized what I was doing. I covered my mouth in horror as Rush's eyes went wide. Then I turned and ran like hell.
Chapter 23
Rush
My feet were cemented to the floor. Even as I watched Blaire running away from me I couldn't move. Had I just dreamed that? Was it a desperate hallucination? Was I getting that bad?
"If you aren't going after her I am." Woods' voice broke into my thoughts and I snapped out of my shocked haze.
"What?" I asked, glaring at him. I hated him. Beating his face in was something I was suddenly fantasizing about.
"I said, if you aren't going after her I am. She needs someone right now. As much as I don't want it to be you because I don't think you deserve her it needs to be you."
Did he know she was pregnant? My blood started to boil. Had she told Woods she was pregnant and hadn't told me?
"I was here the first morning she tried to work and the smell of bacon sent her scrambling to the restroom to vomit. So, yeah I already knew. Get that crazed possessive gleam out of your eyes and go get her." Woods' tone was laced with disgust.
"She's been sick?" I hadn't known she was sick. My chest hurt. She'd been sick alone. I'd left her alone and she'd been suffering. Air wasn't getting to my lungs.
"Yeah, you stupid shit, she's been sick. That happens in her situation. But she's getting better. Now I'm about to turn and go after her. Make your move," Woods warned.
I broke into a run.
It wasn't until I exited the building in the back and looked up the hill that I found her. She was still running. It was toward the condos. She was going back to her place. I went after her. She was pregnant. Should she be running like this? What if it was bad for the baby? She needed to slow down.
"Blaire, stop. Wait," I called out when I was close enough. She slowed down and finally stopped as I caught up with her.
"I'm sorry," she sobbed with her face in her hands.
"What are you sorry for?" I asked, closing the distance between us and pulling her against me. I wasn't worried about scaring her off anymore. I wasn't letting her go anywhere.
"This. Everything. My being pregnant," she whispered, stiff in my arms.
She was sorry. No. She wasn't going to be sorry for that. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Don't ever apologize to me again. Do you hear me?"
Some of the tension in her body eased and she leaned against me. "But I didn't tell you."
No, she hadn't but I understood. It sucked but I understood. "I wish you had. I'd have never let you be sick on your own. I'd have taken care of you. I'm going to take care of you now. I'll make up for it. I swear."