Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 70629 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70629 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
I stood there in front of him with tears rolling down my face. “What if he doesn’t want the baby?" Reed couldn’t wait to get the hell out of town, so the last thing he would want is a child.
"Then he’s a damn fool," he said as he got up. “And it’ll be his loss. We’ll figure it out."
I sit at the table now. “We’ll figure it out,” I say to the empty room. “We always do." I smile, ignoring the pain in my chest. He made sure I was always okay. He made sure we were always okay.
I’m going over the bills again when I hear the soft knock. The paper in my hand doesn’t move because I thought I might have been hearing things. I look over at the front door when I hear it again, and my hand slowly lowers to the table. I think about ignoring it for a second, but then the knocking starts again.
I walk softly to the door, and the knock sounds again. “Fucking hell.” I look upstairs and see that she is still asleep. I unlock the door and pull it open. I knew he would come back. I knew it, yet I was in denial.
"Hey, Hazel." He stands where his father stood this morning. "You busy?"
I step out and pull the door closed behind me. “What do you want, Reed?" In the dark of the outside, I can’t see his eyes.
"I thought, you know, we could catch up,” he says, and I fold my arms over my chest.
"Did you?" I ask, rolling my eyes. I really hope he can see how fucking annoyed I am that he’s here. The last thing I want to do is catch up with Reed Barnes. What he needs to do is be on his way and pretend he didn’t see me.
"What’s it been now?" He mirrors my stance and folds his arms over his chest. “Six years."
"I don’t know. I’m not keeping track." I shake my head. “If that’s all,” I say, turning and putting my hand on the door handle.
"So you’re a mom?” His words have me stopping in my tracks and ice goes through my veins. I close my eyes, and I’m happy that my back is to him so he can’t see how shaken I am. "Yeah, I was over at my grandparents’, and my grandfather said he met your little girl." My heart is beating so fast and so fucking hard I don’t think I can even handle turning around. "Sofia,” he says her name. “Said she looks just like her momma."
I turn now to face him, anger filling my whole body. He doesn’t get to do this. He does not get to come in here and claim her after not even bothering to answer me. She’s mine, and she will always be mine. "She does,” I say. “She looks just like me. So if that’s it, Reed, I have other things to do." I turn around this time, ready to go back into the house and hoping like hell he just lets it go.
Chapter 11
Reed
"Why are you so pissed?" I ask, and for the second time tonight, she stops in her tracks and turns back to glare at me.
I sat at home the whole night, wondering if I should come see her or just leave it. After talking myself out of going to her, something big pushed me to get off my ass and walk over to her house. The house was pitch black with just a small light coming from the kitchen. I thought about throwing some pebbles at her window like old times, but I didn’t know where she would be in the house. I also didn’t know if she was in that room or if it was Sofia’s, so I knocked on the door. I was about to give up when she came out, closing the door behind her, and I hated that I couldn’t see her face properly. The only light I had was from the moon, and it didn’t do her justice. Nothing could.
"I’m not pissed,” she huffs out. “I’m busy dealing with stuff I can’t control. I don’t have time to go down memory lane with you." I want her to tell me all the things she needs to do. I want her to tell me what I missed in six years. "Good night, Reed,” she says, ending the conversation, and I finally let her walk back into her house. I wait until I hear the sound of the lock before I hang my head.
"Well, that didn’t go as planned," I tell myself and turn to walk back to my house. The sound of an owl hooting fills the darkness. The ground crunches and snaps under my boots as I walk in the forest, replaying the whole conversation with her in my head. I knew that she had a full plate. Seeing the debt Kaine left her and then seeing what the land was worth, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see she was up shit creek without a paddle. I also knew there was no way I would let her sink. I didn’t give a shit how pissed she was at me. She saved me all those years ago when I thought I would drown. Those last couple of months were the worst, and I got the escape I needed with her. I told her my deepest darkest secrets, and not once did she judge me. Not once did she look at me like I was crazy. Not once did she see anyone but me. All of me.