Page 47 of Saltwater Cowboy

“Uh-huh,” I muttered, but I let it slide. “What’s up?”

She took a deep breath.

I groaned. “Oh no. That’s the serious talk inhale.”

Blythe kept her gaze locked on the screen. “We need to talk.”

“About…?”

She twisted her hands in her lap. “This room.”

I felt the shift in my stomach before she even said the words.

“We need to start moving Wren’s things in here,” she continued carefully. “She needs the bigger room. And we have to get the nursery set up.”

Even though I’d known this conversation was inevitable, hearing it out loud hit me harder than I expected.

“I know,” I said, swallowing against the lump in my throat. “Wells told me.” I reached for her hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’ll find a place. I’ve got enough saved to rent an apartment.”

Her eyes softened, misty with unshed tears. “For what it’s worth, I think it’s a good idea.”

I let my head fall to the side with a groan. “Blythe, no. You know I hate his guts.”

She lifted a shoulder in a lazy shrug. “I didn’t mean to overhear, but neither of you are exactly quiet.” Another handful of popcorn. Another pause. “He’s a good guy. Probably wouldn’t even make you do much. Chivalry and all that shit.”

Despite myself, I let out a small laugh. As much as Wells irritated the hell out of me, she wasn’t entirely wrong. He seemed like a shirt-off-his-back kind of guy.

Blythe nudged me. “What do you even have against him?”

I scoffed. “I asked him to leave me alone, and he persisted.”

She raised an eyebrow. “So let me get this straight. You’re mad because someone actually gave a damn about you?”

I opened my mouth, then snapped it shut. Damn her and her logic.

I groaned, dragging my hands down my face. “When you say it like that, you make me sound ridiculous.”

Blythe shrugged, her expression smug as she tossed another piece of popcorn into her mouth. “I’m just saying. You’re over here sulking when you’ve got a solid option staring you in the face. Wells isn’t the worst thing to ever happen to you.”

“He’s annoying,” I muttered.

“He’s a man,” she corrected. “They’re all annoying.”

I snorted, despite myself. “Fair point.”

Blythe squeezed my hand. “Look, I know this isn’t what you wanted. I know you had a different plan for your life, and it sucks that it fell apart the way it did. But you’re still standing, Rose. And maybe—just maybe—this could be a fresh start.”

I exhaled slowly, staring at the ceiling. A fresh start. That’s what everyone kept saying. Like it was so easy. Like I could just shed my past like an old coat and slip into a new one.

But the truth was, I had nowhere else to go. And as much as I hated to admit it, Wells’ offer was the best one on the table.

“I hate you for being right,” I mumbled.

Blythe grinned. “I know. But you’ll thank me when you’re selling out that flower stand every Sunday.”

I rolled onto my side, groaning. “I need copious amounts of wine before I agree to anything.”

Blythe just laughed, “Take your time. But not too much, because I have a baby to prepare for, and you need a new address.”