Oh, no. Pia sank into her chair and groaned. This wasn’t good at all. It had been a matter of—she checked her watch—four hours. How could word already be spreading?
The truth was she’d barely accepted that he’d proposed to her, let alone the fact that she’d accepted. The impossible situation had left her too confused to do much more than pretend it hadn’t happened. It had been the only way to get work done.
“Pia?” Liz asked, her smile fading. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Just confused. How did you hear?”
Montana and Liz exchanged glances.
“Raoul went to see Josh,” Liz said. “Ethan was there and heard the whole thing. Raoul said he wanted to buy a bigger house. One with a lot of bedrooms. Josh wanted to know why and Raoul said the two of you were getting married but not to tell anyone. Josh and Ethan swore they wouldn’t, then Ethan called me.”
Pia winced. It wasn’t his fault—he probably thought the information was safe with his close friends. He wasn’t a small-town guy and would have no idea how this sort of news fed on itself. In a matter of hours, it would be everywhere.
“I ran into Montana on my way over here and told her,” Liz continued. “But you don’t look very happy. What’s wrong?”
They each pulled up a chair and sat close, looking concerned. Pia wanted to bolt, but these women were her friends. If she couldn’t explain the situation to them, how could she possibly go through with it? Not that she was having second thoughts—she wasn’t. It was just that everything was complicated.
She drew in a breath. “Crystal left me her embryos,” she began, then explained how she’d made the decision to have the babies.
“At first Raoul offered to be my pregnancy buddy,” she continued. “He said he would help out while I carried the babies.”
“That’s so sweet,” Montana said with a sigh.
But Liz was more like Pia—less of an overt romantic. Her gaze narrowed. “Why?”
“That was my question.” She hesitated. “It turns out he knew Keith. Raoul went over to Iraq with some football guys and Keith was part of their escort team. They became friends. Keith told him about Fool’s Gold and Crystal. Raoul was there when he died.”
“I didn’t know any of this,” Montana said, her eyes wide. “Is that why he came here?”
Pia nodded. “Normally he wouldn’t have paid extra attention to our invitation to the pro-am golf tournament, but he recognized the name of the town and wanted to check it out. He liked what he saw and decided to move here.”
“Did he talk to Crystal?” Liz asked.
“No. He didn’t know what to say. So he didn’t know she was dying or about the embryos until I found out she’d left them to me and had a bit of a breakdown in front of him. Everything sort of spiraled from there.”
“And now he wants to marry you,” Montana said with a sigh. “It’s so romantic.”
It was more practical than romantic, but why state the obvious?
Pia shrugged. “He really wants to be a part of things. And I sort of liked the idea of not being so alone.”
“You’re not alone,” Montana told her. “You have us.”
“I know and that’s great.” She hesitated.
Liz got it right away. “But having friends with lives isn’t the same as having someone who is always there for you. When I was pregnant with Tyler, I was scared and confused. You’re having triplets.”
Pia nodded. “I try not to think about the actual number. Anyway, Raoul’s been with me as I made every decision. He’s been a rock. Today, after the ultrasound confirmed all three embryos have implanted, he asked me to marry him.”
“You’re having Crystal’s babies,” Liz said, her eyes filling with tears. “That’s such a blessing for both of you. She would be thrilled.”
Pia was still in the confused camp, but she smiled anyway. “I’m committed now.”
“Babies,” Montana said. “And a proposal. Was it wonderful? Did he get down on one knee?”
Pia hesitated. “Montana, we’re not in love. Raoul wants to marry me and be a part of the babies’ lives. He wants to be their father. When I asked him why, he pointed out that I’m not their biological mother and no one is questioning my commitment. I’m willing to have them for a friend, because it’s the right thing to do. He wants to be their father, and me to be his wife, because of Keith and because it’s the right thing to do.”
Just saying the words was tough. Believing them would take some time.
“I wasn’t sure whether to say yes at first,” she admitted. “But he can be really convincing. We like and respect each other. He’s a good man and I trust him. I haven’t been able to say that about a guy before.”
Liz hugged her. “I have a good feeling about this,” she said. “Arranged marriages have worked for generations.”
“But you’re not in love,” Montana said, looking crushed. “Don’t you want to be in love?”