Delayed Call Read online

  “I know, but why are you saying that?”

  “Because I’m scared to lose you.”

  “Vaughn, I’m here. I love you. And I know I just said I wouldn’t say it, but I can’t fucking help it,” she whispered, and then her eyes drifted shut. “Fuck, Vaughn, I’m not going anywhere.”

  He nuzzled his nose to hers, and a tear rolled down his face as he pressed his lips to hers. “I don’t want to hold back.”

  “Then don’t,” she whispered, kissing him once more. “I love you, no matter what.”

  He knew she was waiting for him to say it back, and he almost did. His mouth was moving, his heart was aching, but he didn’t.

  And as he hadn’t wanted to happen, he knew he had failed.

  When Vaughn woke the next morning, his phone was vibrating beside him with a text. Looking at it, he saw it was from Wren, but he ignored it to reach for Brie. Only she wasn’t there. Rolling over, he found he was in the bed alone. Sitting up, he called, “Brie?”

  She came out of the bathroom, glancing over at him in only a towel. “Morning.”

  He hadn’t realized how bad his heart was racing until he saw her. For some reason, he’d thought she had left. He couldn’t have blamed her if she had. “Morning.”

  Looking away toward her mirror, she asked, “Want some pancakes or something?”

  “I’m not really hungry.”

  “Well, you suck.”

  He smiled. “Sorry.”

  “I was just kidding.”

  When she looked back at him, he nodded. “I know.”

  Leaning into the door, she shook her head. “You’re acting weird.”

  He shrugged. “I can’t shake yesterday.”

  “Vaughn, it’s over.”

  “No, it’s not. I can’t shake it,” he said, looking down at his phone. “I don’t like how I feel.”

  When he clicked on the text from Wren, his brows rose. She wanted to see him, ASAP.

  When he looked up, Brie was coming to the bed, sitting down on the edge. “What can I do? Do you want me to take it back?”

  “No,” he said, reaching out and taking her hand. “That’s the last thing I want.”

  “Then what, Vaughn?”

  “I just don’t know,” he answered, leaning forward and kissing her lips softly. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be.”

  “But I am,” he said, getting out of the bed and going for his clothes. “I gotta go.”

  “Oh. Okay.”

  Kissing the top of her head, he knew that if he didn’t get his head out of his ass, he was going to lose her. The problem was, he wasn’t sure how to get his head out of his ass. But he knew the person who would.

  His therapist.

  When he arrived at Wren’s, she let him in without a hug or kiss like she usually would have. Walking around her couch, she was shaking her hands out, looking a bit crazed as he stood in the doorway. “Hey, sorry. Come on in.”

  As he walked in, he asked, “You okay?”

  “No.”

  “Which is why I’m here?”

  “Yeah. Are you okay? You look like you didn’t sleep last night.”

  He shrugged. “I didn’t.”

  “Well, that makes two of us.”

  He held her gaze. “What’s wrong?”

  Leaning on the couch, she bit into her lip and exhaled. “Have you talked to Wells?”

  He nodded. “Alex proposed.”

  “Yeah, cool, huh?”

  “So cool.”

  She sucked in a deep breath. “I need help with that.”

  “Okay.”

  “And what I’m about to say is going to be a shock, but I really need your help.”

  He only blinked. “You’re pregnant?”

  “Yes.” She met his gaze as her shoulders fell and tears gathered in her eyes. Sucking in a breath, she shook her head. “And the father of my child doesn’t want anything to do with it—or me.”

  Going to her, he took her in his arms, kissing her temple as she cried into his chest. It all seemed so unreal. Wren wasn’t like that. She was cautious, and she always had a plan. This was out of left field, and he felt for her, deeply. What surprised him most was that, while she cried, he wanted to join in with her. Things with Brie were all kinds of fucked up. Their connection was different now, and he knew it was his fault. He had let her down, and he felt like a complete ass because he was more worried about his own issues than his best friend’s sister who was currently sobbing all over his chest.

  “Who is he? I’ll kill him.”

  “No one worth talking about.”

  “Well, he’s a douche.”

  “He is,” she said, pulling away and shaking her head as she wiped her face. “I’m scared, Vaughn.”

  “It’s a baby. It’s a miracle.”

  “No, Vaughn. The thing is, I turn thirty after the baby is born.”

  “Okay. Why does that matter? Lots of thirty-year-olds have kids.”

  He watched as she ran her hands down her face before she looked back at him. “No, that doesn’t matter.”

  “I’m confused.”

  Biting her cheek, she held his gaze. “This thing with Brie, is it serious?”

  His brows shot up as he felt a bit of whiplash but also a fair amount of worry. “Why, what did you hear?”

  “Nothing. Why? What happened?”

  “Nothing,” he said, looking away. “I mean, yeah, it is.”

  Her shoulders fell. “Again, I’m about to shock you with my next request.”

  Vaughn didn’t move. “Do I need to brace myself?”

  “Maybe.” He groaned as he held on to the couch before meeting her gaze. “Do you think she’d mind if you married me for like a year? You could so still sleep with her, and I don’t care because I don’t want to sleep with you. I don’t even want to marry you. I just need you to be my husband.”

  He was stunned to silence. “Excuse me?”

  “Can you marry me for a bit, just until after the baby is born and I can get my trust fund? Because my dad won’t give it to me if he finds out I’m pregnant and I’m not married.”

  Vaughn could only blink. “I’m not understanding what is happening here.”

  “Please, Vaughn. I need a husband until after I get my money when I turn thirty. I’ll have to go to Wells’s wedding, and I’ll be pregnant. If I show up without a husband and with a baby in me, I won’t get my money. I need that money. After I give Wells his part, I swear I’ll give you enough money to buy another NateWay outright. I just need you to do this for me.”

  His heart was pounding. Wren was very important to him. He loved her and he wanted to help, but he knew he couldn’t. He almost suggested Jensen, but he knew that would be a bad idea. Because Jensen would do it, but he would be all in, fully in love and ready to raise her kid, and she wouldn’t want him after she got her money. Vaughn wouldn’t do that to his best friend, and he sure as hell wouldn’t put Brie through that, no matter how much he wanted to help Wren. “Wren, I can’t.”

  “Why? You’d be perfect because we don’t want each other. We wouldn’t even have to live with each other. I just need you to go to Wells’s wedding with me and act like my husband and an excited father. We wouldn’t even need to tell Brie… Though, that would be wrong, so we will. Hell, I’ll even give her a cut.”

  “No.”

  “What do you mean, no?” she yelled, her eyes filling with tears and spilling over her cheeks. “I need your help!”

  “I understand that, but I can’t do this. This is insane! Just tell them the truth.”

  “No, I’ll lose all my money. I have all this debt I need to pay off. I need your help.”

  “Wren, I can’t. That wouldn’t be fair to Brie.”

  “She would be okay with it. I know she would be. She’s sweet, she’ll understand.”

  “No, she wouldn’t. I know she wouldn’t, and it doesn’t feel right. If I get married, I want it to be to someone I love.”