I began to say something, but she continued.
“But I’m feeling better. You’ve made this whole thing a hell of a lot easier.” She smiled. It wasn’t the bright, dazzling smile I hoped for, but I understood. She was exhausted.
“Good.” I squeezed her hand. “That’s what I’m here for.” I couldn’t tell her about the impending fears looming over me, but if she felt okay, I would feel okay.
Rolling my shoulders back, I took a deep breath. A weight pressed into my chest—the same one that hadn’t left since I learned about the baby in Maggie’s kitchen—but I dismissed it. I put the truck in drive and slowly accelerated down the driveway,double-checking my mirrors that everything was secure on the forty-foot trailer in tow. Maggie gazed out the window with uncertainty in her eyes and apprehension in the hand that was still gripping mine.
“What did your dad say?” I cleared my throat. “About you leaving with me.”
Maggie took a breath. “Well, I’ll preface with this: he’s not your biggest fan.” I turned to look at her. She shrugged. “He thinks you’re a good-for-nothing playboy.”
I dipped my head with a chuckle. Of course, Richard Rynne disliked me. If my ways with women were rubbing him the wrong way, it was only because he did the same thing. Difference was, I wasn’t going to fuck up with Maggie and make her leave me. Well, I was going to try my damn hardest not to, anyway.
“Did he give you any issues about leaving with me, then?”
She shook her head. “I mean, he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of me going away with you for a couple of months, but he knows this is how polo works. He thinks I’ll get great playing opportunities out there.”
My stomach tightened at the reminder that, not only was this baby a massive alternate twist to our lives, but it also pinned Maggie’s polo career for…God, I didn’t know how long.
Professional polo was her dream. Her goal. And I had gone and fucked it all up in one night. I wanted to apologize to her and give her reassurance. I wanted this to speed up, so I knew the ending. I wanted to slow it down, so we could figure out every nook and crevice of our new lives.
“We’re gonna be okay, Mags.” I squeezed her hand again, drawing her attention back to me.
“Shit, Jack. Is this a crazy idea? Are we crazy people?” Worry flooded her eyes.
Of course, it was a crazy idea. It was immature and stupid to run away from our hometown and our parents and leaveeverything in the rearview without an explanation. But I needed a minute. So did Maggie. We were drowning in questions and uncertainty.
All I knew was that I had one responsibility. Well, two: Maggie and the baby.
I attempted to keep my focus on the main road, but slowed the truck to a stop after checking that there was no one behind us. I turned in my seat and cupped her face with both hands as her eyes locked onto mine. It wasn’t meant to be romantic—but fuck me, I had no idea what I was doing. Maybe there was something sexual between us before, maybe the friendship we rekindled over the past few weeks was something, but her carrying our baby changedeverything. I was going to spiral if I didn’t reassure myself with the false pretense that everything was going to work out.
“Neither of us is crazy, Maggie. We’re doing the best possible thing we can in this situation. For us and our baby.” I glanced down at her stomach, which I knew would change within the coming months. Deep breaths were the only thing keeping me from a panic attack.
Shit.This was real. What kept me from running out of that truck and away from everything was the girl in the passenger seat, filled with the same fear as me.
And that thought scared the hell out of me.
Chapter seven
Jack
Four hours into the drive, I was scrolling through the radio. Maggie had dozed off beside me, curled in her blanket, so I kept the volume low. Various country and rock stations had gone in and out through the speakers, but nothing stayed on for long without crackling. We were somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Northern Ohio. It was the dull part of the highway where everything looked the same, and few cars littered the road. Plains with the odd hill here and there blurred in the distance. It made me hope that Golden Meadow had beautiful views. Pennsylvania was fine, but I was looking for something more. My eyes glazed over, trying to focus on the road, but there wasn’t much to look at.
My gaze drifted to the passenger seat, stealing a glance at the sleeping beauty next to me. She looked exhausted. I assumed she hadn’t gotten much sleep the last few nights either, stressed about everything and planning the shit out of the rest of her life. I respected that about her. She left no detail behind and drove herself to make things the best they could be. I wondered if that was how our kid would turn out. I wondered if he or she wouldhave Maggie’s shiny brown hair or my blonde, and if they would enjoy polo and horses as much as we did.
Suddenly, the music on the radio stopped as my ringtone blared over Bluetooth. Maggie jumped awake at the noise before seeing Michael Luna’s name appear on the screen.
“It’s Mike,” she groaned as she rubbed her eyes.
“Yeah, I’ll get it.” I tapped the button on the screen that answered the call and tried to act like I wasn’t half-asleep. “Hey, Mike.”
“Jack! Good to hear your voice. You on the road yet?” Mike yelled through the speaker. Sure, he was in his sixties and probably didn’t know how sensitive the microphone was, but it didn’t stop me from turning the volume way down. I didn’t want to startle Maggie more than I already had.
“Yeah. About four hours in.”
“Good to hear, man. Can’t wait to see you all grown up out here.”
I grimaced.Grown upwere the last words I would use to describe myself. My proof of recklessness and irresponsibility sat right beside me in the passenger seat.
