Free Risking It All by Jennifer Schmidt Page A

and anxiety.
    No, there was nothing humorous about the look Memphis was giving her right now.
    “Be careful what you wish for, Kennedy.” His voice was thick and hoarse and laced with warning. “You might not be able to handle it if it were to come true.”
    Kennedy’s quick intake of breath sounded like a gasp even to her own ears. She swallowed, trying to coat her dry throat so she wouldn’t sound all squeaky and awkward when she spoke. But he didn’t give her a chance.
    “I better go. I’ll e-mail you a list just in case, okay? See you in a few days, beautiful.” He leaned in and quickly kissed her cheek, and then was gone, leaving Kennedy with only one thought.
    What the hell did he mean by that?
     
    ~*~
     
    Kennedy finally returned Brooks’s missed calls a couple of hours after Memphis left. Of course, her call went straight to voice mail, and she couldn’t keep the annoyance out of her voice as she left a very brief, and perhaps too sharp, message for him.
    She called Vanessa after that, who was thrilled to go shopping with her. They set up a time and a place to meet the next day. By the time Kennedy straightened up around the apartment, replied to a few        e-mails from Ryder and one from Erin gushing about her new job, house and—fingers crossed—soon-to-be boyfriend, it was late and Brooks still hadn’t called.
    The familiar feeling of anger toward him ran through her once again, and she snatched her cell from the nightstand and shut it off for the night. She was going to bed and to hell with him if he tried to call now.
    But when she turned the phone back on in the morning there was only a text from Memphis.
    Kennedy frowned at the little device, both curious and irritated as to why Brooks hadn’t called her back. She debated sending a text to him, letting him know that she would be out for most of the day, but decided against it. Why should she? She’d tossed the ball back into his court by returning his messages; it was his turn.
    She quickly brushed her teeth and didn’t even bother to tame her unruly locks. She left her hair down and dressed in a pair of yoga pants and fitted T-shirt, grabbed a hoodie, slipped her feet into her sneakers, slid her sunglasses into place, and walked out the door.
    She was excited to spend the day alone with a girlfriend. They hadn’t done anything together in a while—Kennedy was sure it would be even longer once the baby arrived. Her friend deserved to get out and have some “me” time before she was up to her elbows in dirty diapers and midnight feedings.
    Kennedy felt a sudden pang at the thought. That could have been her in Vanessa’s place. If everything had gone right, she would have been celebrating her baby’s first birthday right about now.
    She never let her mind wander down that road. It was too painful. It wasn’t fair her chance to be a mother to someone had been taken away. And it hurt even more that Brooks never wanted to talk about it, never wanted to acknowledge they made a little life, even if it had been taken away.
    Maybe Mother Nature knew better.
    Kennedy frowned at the little voice in her head and tried to push the depressing thought out of her mind as she drove the rest of the way to Vanessa’s house.
    Vanessa and her husband, Joseph, lived in the suburbs of Mackenzie Heights. It was a neighborhood where they were far enough away from the chaos of downtown Vancouver, but still close enough for Joe to drive to work every day. Living in Yaletown herself, Kennedy couldn’t imagine leaving her downtown home, even for quiet, clean parks and good schools.
    But then she wasn’t eight months’ pregnant and trying to give her unborn child the best start in life, she reminded herself as she watched her friend waddle down the front steps, a huge smile on her face.
    Vanessa pulled open the door to Kennedy’s SUV and carefully hauled herself up. She stretched the seatbelt as far as she could before snapping it into place. Kennedy