Yes, Garrick had said something ridiculous, but so what? It didn’t mean anything. Only she knew it had meant something to her—something awful and sad.
The pain increased until it became too big to hold inside. She knew she was seconds away from breaking down into ugly, loud sobs that would terrify her son. Doing her best to keep it all inside, she grabbed her handbag and moved into the hallway.
“Hunter, I’m going to run a few errands,” she said, grateful her voice wasn’t shaking.
“Okay, Mom,” he called back. “I’m going to finish my history paper, then watch that documentary on NASCAR.”
“I won’t be long,” she said, before hurrying to her car.
She carefully backed out of the driveway, then headed for town. The pressure built inside until she knew she didn’t have much more time. Should she go find some quiet place to park where she could cry in peace?
Three blocks later, she pulled over and reached for her phone. She scrolled through her list of contacts, pausing at each of her friends before pressing the call button.
“Hi,” Silver said, sounding cheerful. “Do you have a baby update?”
Wynn felt herself starting to lose control. “Can I come see you?”
Silver’s voice was instantly concerned. “Of course. I’m home.”
“Give me five minutes.”
Wynn managed to make her way to the upscale neighborhood by the golf course. She pulled into Silver and Drew’s wide driveway, then stumbled out of her car. Silver met her at the door.
At the sight of her friend, she gave in to the sobs and let them overtake her. Silver pulled her close and held her tight.
“I’m here,” her friend said. “Whatever it is, we’ll get through this. I have some contacts. We can arrange for a big burly guy to beat the shit out of Garrick if necessary.”
Wynn wiped her face. “How did you know this was about Garrick?”
“It’s Sunday morning, so it’s unlikely you heard bad medical news, and if it was Hunter, you would have said that up front. A town-based disaster, like your business burning down, would have meant calls from more than just you. That leaves a man.”
Silver led her into the living room where they settled on one of the overstuffed sofas. Drew was nowhere to be seen—a fact for which Wynn was grateful. She liked Silver’s husband just fine, but didn’t really want him around when she was so vulnerable.
Silver disappeared for a few seconds, then returned with a box of tissues.
“Do you want something to drink? Coffee? Water? Tequila?”
“I’m okay,” Wynn said, struggling to get control. “I don’t like being this way. I’m not a crier.”
“It’s an involuntary physical response. We all do it.”
“You’re saying I’m ordinary?” Wynn asked with an attempt at fake humor.
“Practically mundane.” Silver rubbed her back. “Tell me what happened.”
Wynn blew her nose, then quickly recounted the conversation from a week or so ago, when she’d confessed that she wanted more children.
“I didn’t mean to say it,” she added when she was done. “I wasn’t hinting at anything.”
“You were hinting,” Silver said gently. “Or at least testing the waters.”
Wynn started to protest, then stopped herself. “Maybe,” she admitted. “I do want more kids, though.”
“Sure, but not on your own. You want them with Garrick.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“No, but I know you.”
Wynn sighed heavily. “I guess I was hoping he would be excited, too. That he would start thinking about us being together and what that would be like. I was hoping he would see that we’re really good as a couple and that we could have so much more. A blended family, more children.”
“Love?”
Wynn twisted the tissue and nodded. “Love,” she whispered. She turned to Silver.
“But that’s not where he went at all. When he got home from the hospital, he started talking about us having a couple of kids and co-parenting together. That I wanted more kids and he could make it happen. How it was superconvenient because we lived next door.” The tears returned. “He’s not in love with me. He doesn’t want to have a family together—he wants me to be some kind of baby mama with a co-parenting agreement and maybe some sex on the side.”
“Baby mama?” Silver asked, her voice teasing.
“You know what I mean.”
“I do, and I’m sorry.”
Wynn looked at her. “I’m in love with him, and he’s not in love with me.”
“You don’t know that.”
Wynn thought about what had happened...and what hadn’t. “I do know that. He’s not in love with me. I’ve already learned this lesson. You can’t force a man