Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 95080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
“But you’re obviously a target for someone with an agenda. You’re in danger.”
“I am?”
“Oh, for crissakes,” he flared. “What the hell have I been saying for the past half hour?”
“So what you’re saying is I do merit twenty-four-hour surveillance?”
“You merit watching, and because you’re Alex Brandt’s little brother and my friend, you merit more watching than would be regularly assigned.” I could tell he was trying to inject an air of calmness into his tone. “Considering that one of the other people who was attacked in the same manner you were is dead now, I would think this news would give you comfort.”
“I’m sorry,” I apologized fast, motioning him over to me. “I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful. I appreciate everything you’ve done so far.” I clutched at his sweater.
He looked at me, and I saw his jaw tighten before he spoke again. “Okay, I’ll see you.”
“Am I okay to be here alone?” I asked, suddenly alarmed by his leaving. I looked up at him towering over me and felt safe. If he left, I wouldn’t be scared, but I would be anxious.
He motioned behind me with his head. “You’re not alone.”
I turned to find my ex standing in the doorway. He lifted his eyebrows in question, waiting for a sign from me that it was okay to come in. My hands fell away from Cord, and I nodded.
“Call me,” Cord ordered, walking around the bed to the door. He shot me a look before he left, and I wasn’t sure what I saw there.
Suddenly alone with Breckin, I felt my unease return.
He entered the room and would have closed the door behind him, but I asked him to leave it open.
“Why?”
“I just don’t want to be closed in,” I said, even though it didn’t make much sense.
“Okay,” he agreed, and I realized how terrible he looked.
When he crossed the room to my bed, I found myself shivering again. He stopped a few feet away and swallowed hard before carding his fingers nervously through his thick hair.
“You left last night.”
“I had to check in at work and let them know I needed some time off.”
“Time off for what?”
“For you, of course.”
Of course. “You look ill,” I croaked out.
“I feel ill,” Breckin admitted, lacing his fingers behind his neck and then resting his arms against both sides of his face.
“How come?”
“You know how come,” he answered woodenly.
“Tell me.”
“It didn’t mean anything,” he began haltingly. “It was a mistake.”
“That’s what you said about Sean,” I reminded him.
“You forgave that. You can’t bring that up now.”
“I can, actually, but this one’s different anyway: she’s going to have your baby.”
“It’s her baby. You’re the only one I’m having a family with.”
For the first time I felt hot tears fill my eyes and then slowly slip down my cheeks. And he probably thought, and anybody else might too, that I was sad over Breckin’s latest indiscretion. But really, it was the loss of the hopes and dreams I’d had when we got together: the kids, the family, the forever. I was grieving for the finality of it all. My plans, what I’d thought, would never come to fruition, and I needed a moment to be sad over that.
“Tracy, don’t—”
Deep breath, quick wipe of tears, and I was better. “It’s not just her baby,” I corrected him. “It’s your baby too. Make no mistake about that. It’s yours and hers.”
“I don’t love her,” he said flatly.
“That makes it even worse.”
“I told her I didn’t want it.”
“You need to do the right thing.”
“Which is what?”
“Don’t play dumb. You know what you have to do.”
We both went silent before I found my voice again. “When did you sleep with her?” I couldn’t help asking. I wanted to know how far along she was, which was weird, but still. It was like I was getting my facts straight to do a podcast or something.
He took a deep breath before walking over to the chair on the other side of my bed. He picked it up and turned it around before he took a seat. I watched as he crossed his arms on the back and rested his chin on them. I saw all the pain in his eyes and that they were swollen from crying. “I slept with her in April when I was away at that conference in Florida.”
It was mid-October now, so six, almost seven months ago. Before Sean. Celia first, Sean second. I hadn’t caught him in April. I caught him in May. And I’d had no idea about either of them. My instinct had been to trust.
Talk about dumb.
“So you slept with her at the conference where you presented your case about how you saved that little girl in the ER with the holes in her heart.”
He nodded.
“I wanted to go with you,” I said, my voice sounding hollow.