Free A Pregnancy Scandal by Kat Cantrell Page A

so uncomfortable that his heart twisted. He hated that she felt this awful at what was supposed to be their debut as a couple.
    Not much point in marrying a wife to stand by his side who wasn’t able to, or at least that was what he tried to tell himself. Sternly. But he didn’t care about the loss of his plus one at a key networking event when his wife’s face was tinted a hue best suited for frogs.
    â€œAlex, I don’t think you’ve met Senator Ramona Galindo.” Phillip forced himself through the niceties of introductions all around, even though Alex’s distress was clear. But he didn’t want to be rude, and Alex wouldn’t have come back from the bathroom if she wasn’t okay. Would she?
    Alex shook hands with the senator and her husband. “Thank you for coming.”
    â€œIt was a lovely ceremony,” Ramona said brightly.
    â€œI wasn’t paying attention,” Alex admitted. “Also, I was up at the front, so I didn’t have a great seat.”
    Senator Galindo chuckled nervously, clearly opting to take the comments as a joke. “I know what you mean. I remember very little about my ceremony. It went by in a blur.”
    That gave her husband and Phillip permission to smile through the awkwardness. Next time, maybe he should step in, smooth things over. Or not. Alex had to learn to navigate his world in her own way. He’d offered help and it was up to her to take him up on it.
    Phillip bent his head toward Alex to murmur in her ear. “Feeling better?”
    Her hair had been twisted into a curly fountain at her crown. With the curve of her neck exposed, the style lent her an elegance he liked. When Alex went all out, she was breathtaking. It was probably a good thing she didn’t do it very often because he was having a hard time remembering all the reasons this marriage should be cold and clinical.
    â€œNot really,” she whispered back. “How soon can we leave?”
    They’d talked about the importance of the reception at length and she’d agreed to the big, formal party. And he needed to treat this whole affair like a business event to keep things on an impersonal plane. But he couldn’t make her stay if she wasn’t feeling well. “Is it that bad? I was hoping to introduce you to some people.”
    â€œI drank ginger ale, ate some crackers and lay on the divan while Cass sponged my neck with a cold cloth. Nothing helped. But I came out anyway because I thought I’d been gone too long. I know what my job is today. It’s just harder than I’d expected it to be.”
    The pointed comment wasn’t lost on him. She was trying and it wasn’t her fault the pregnancy was playing havoc with her insides. “I’m sorry. I wish I could trade places with you. The morning sickness will pass soon, right?”
    The band struck up the song the wedding planner had told them would be reserved for their first dance. It was a photo-worthy, crowd-pleasing moment that Alex hadn’t wanted to include. She wasn’t keen on the idea of being in the spotlight as they danced solo. But he’d talked her into it, just like all the other aspects of the wedding she’d balked at.
    â€œNot soon enough.” She glanced toward the band. “Aren’t we supposed to be dancing?”
    Alex was being such a good sport that she deserved an out if she wanted it. “We don’t have to.”
    â€œOh, but it’s our wedding.” She bit her lip in that way he’d come to find adorable. “I’d like to try. If you’re okay with that.”
    The bravery in her statement hooked Phillip in a place inside that shouldn’t have been affected by simple words. How did she slide right past all his internal barriers? No other woman had ever done that. Of course, he hadn’t married anyone else.
    Maybe the solemnity of the occasion had got to him more than he’d realized. That was