“What’s wrong, Ren?” she asks like it’s the most normal thing in the world for us to have a conversation.
I suck in hard, swallowing the hatred for her… for myself. “Nothing. It seems like everything is progressing normally.” I look at the poor, confused sonographer for confirmation.
She nods.
“I’ll be at the next appointment.”
I turn and rush through the door without another word until I hear Sasha’s mom calling me.
“Ren!” She steps into the hall, closing the door behind her.
Out of pure respect, I stop and take a few breaths as she makes her way to me.
“I know this is not ideal, but it’ll work out fine. No one is angry anymore. There’s no need to be scared of me or my reaction. We welcome you into our family and can’t wait to get to know you better. We understand.”
“What exactly do you understand?” I ask, dumbfounded.
“Sasha told us you are barely seeing each other. This is a surprise, but you’re both excited. We accept it.”
“But we’re not seeing each other. We never were. There actually is no ‘we’ at all,” I blurt out blindly, sucking in my words and wishing my PR team was here to handle this.
She steps back, her whole demeanor changing. “What are you saying?”
“Mrs. Crane, I think you need to talk to Sasha.”
“I’m afraid that won’t do. I’m talking to you, and frankly, I don’t like what I’m hearing. Are you saying Sasha is pregnant with your baby, and you’re not even dating her?”
“You need to discuss this with Sasha.”
“I said no!” Her voice escalates, turning a few heads our way.
“With all due respect, this is not something I feel comfortable with.” I lower my own voice, trying to calm her.
The door to Sasha’s exam room opens, and she walks out. When she sees me talking to her mom, she pastes on a fake smile and comes to us. “Ren, you stayed. Mom was so disappointed when I explained you had to get back to work so quickly.”
If she thinks I’m playing this game, she’s a lunatic.
“Actually, I’m on my way out now. Anything with billing and financials has been handled. My lawyer will be in touch.”
Her jaw drops as her face starts to turn red. Her cool attitude disappears, and I can tell she’s about to blow.
Not in the mood for another scene with her, I flick my hand goodbye and leave her staring at my back.
When I get to the car, I call Caldwell and give him details of the appointment and tell him to move forward with our next steps.
Then I drive straight to Bizzy’s house. In less than two hours, we’ll be on a plane and away from all this shit for the next few days. It can’t come soon enough.
“I can’t believe she’s wearing his jersey. It feels like betrayal,” Nick whines, staring at Bizzy’s back as she jumps up, clapping, cheering, and high-fiving everyone around her.
I’d like to tell him how much I agree but not for the same reasons. He’s used to her only cheering for him and wearing shirts with his name. I, on the other hand, can’t stand to see the name Palos plastered across her shoulders.
“It’s a whole different sport. Grow some balls.” Mathis punches him in the arm, causing him to grunt loudly.
Bizzy looks over her shoulder and narrows her eyes between the three of us suspiciously. She’s seated next to my boss, his wife, and Joe’s retiring agent. I tilt my beer to her with a smirk. She gives me a wink then turns back to the game.
“Never thought I’d see the day Crenshaw Bennett would give up a guy’s weekend with his brothers, at game three of the World Series, and bring his girlfriend.” Nick blows out a low whistle. “Talk about growing some balls.”
Mathis chuckles as I growl.
“Told you there was no fucking way I was leaving her at home. Even without all this shit going on, I wanted her here.”
“You’ll have to let her out of your sight at some point.”
“Not anytime soon. Letting her out of my sight means giving her time to think about what a fuck-up I am. The risks of her leaving my sorry ass are much larger if I’m not around to remind her how much I love her.”
“When are you going to give yourself a break? It was a mistake, Shaw. It could have happened to any of us. You’re doing the