Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
I hold on tight around his neck, considering he’s got me with one arm and is dragging the IV behind us in the other. “Put me down, Harrison. I can walk.”
“But there’s no need, baby. I’ve got you.” He places a kiss on my forehead and lowers me back to the bed.
Pushing up on my elbows, I reply, “I need to start gathering my things.” Then I try to swing my legs out of bed, but his hands stop my movement.
“You can in a bit. Right now, you need to relax and get your strength back.”
“I’m fine, Harrison. I’m pregnant, not bedridden.”
My breathing stills in my throat when his eyes darken. Harrison leans forward until we’re nose to nose, his hands settling on the bed at my hips. “I know you’re pregnant, Winnie.” There’s a harshness to his tone that tells me something else is going on.
I go ahead and sit back on the bed, using the remote to raise the head. As soon as I do, I exhale loudly. “Say it.”
He continues to watch me, his arms crossed over his broad chest. The muscles in his arms flex as he shifts his weight. “Say what?”
“Whatever it is that’s on your mind.” I grab my hands, wringing them on my lap and wait him out. He seems to be in an internal battle with himself, like I might not like the question he’s about to ask.
Or he won’t like the answer.
Finally, he walks over and sits down on the chair beside my bed. He doesn’t take my hand this time, which I notice right away and miss just as quickly. His gaze holds mine as he asks, “Were you going to tell me?”
I don’t have to ask what he’s referring to. I know. “Yes, of course,” I insist, and that’s the truth. I never would have or could have held this from him. First off, it’s his right to know he’s going to be a father, and even though we’re not together anymore, there’s not a doubt in my mind that he would make an amazing dad. Also, it’s not like we live in a big city. Fair Lakes is a small town, surrounded by other small towns, in the heart of Missouri. Unless I relocated to the other side of the state, there’s no way I could avoid running into Harrison every now and again. No way our friends and families wouldn’t continue to talk. No way would it not get back to him that I was pregnant.
He relaxes immediately. It’s like the weight of his question was weighing him down. His shoulders sag and the relief rushes through his body. “Okay, good. Not that I thought you would have held that from me, but since you’re not answering my calls or texts, I just wasn’t sure. Not talking to you hasn’t been easy, Winnie.”
I swallow hard. “It hasn’t been easy on me either,” I confess.
“Then why haven’t you?” he asks, the vulnerability all over his face.
“Because I knew it would be too hard. I knew that if I talked to you once, I would want to talk to you again and again. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that I would run straight back into the comfort of your arms, and I needed to prove it to myself first.”
“Prove what?” he asks, clearing his throat.
“That I can be me. That I was strong and independent and could do this on my own,” I whisper, tears burning my throat.
Harrison leans forward and takes my hand. “There is no doubt in my mind that you could and would be able to do anything on your own, Winnie. You’re the strongest woman I know.” His hands around mine provide so much comfort that I want to snuggle into his chest and wrap myself in his warmth.
“I’m not, though,” I reply, a tear slipping down my cheek. “I mean, within an hour after the divorce, I slept with you, right?” I ask, the small smile on my lips matching his.
“Is that what you want? To do this alone?”
Immediately, I shake my head. “No, not the pregnancy. That changes everything. It’s hard to describe, and I don’t think I’m doing a very good job of it. I guess I just wanted to prove to myself that I could stand on my own two feet again. I wanted to show the world that I’m more than just Mrs. Harrison Drake, owner of a successful gym and most sought-after trainer in the county.”
He moves, crouching down beside my bed and bringing my hand to his lips. “You are, baby. You’ve always been so much more. You were the glue that held us together,” he says, making me roll my eyes. “It’s true. Why do you think we fell apart when you stopped trying?”
His words hit me hard.