Evie's Bombshell - By Amy Andrews Page 0,35

Where’d you get that degree?’ he grouched. ‘In a cornflakes packet?’

Ava smiled. ‘Coco Pops, actually.’

Finn gave a half-smile before turning back to the window. ‘Fine. How do I fix it?’

‘Maybe it’s time to stop pushing her away. To open yourself up.’

Finn pressed his forehead against the glass. She may as well have told him to stand in the middle of the hospital naked. ‘What? No pill?’

Ava shook her head. ‘I’m afraid not.’

‘You’re a lousy therapist,’ he muttered.

She laughed. ‘What do you expect for free?’

CHAPTER SIX

A MONTH PASSED and it was business as usual at Sydney Harbour Hospital. Finn was back on board, being his brilliant, arrogant, grouchy self. Anyone who’d thought that with him now fully recovered from his injury his mood might have improved had been sorely mistaken. Evie’s recalcitrance had taken over from the pain and restrictions that had made him notoriously moody, resulting in a crankier than ever Dr Kennedy.

But given that Prince Khalid’s cheque had made the hospital one million dollars richer, no one was about to call him on it. Those on his team just knew—you did your job with skill and competence and stayed the hell out of Finn’s way.

Even Finn and Evie’s relationship had gone back to that of polite detachment, which was causing an absolute buzz on the grapevine. At twenty-five weeks Evie could no longer hide her pregnancy and with everyone knowing Finn was the baby-daddy, speculation was rife.

Were they together?

Would they get married?

Were they already married and keeping it a secret? Why couldn’t they barely say two words to each other?

Did they even like each other?

Everything from the hows and wheres of the baby’s conception to a potential wedding and the custody arrangements were red-hot topics.

Everything about Finn and Evie were red-hot topics—like they were freaking royalty.

The fact that both of them were tight-lipped with answers to any of the questions being asked didn’t help.

And in the absence of truth there was gossip.

Evie soldiered on regardless of the whispers. Finn stayed away and she alternated between being mad and glad. But mostly she just wished she knew what the hell was going on inside his head and where they went from here. Sooner or later they were going to need to talk but she was damned if she was going to instigate it.

As far as she was concerned, the ball was firmly in his court!

Evie was late arriving at Pete’s—the pub that had stood across the road from the hospital for twenty years—on Saturday afternoon. Bella and Lexi were already seated and deep in conversation.

Pete smiled at her from behind the bar and mouthed, ‘The usual?’ at her. She nodded, the usual these days being sparkling water instead of a nice cold bottle of beer.

Not that abstaining from drinking for nine months was a hardship but she did miss it occasionally after a long day on her feet—and it had been a very hectic day.

She joined her sisters, pushing into the cubicle next to Bella to give Lexi some room. Two pregnant women on one side of a booth was one pregnant woman too many, especially given Lexi’s about-to-pop status.

‘How’s it going?’ Evie asked her sister as Pete brought her water over in a wine glass. Bless him, at least she had the illusion she was drinking something fortified.

Lexi grimaced. ‘This baby is sitting so low I feel like my uterus is going to fall out every time I stand up.’

Evie and Bella laughed. They both knew that Lexi and Sam, a transplant surgeon, were ecstatic about the fast-approaching due date. Their relationship was stronger than ever now after their years apart. ‘Pretty sure that’s not possible,’ Evie said.

Lexi laughed too. ‘There’s always a first time.’

They chatted for a while about baby things, both of her sisters being careful to avoid the F word even though she could tell they were dying to ask her about the latest with Finn. But what was there to say? There was no latest.

The baby kicked and Evie grimaced.

‘What is it?’ Bella asked. ‘Did he kick?’ Evie nodded, her hand smoothing over the spot where the baby was busy boogying. ‘Can I feel?’ Bella asked, her hands automatically gliding over Evie’s belly to where her hand was, exclaiming in awe when the baby performed right on cue.

Evie noticed the wistful look on her younger sister’s face as she enjoyed the show. ‘I’m sorry, Bells, this must be hard for you.’

Bella had cystic fibrosis and Sam had performed a double lung transplant on her less