Page 110 of Sugar & Shadows

He followed, and a sharp breath hissed out of him. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Eyes closed, he looked like he was meditating. When he opened them again, he said, “How much did they see? Could they hear us?”

I buried my face in my hands. “Thanks to Harper, the whole internet heard and saw everything. Or at least enough to require us both to join witness protection.”

Chills racked my body, and though I wanted to run, my boots were heavy, making it impossible to move. I needed to get out of here, drive far away. Maybe Canada? People knew. Everyone knew.

About the pregnancy.

And my breakdown.

As horrifying as it was for the world to have intimate knowledge of the state of my uterus, the worst part is that I’d been weak. I’d yelled and vented. Exposed myself. Not just to Gabe, but to the internet.

Thousands of people had just watched me lose control over a small-town mayor in a Carhartt jacket who was sporting a black eye.

I struggled to get oxygen into my lungs, and my head spun.

Gabe gripped my arms. “Let’s go back to the barn,” he said, gently tugging on me.

Silently, I followed him. As he held up tubing for me to duck under, we made our way back to the main road, my phone vibrating continuously. Notifications. Texts. Possible national security alerts. I could only imagine what the TAP group chat was doing right now.

As we neared the barn, he stopped and put his hands on my shoulders.

“That was one hell of a pregnancy announcement.”

“This is a disaster,” I said, tears pouring down my face. Who cared if I cried? At this point, my dignity was long gone.

He gently swiped at my cheeks, the rough pad of his thumbs against my skin sending a shiver through me. “This is not a disaster,” he said. “It’s a challenge. And if I know Sabrina Monroe, she loves a challenge.”

“I’m not sure I’m up for this one,” I admitted, my body deflating.

His expression softened, further devastating me. “Then good thing you’re not doing this alone.”

I looked up at him, knowing that the odds were he’d let me down. “But—” I said, though I wasn’t even sure how to protest.

He held a finger up to my lips, silencing me.

“Look at me,” he growled, his eyes darkening. “You have nothing to worry about. I’m already all in.”

Chapter 28

Gabe

Iled Sabrina back down to her car, ignoring my ringing phone and the way Josh and Logan were waving at me from the other side of the barn.

“Let me drive,” I murmured. “I’ll come get my car later.”

She nodded, and without argument, she climbed into the passenger seat.

“I think we should talk. Do you want to come back to my house?”

“Okay,” she whispered as I started the SUV and flipped her seat warmer on.

For a moment I just breathed, trying to find the right words.

I should have been horrified, not just at the exposure, but by the way I’d acted. Normally, I’d be mentally drafting damage control statements and preparing for emergency town meetings.

Instead, I felt weirdly relieved.

There was no smoothing this over or calming people down. I’d lost control. I’d yelled and I’d sworn. Then I’d admitted to both fear and joy. Fuck, I’d even said I’d considered proposing.