Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82163 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82163 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
“I’m never going to keep you away,” she says, her voice cracking too.
“You did, though, by not telling me.” I point at her. “By not giving me the chance to do things right.” I shake my head. “By not coming to me and telling me that we are having a baby. By pretending I’m not the father. By making me find out from everyone else instead of you.”
“I didn’t know how you would react.” She gets up now. “I didn’t know if you even wanted to have more kids.”
I look at her, confused. “What are you talking about? Of course, I want to have more kids. I just thought this time it would be different. I would know I’m doing it.”
“Did you not know you were doing it when we were together?” She glares at me. “I mean, we did the main thing you need to do in order to get pregnant.”
“Don’t you dare, Abigail.” I say her name at the same time my heart squeezes. “Don’t you dare turn this around on me.”
“I’m not turning it around on anyone,” she refutes, her voice going higher and then she looks up the stairs to make sure she isn’t waking Penelope, which just makes me love her even fucking more. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” she apologizes softly. “Do you think I didn’t want to tell you?”
“I have no idea,” I tell her the truth. The anger is less now that I told her why what she did was wrong.
“The only person I wanted to tell was you.” She is the one who doesn’t give me a chance to say anything now. “But I was a chicken, okay?” She swallows, and I can see her hands shaking. “I was so fucking afraid I would tell you, and you would tell me you didn’t want the baby. I was so scared you would tell me to get rid of it, and then I would end up hating you.”
“How can you think so little of me?” Her words cut right through me. “How can you think I wouldn’t want a child?”
“I have no idea what to think because we didn’t exactly talk about it.” She gets up. “We went from being really awkward with each other…” She puts her hand on the side of her head. “Maybe I was the awkward one, but whatever, we went from that to jumping each other like lions in the forest.” Her voice now goes a touch lower. “I am sorry I never put myself in your shoes. I am sorry I didn’t come to you when I found out. I can never erase that mistake.” She grabs her purse in her hand. “I hope in time you can forgive me.” She puts the straps over her shoulder. “I hope, even though you now hate me, we can put aside the difference for the baby.” She turns and starts to walk out of the room, my heart going to my throat.
“I don’t hate you,” I say to her. I can never hate you, I don’t say. “But just so you know, this changes everything.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
ABIGAIL
“I have no idea what to think because we didn’t exactly talk about it.” I get up, no longer able not to say anything. “We went from being really awkward with each other…” I put my hands on the side of my head. “Maybe I was the awkward one, but whatever it is, we went from that to jumping each other like lions in the forest.” My breathing comes in pants as I lower my voice. “I am sorry I never put myself in your shoes. I am sorry I didn’t come to you when I found out. I can never erase that mistake.” I grab the purse in my hand, knowing I have to get out of here before I crumble. “I hope in time you can forgive me.” I put the straps over my shoulder. “I hope, even though you hate me, we can put aside the difference for the baby.” I turn, getting ready to walk out of the room without letting him know that him hating me is what I was trying to avoid. I start to walk out of the room without letting him know I love him, regardless of how he feels for me.
“I don’t hate you.” His words make me stop in my tracks, but I’m afraid to look over at him. I’m teetering on the edge. “But just so you know, this changes everything.”
My head tells me not to look at him, but my heart, my heart tells me I need one more look at him. So I turn back and look at him standing there with tears streaming down his face. The anguish, the guilt, everything there for me to see. Something I never saw before, something he hid really well. All I can do is nod at him before I turn and walk out of the room toward the front door. My own tears stream down my face one after another, so many I don’t bother wiping them away as I step out into the warm air. I take a deep inhale but the sob rips through me and all I can do is put my hand in front of my mouth. I rush away from his door to the car, getting in and driving away as fast as I can.