Chapter 68

Though, when lunchtime came around, Mr.—I mean, Reuben—pulled me onto the soft couch in his office to present me with a delicious, full-course catered meal, only to be disappointed when I spent most of the time texting madly. Even when I explained that I’d been neglecting my friends too much lately, he still dropped his head to his forearm resting on his desk and gave me the look that reminded me of a sad, abandoned dog doing its best not to whine.

“That other friend of yours, Tammy, right? The blood janitor.”

“Yeah, that’s her.”

“I wouldn’t say anything to her.”

I paused mid-sentence on my phone to look up at him with a frown.

“Why’s that?”

“I had Maria’s supervisor talk to her, as well as talked to one of Tammy’s coworkers. I think there’s a good chance it was Tammy who gave your address to Joshua.”

An unpleasant chill went up my spine that I did not like at all. “What basis do you have for that? It’s all hearsay.”

“Wasn’t she the first one to tell your mom that you were pregnant? I’ve also been told she’s the kind to speak whatever comes to her mind and often causes trouble saying things she shouldn’t. She’s also one of the few people who know your address. Your friend Maria has been cleared for that. Her supervisor tells me she’s not fond of gossip and punishes those doing such within earshot of her. She’s also often trusted with employee secrets, since, as one of the heads of human resources, she sometimes has to do part-time therapy work.” He smiled. “And then there’s Kim and me. We don’t even know Joshua.”

The food I’d been drooling all over just a minute ago suddenly seemed unappetizing.

“You don’t like to say things unless you can crush any chance for argument with logic and evidence, do you?”

He shrugged and widened his hands as though to say, ‘Look at who I am.’

However, he caught on to what he’d done wrong when I continued to stir the aromatic, cheesy pasta from a local Italian restaurant I didn’t even want to know how high-end it was.

“I…I’m sorry. I should have waited until you had at least eaten.”

“No. It might have been too late then.” I bit my lip. Perhaps it was hormones, but I couldn’t help the burning of tears in my eyes. “Tammy’s…always been so sweet to me. But, yeah…she sucks at keeping secrets, especially since she’s, well, too big of a softy. He probably told her some sob story about it all being a huge misunderstanding.”

“Still, that wasn’t her decision to make. She should have at least asked you first.”

“She would have known I’d say no.” I blinked fast, still trying to get rid of the tears before he noticed. Damn preggy-mones. “I…I guess I don’t take to cheating well…at all.”

“You’re not supposed to. And if it helps you feel any better, I also had Kim look into the bastard’s background a bit. Apparently, he didn’t work in insurance.”

I flinched horribly. “No more revelations!”

At my violent reaction, he also jumped. “Right! Food first.”

“Just tell me I did the right thing and call it good. I don’t need to know more.”

He paused to look at me, probably searching my face to make sure he hadn’t done any further damage, before nodding firmly.

“Of course. Forgive me, my sweet, I should have been more careful.”

“Don’t call me sweet.”

His mouth crooked into a half-smile. His eyes did the flicker I’d come to tell was him getting ready to launch a tease.

“Then what endearment can I call you when my affection just can’t be held back?”

I gagged. “The fact that you can say such cheesy words…”

“Would you rather I say ‘love’? That I find you utterly adorable and I can’t help but want—”

“Now you’re turning me off my food in a whole different way. Just shut up! You seriously talk way too much, Sir Boss.”

“Reuben.”

“Sandwich, in your mouth, now.”

“Tch, so bossy. There’s no need for you to be so defensive.”

“Then I’m leaving.” I picked up the rather elaborate, heavy take-out plate thingy.

Only then did he take me seriously and shut up, which meant we finally got to enjoy our lunch together. Seriously, my man was a busier body than the little old church granny who ran the neighborhood gossip ring. If anyone knew about anything, it was granny.

…Wait…did I just think of him as…?

No. No, I didn’t. Shut up. I was going to eat this pasta and enjoy it and then get Tammy to shut up too with all the crap she wanted to know. Ugh, that cabin in the mountain was sounding better every day.

But those unpleasant thoughts returned to me in my half-awake state on the exam table as the ultrasound paddle smoothed and pushed into my stomach. Thinking about Tammy gave me a sensation like heartburn, and I didn’t even want to know what Reuben had found about Joshua’s mode of employment. If there had been yet another thing he had been lying to me about…it was already hard enough as it was trying to build back my trust in people.

Then the light flicked on, stinging my eyes despite them being closed and forcing me to blearily claw my way back into wakefulness.

“All done!” chirped the lady, and then she looked to Reuben. “Would you like pictures of your baby?”

“Well, yes, but I think that’s up to her.” He looked to me, his mouth a little stiff. I wondered if he had seen or thought of something he didn’t like while I’d been dozing.

“Oh, of course! Ms. Mommy, would you be liking some pictures? I got a really good one too.”

I rolled my eyes and agreed.

I also ignored the urge to poke out her eyes for being so obvious about drooling over Reuben. Not that I’d be telling him this anytime soon. But if she just so happened to trip and fall her face on something sharp on the way out….

I mean, even if he wasn’t mine, it was implied, right? What was she, a homewrecker?

Aw hell, I was already knee-deep in with him.