Free Blush by Nicola Marsh Page A

Adele said, between hiccups, as she swiped a bunch of tissues.
    “Hormones.” Chantal’s murmured proclamation made the same impact as a foghorn on a still night, echoing around the room until it’s all anyone could hear.
    Adele’s horror stifled her sobs as she glared at Chantal, who mouthed ‘sorry’ before grimacing in mortification.
    “That time of the month, huh?” Jess said, staring at Adele with renewed interest.
    “Yeah,” Adele mumbled, trying to hide her monumental lie behind a bunch of tissues as she blew her nose.
    Sadly, Jess was as smart as her brother, as her curious glance swung from Adele to Chantal and back again.
    Adele willed her not to make the obvious connection. Willed it with every fiber in her being.
    But she saw the exact moment Jess put two and two together and came up with baby makes three.
    “No freaking way.” Jess stared at Adele’s stomach in round-eyed wonder. “You’re pregnant.”
    Adele could feign many things—a past she didn’t care about, her true feelings for Reid—but no way could she tell a blatant lie to his sister.
    Chantal muttered, “oh boy,” as Adele reluctantly nodded.
    Jess’s mouth gaped, as she stared at Adele like she was carrying alien spawn rather than a niece or nephew.
    “I’m assuming the baby’s Reid’s?”
    Jess’s blunt question should’ve made Adele angry but she didn’t blame Reid’s sister for being protective.
    “Yeah, the baby’s his,” Adele said, placing a hand over her stomach when Jess continued to stare at her like she expected her to give birth at any second. “And I don’t want him to know.”
    Jess leaped off her seat like she’d been electrocuted. “Why the hell not? He deserves to know—”
    “You said it yourself. Reid would do right by me,” Adele held up her hand when Jess appeared ready to butt in again, “and I don’t want him sacrificing his career out of obligation.”
    Confusion clouded Jess’s eyes for a moment before her shoulders slumped in defeat. “You’re protecting him from making a choice.”
    Adele nodded, glad Jess understood. “You know your brother better than I do, but from the time we’ve spent together he’s a pretty special guy. I don’t want to ruin his life.”
    Jess gnawed on her bottom lip in indecision. “But a baby…could change everything…”
    “It could, but it’s not fair to put him in a position to choose.” Adele spoke with a quiet authority, the same tone she’d used on her mom countless times when she’d go off on one of her drunken rants.
    She’d never known what pushed her mom to drink, had given up insisting she get help when she fell off the wagon time and time again. Adele had supported them both and when the going got tough, she did what she had to do to survive.
    And that was the one thing she had to remember whenever she felt remotely sentimental about her baby’s father.
    Reid could never know about her past. That meant keeping him away from her future.
    “Well, I think she should tell him,” Chantal said, holding up her hands in surrender when Adele shot her a death glare. “What? You already know what I think, it’d be good to get Jess’s perspective.”
    Jess swore and shook her head. “My brother has feelings for you. Genuine feelings that are sending him into a tailspin. But his career is his life and a baby…even a quickie wedding wouldn’t keep the gossip mongers at bay.”
    Adele stared at Jess in horror. “No way in hell I’d marry Reid out of obligation.”
    “Not even to save his career?” Jess’s eyes narrowed, sizing her up. “It could be the only way out of this—”
    “No.” Adele wrapped her arms around her middle. “I’m not bringing a child into a marriage ultimately filled with recriminations and bitterness and regret.” She moved in for the kill. “Your niece or nephew deserves better than that.”
    Some of the tension pinching Jess’s mouth eased, as her lips curved into a soft smile. “I’m going to be