Tears thicken her voice. “I just can’t believe you would do this to your own mother. What have I done to deserve this? Haven’t I given you everything?”
Sighing, I lift the phone away from my ear. “I’m not doing anything to you. Stop being so dramatic.”
“You got married without inviting me!”
“It was an accident, all right?” I roar into the speaker. “We both got drunk. That’s all this is!”
“Oh my God,” she moans. “Olivia. How could you do something so stupid? I’m embarrassed for you.”
It gets worse, Mom. “I’ve got to go. There’s a ton of work I need to get to.”
“Wait a second. We could fix this, Olivia. This doesn’t have to mean the engagement is over.”
“Yes, it does. I’m not in love with him. You should have seen how he acted here.”
But she’s not listening. “I’ll call Evelyn and explain everything.”
I clench the phone so hard, I’m sure the screen will shatter. “No, you won’t. Stay the hell out of this. It’s my life, and I don’t want Mark in it. Ever again. Sorry to burst your dream of becoming related to one of the most powerful families in America, Mom.”
“You’re ruining your life—”
The screen goes black as I press on the red button, ending the call. My heart thumps loudly as I stare at my face in the mirrored iPhone.
Am I ruining my life?
So far the only thing I’ve decided is to keep this baby, but I have no idea what I’m going to do. Go back to San Francisco? I’ll never afford an apartment there alone. Maybe with a couple roommates I’d be able to swing it. What happens when the baby is born?
I stand, the book sliding to the floor. My eyes dart over the sentences I jotted down this morning.
This is stupid.
There is no universe where Olivia Stewart makes a living as a writer. It does not happen except for the best of the best, and I’m not one of them. Never will be.
I snatch the notebook from the floor, my fingers gliding over the delicate pages.
It’s a stupid dream. Especially now that you’re pregnant.
The paper crinkles as I palm the first page, gathering it into a ball before yanking it from the spiral. A chunk of my college life is crushed in my hand. Then I throw it at the wastebasket, and it bounces on the rim. Figures.
“Honey, I’m home!”
Damn it.
I toss it aside as Gage opens the door, stooping under the frame to walk inside. Since when did he get in and out privileges?
Since he knocked you up.
He glances toward the red notebook sitting on the mattress, but doesn’t comment. Then Gage closes the door. The bed sinks when he sits next to me. Fingers tiptoe up my spine, and then his hand splays over my back. An answering thud from my heart.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you for a favor.”
“You want me to trim the rose hedges now?”
“I’m pretty sure I don’t have those. Nah, it’s actually about my mom.”
Now my heart’s in my throat. “You want me to meet her.”
“It would make her really happy.” A faint line creases in his forehead as he says it. “It would also make me happy to not get fifteen phone calls a day. You’re my wife, Liv. I know we got married on impulse, but it means something to her.”
Does it mean something to him, too? “I don’t even know who you are.”
“Look, I’m not asking you to—” he stops suddenly, smiling. “I was going to say ‘ask you to marry me’ but we’ve already sailed that ship haven’t we?”
“I’m probably carrying your baby, and I have no idea who you are. Or if you’ll be a good father.”
He touches my thigh, his thumb stroking my skin, and his eyes soften. “What do you want to know?”
“Who are you? What do you do for a living?”
Gage sucks in a deep breath. “You’ve seen my auto shop, but sometimes I’m called out to farms to fix tractors and other equipment when they break down. Restoring old cars is a hobby of mine. I’ve also got the Airbnb room when business is slow, but honestly I don’t need much to get by. Cost of living here is pretty cheap, and that’s why I like it.”
“Where did you grow up?”
He smiles. “Here. I left when I was eighteen to go to college. Yes, I went to college, but I never finished my degree. My dad got really