So Toxic(Bad Boy Next Door Book 4)(325)

Nan goes to the door, opening it to Arianne. She floats in on her cloud. Her perfume precedes her, clogging my already strangled throat.

Buck steps to her, taking her hand. “Arianne, thank you for coming. I just want to say how sorry I am about the way I behaved the other day. Your—your news caught me by surprise.”

“Aw, Buck. I understand. It is rather shocking, isn’t it?” She smiles at him like she’s always known he’d come around.

Trudi pushes the white and purple box across the table toward Buck.

He glances at it and smiles. “Arianne, you’ve met Trudi, our field producer, right?”

Arianne blinks and blushes prettily. “Oh, Buck. Of course, I have. So good to see you again, Trudi.”

Trudi just smiles and gives a little wave. Buck clears his throat again.

“Anyway, Trudi and Barry Thompson, the show’s producer, think—since you’ve been cast sort of as the ex-girlfriend, that it would be the perfect chance to declare our reunion   to the world if you were to take this pregnancy test and we can unveil the results as part of the show. Kind of solidify us as—” Buck coughs again, and again. And again.

Pops pats him hard on his back. “You okay, Son?”

I take a deep breath and step in. “Arianne, I want to apologize for coming between you two. I didn’t know there was a little one in the mix. I was raised in a broken home, and I’d never want to cause that to happen to any child. I think what Buck meant to say was that revealing the good news on the show would solidify you all as a family on national television.”

Arianne steps backward, adjusting her collar. “Well, I—thank you, Loula Mae. That’s very—civil of you.”

“Well, I do try to be civil.” I back away and cover my mouth before something ugly creeps out from between my lips.

Nan picks up the box. “We sure are excited about the idea of a great-grandchild. Won’t you please do this? It will mean so much to me. I’d love to have this as a memento for his scrapbook.”

Nan shoves the box into Arianne’s hands.

Arianne looks at the EPT as though it just grew eight hairy legs and six eyes. “Well, I’ve already done a test. And the doctor confirmed the pregnancy.”

Nan smiles and laces her fingers beneath her chin, as though she’s begging. “Oh, please, won’t you do this for an old woman? I just love my scrapbooks, and this would be the perfect thing to have on the very first page of the book. We can follow it with sonogram pictures, and then pictures of you in labor. We’ll record the entire blessed event.”

Arianne’s face twists as she looks from Nan to Buck, and then her eyes seem to dart to each of the three cameras positioned around the room. “Are they recording right now?”

Trudi grins and over-exaggerates her nod. “Sure are. We don’t want to miss a moment.”

Buck steps toward Arianne. “How many weeks did you say you are now?”

Arianne dabs at the perspiration on her brow. “My, it’s warm in here, must be all these hormones. Can we turn the air down a bit?”

Buck asks again. “How many weeks was it?”

Arianne pushes out a great, noisy breath. “Ten. About ten weeks.”

Buck’s brow wrinkles as though he’s perplexed. “Well, there shouldn’t be any problem. I mean, you’ll pop positive on an early pregnancy test for sure. C’mon, Arianne. This is my Nan. It’s such a small little thing to pee on a stick.”

Arianne grabs her stomach. As though she’s in pain, her face pinches and turns red.

Her eyes fill with tears. “The truth is—well, Buck, I just didn’t have the heart to tell you. But…I think I might be miscarrying. I started spotting last night, and it’s only gotten worse today. I probably should go back to my hotel room and rest. I think I’m worn out all of the sudden.”

It’s like the whole world is holding its breath. No one moves except Arianne.

She backs toward the door, her eyes firmly on Buck. His face hardens the further from him she goes. Finally, she’s out the door, and it clicks into place. Still, no one makes a move until the roar of her Vette speeding out of the driveway fades in the distance.

Gotcha, Bitch.

Buck expels a giant sigh, and then with his next intake of air, his dimples deepen. “Ho-ly fuck.”

Trudi hops to her feet and raises her hand. I give her a high-five, and she throws her arms around me.

“It worked!” Buck grabs Trudi, swinging her around. “You are a fucking genius, woman!”

Buck dances Trudi around the room.

I hate to admit it, but I think I actually like Perky Trudi.

When Buck finishes dancing, his Nan and Pops hug him. Then he turns to me, holding out his hand.