Page 32 of A Little Secret

“If you’ll lift your gown for me but keep your lower half under the sheets, we’ll get started.”

“Perfect.” Finley shifts the fabric around her waist, grabbing the edge of the gown and situating the white sheet to cover her lower half while exposing her stomach to the ultrasound technician.

Tearing my attention from the sliver of skin, I clear my throat.

I shouldn’t be here. Drew should. The reminder fucks with my head. Or maybe it’s the truth bomb in general. Fin’s pregnant? Finley’s fucking pregnant. And here I am, nothing but an observer. An observer who has no right to be here. So, why am I here?

“I’ll, uh, I’ll wait outside.” I stand and head to the door so Fin can have some privacy and I can have a minute to wrap my head around shit. I always knew it would neverwork between us. I even said as much to Raine when she asked about my feelings for Finley a while ago. And I wasn’t lying, either. Not really. But I guess I thought…or at least a small piece of me thought…maybe…someday, if the stars aligned, and we were in the same place, and Drew was out of the picture, and Everett didn’t have a stick up his ass…maybe…fuck, I don’t know.

Finley’s pregnant.

“Griff?” she calls.

I pause by the door and face her. “Yeah?”

“Are my parents on their way?”

I nod.

“Don’t…don’t tell them, okay? Please?”

The request guts me, twisting like a knife in my stomach, but I nod anyway. “Our little secret, right?”

Relief shines in her gray eyes, and she dips her chin. “Add it to the list. And thank you.”

“I’ll be outside.”

When I start to step over the threshold, she stops me once more. “Hey, Griff?”

“Yeah, Fin?” I face her again, my body caught between fight or flight. Part of me wants to shake her for not telling me. For not tellinganyone. The other wants to pull her into a hug and promise everything’s going to be okay and remind her she doesn’t need to put on a brave face. Not for me. But I won’t do either because neither is my place. Especially when she pushed me away and chose Drew over me.

Then again, now that the cat’s out of the bag, I get it. Of course, she would. Sheshould.Shouldn’t she? Not that there was anything to choose in the first place. All I’ll ever be to Finley Taylor is her brother’s best friend. And Fin? All she’ll ever be is the one who got away.

“Can you…” Finley lifts one of her shoulders in a half-assed shrug. “Can you be a peach and stay with me?”

My chest constricts, but I step back into the room and take a seat where I was as the ultrasound tech sets up her machine.

I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t fucking be here. Pulling out my phone, I send a quick text to Finley’s parents, telling them to wait in the waiting room. They respond almost instantly and promise to do exactly that without bothering to ask any follow-up questions.

I know Uncle Mack and Aunt Kate well enough to know there will be an onslaught of questions once we’re face to face, though. I make a mental note to come up with a solid reason why they can’t come into the room for later. We’ll need it.

As I start to tuck my phone back into my pocket, Finley reaches for me and grabs my wrist, surprising the shit out of me. Because this girl doesn’t have a weak bone in her body. Fuck, I saw her convulsing on the floor an hour ago, and when she came to, she didn’t even bat an eye, taking the situation on the chin like a seasoned pro. Yet, here she is, holding my hand, clinging to me, showing the tiniest hint of unease about what’s unfolding in front of us.

A thousand questions sit on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t ask any of them. Not yet. Not until we’re alone.

Acid coats my throat as I stare at our entwined hands. The way she’s holding onto me. The way her hand looks wrapped in mine. In a different world, I could’ve been excited for this moment.

Now? Now, I feel like I might vomit.

CHAPTER TEN

FINLEY

My parents left an hour ago after solidifying their decision to move back to Lockwood Heights. Apparently my little episode was the final push they needed. Yay me. To be fair, they’ve been teetering on the idea since I received my acceptance letter to LAU, but after spending the majority of their time at the cabin, or bouncing from one friend’s house to another, then visiting me in the hospital tonight, I’m pretty sure the deal is sealed. I didn’t bother pushing back, well-aware that once they find out about the baby, it’ll be a moot point anyway. I’m going to need them. Me and Drew and… I close my eyes, trying not to get too overwhelmed.

Now I’m alone in my family room with the one and only Griffin Thorne as my parole officer. By some miracle, he kept his word and didn’t blurt out the not-so-little secret I’m trying to keep on the down-low from my mom and dad as soon as they stepped into the hospital. Even so, he’s not very good at hiding his emotions, especially since we’re alone now. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep my sardonic smile in check as he stares at me from across theroom, his emotions on lockdown. Well, at leasthisversion of lockdown.

Yeah, I’m in the dog house for sure.