Beautiful Mistake Book 2

KYLA

It was like someone had taken a bucket of ice water and dumped it directly on my brain.

All I could do was stare at Alden, who was still holding the roses out to me expectantly.

“Our—our—what?” I finally managed to stammer. I cast a nervous glance around the office, but no one besides Rhea appeared to have noticed him.

Alden strode past my indignant secretary. “I heard about the baby. I need to talk to you.”

“Shhhh! Come in before you announce it to the whole hotel.” I dragged him into my office and closed the door.

Once inside, I rounded on him. “How did you even find out I was pregnant?”

I hadn’t seen or heard from Alden in weeks. Not since we’d all blocked his number from our phones.

“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?” he demanded.

“Keep your voice down. Why would I tell you anything, Alden? The baby isn’t yours!”

He staggered back as if I’d physically hit him. “Not mine?”

“No, you idiot! I’m only eight weeks pregnant, and we haven’t slept together in months. Not since I caught you between Mallory Cornfield’s legs.”

An array of emotions—worry, confusion, relief—passed over his face.

He blushed to the roots of his hair. “I’m sorry. When I heard—I thought—I didn’t know you had—”

His head dropped. I felt his eyes land on the glittering diamond ring that shone on my left hand.

The color drained from his face.

“What the fuck is that?” Alden asked in a low voice.

“None of your business,” I snapped, my blood starting to boil.

Who did he think he was? Barging into my office five months after I caught him cheating on me?

“Who is he?” Alden said, his fists clenched at his side.

Does he not read the papers? They leaked the news about my relationship with Jensen weeks ago.

Well, if he wasn’t going to keep himself informed, that wasn’t my problem.

“Also none of your business.” I crossed my arms defiantly over my chest.

Alden’s face twisted. “Well at least now I know what kind of girl you really are, Kyla.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I took a step toward him, and he backed away.

“Nothing at all,” Alden raised his hands, still full of roses.

But his expression was still bitter. “Just a surprise to learn that you worked so hard just to get knocked up by some random guy. Or that you’d be the type to end up in a shotgun wedding.”

That was enough. “It’s time for you to go, Alden,” I said, opening the door for him to leave.

Jensen was leaning against Rhea’s desk, an inscrutable expression on his face.

“Well, what do we have here?” he drawled, his eyes flicking to mine.

Heat rose to my cheeks as I took in the scene. Alden’s bouquet of roses was still clutched in his hand, and his eyes were bright with anger.

“Nothing. This is Alden. He was just leaving,” I said, giving Alden a pointed look.

He opened his mouth to say more but I “discreetly” stamped on his foot with my heel.

“Yeah, I was just leaving,” he said, wincing.

Jensen stood, straightening his shoulders. His tall frame towered over Alden’s as he extended his hand.

“Jensen Hawksley,” he said. “General Manager of the Grand Hotel.”

“Alden Hustler. I’m with the Mickelsson banking firm,” Alden said, striving to put authority into his voice as he gripped Jensen’s hand.

“Ah yes. You’re the assclown that screwed everything up.”

I almost snorted. I looked up at Jensen in shock.

“I suppose I should be thanking you. If it weren’t for you, I might never have found my bride-to-be.” Jensen crossed to my side and wrapped his arm around my waist.

Alden’s face was now an alarming shade of scarlet. “I always knew Kyla would do well. I just never thought she’d be the type to sleep with her boss to get ahead.”

My heart gave a violent twist. I had moved on from Alden months ago; I had no idea that he had so many bitter feelings toward me.

Jensen’s smugly polite smile didn’t budge an inch. “Do you know the way out, Mr. Hustler, or should we call for security to make sure you don’t get lost?”

“Oh, I’m familiar enough with the hotel. Kyla and I dated for three years, after all,” Alden retorted, then shrugged and headed back down the corridor to the main hotel.

Rhea looked dumbfounded.

I cracked a smile at my fiancé. “Did you enjoy going all alpha male?”

Jensen dropped his smarmy, rich-guy facade and kissed my temple.

“Always a pleasure,” he said. “Glad I decided to stop by before leaving. What was he even doing here?”

I rolled my eyes, lowering my voice as we went back into my office. “Alden found out about the baby. He thought it was his.”

“Can he not do math?”

“I think he only had half the story. He didn’t know I was engaged either.”

“So how did he find out about the pregnancy?” Jensen asked.

“I don’t know. But I know a good place to find out.”

***

My best friend was at her desk in the front lobby. She immediately avoided my gaze when she saw me walking toward her.

Bingo.

I folded my arms across her desk. “So guess who came to see me this afternoon?”

Coleen flushed. “Kyla, I’m so sorry. I had no idea he was going to just storm in here. When I saw him come in, I tried to stop him, but—”

“Why did you tell him I was pregnant in the first place? And why didn’t you mention that I was engaged?” I asked, lowering my voice. “Since when are you even in contact with Alden?”

“I’m not!” Coleen insisted. “But…Patrick works with him at the bank.”

“Who is Patrick?”

Coleen’s guilty look washed away, and a broad smile crossed her face. “My new boyfriend.”

“What!” I cried, still trying to keep my voice down. “How long has this been going on?”

“I have a break in ten minutes. Go get us some coffee, and I’ll tell you everything.”

***

This is going to take some getting used to. I sipped my cup of herbal tea, longing for a skinny vanilla latte.

The lack of caffeine was definitely an adjustment, but right now I’d be grateful if I could keep the tea down.

Coleen sipped from her frappé and continued gushing about Patrick Denton, her latest boyfriend, who—according to her—was successful, gorgeous, and a perfect gentleman.

“And he’s already poised to get a promotion at the firm, even though he’s only been there six months. That would put him on Alden’s team, which is why they know each other.”

“But why would you even tell him that I was pregnant? This guy doesn’t even know me.”

I still couldn’t wrap my head around the sequence of events.

“Patrick thinks it’s really important to have honesty in a relationship right from the beginning. We tell each other everything!”

I’d heard those words before. Two years ago, when Coleen was with Landon.

Things had gotten really bad with Landon. I didn’t want to see my friend make the same mistake twice.

But I knew from experience to proceed with caution.

“I see. And so Patrick tells you everything too, right?” I responded, trying to keep the judgment out of my voice.

The thunderous look on my friend’s face told me I had failed.

“Of course he does. You don’t even know him, Kyla. He’s really smart and sophisticated,” Coleen said with a huff.

Then she leaned back, rolling her eyes. “Besides, you know how clueless guys can be! He probably didn’t know that he wasn’t supposed to tell.”

“But that still doesn’t explain why he would go and blab to Alden. Or why he would make it sound like it was Alden’s baby,” I persisted.

“Maybe he did think it was Alden’s baby,” Coleen countered.

“Then why would he think it was his business to tell Alden? Especially about the pregnancy, but not the engagement?” I asked, straining to keep my voice level.

“Who knows? It was probably all just a misunderstanding.” Coleen shrugged it off with a wave of her hand.

I wanted to press the issue but decided to just drop it. Coleen’s circular logic was giving me a headache.

It was too late now, and Coleen hadn’t meant for Alden to find out.

At least his abrupt appearance hadn’t caused too much of a scene. And at least now Alden knew the truth.

Coleen was my best friend. I decided to just drop the whole thing.

Making a sudden decision, I took Coleen’s hand. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, of course,” she was instantly alert. “What’s up?”

I took a deep breath. “I wasn’t going to say anything until brunch on Sunday but... I want you to be my maid of honor.”

Her jaw dropped open. “Of course!” she squealed with delight. Nearly knocking over my tea, Coleen threw her arms around me from across the table.

“Oof!” I gasped as she knocked the wind out of me.

“I thought you would ask your sister?” Coleen asked, still bouncing in her seat with excitement.

Her enthusiasm was contagious.

A smile broke across my face. “I thought about asking Josie, but she’s already going to be maid of honor at her friend Yasmine’s wedding this summer. And I want it to be you. You’re my best friend.”

Tears rose in Coleen’s eyes. “I love you, girl,” she said.

“I love you too!” This time I was the one who reached over the table to pull my friend into a tight hug.

After we both got ourselves back under control, Coleen wiped her eyes and immediately started talking about bachelorette parties and dress shopping.

I tried to participate, but I didn’t understand half of what she was talking about.

“Oh, can I bring Patrick?” Coleen asked in the middle of a whirlwind of questions about seating arrangements.

“Uh—sure, I guess. The wedding isn’t for a while though, ya know?”

“Oh, I’m so excited! Wait till you meet him, Kyla. I really think he’s special.”

I tried to be happy for my friend, but questions kept popping into my brain as Coleen chatted about different kinds of themes for the reception.

Was this Patrick person everything that Coleen said he was?

I’d been the one to see her first, sobbing hysterically on the floor after Landon had nearly broken her arm.

I never wanted to see anything like that ever again.

But I had a terrible feeling that my friend hadn’t learned from the past.

Would she be doomed to repeat it?