I don’t wait for his reply. I just turn around and step out the door. My heart lodges in my throat as I snatch my bag from the living room and run out of the house.
By the time I slide into the driver’s seat, I feel hollow. I grip the wheel, bite back a sob, and slam the car into gear. The highway passes in a blur, but throughout the drive, his voice echoes in my head, his kiss still clinging to my lips. My chest feels scraped clean, as if nothing is left inside me but emptiness.
By the time I pull into the lot of my apartment building, my heartbeat has dulled into something heavy and drained. I kill the engine and sit there for a moment, gathering myself, before dragging my body out of the car. Each step up to my apartment feels leaden until I finally push open the door.
Laughter greets me first, high-pitched and sweet, before I even see them.
Mick is sprawled on the living room floor, his long legs crossed, a mess of building blocks scattered all around him. Andperched on his lap is my daughter. Yes, Liala. My two-and-a-half-year-old baby girl. She claps her tiny hands, her eyes wide and sparkling as she stares at the crooked little block house. Her soft blond curls frame her angelic face, the exact same shade as Landon’s. And when she grins, it’s his smile staring straight back at me.
“There’s Mommy,” Mick grins at her, pointing in my direction.
“Mommy!” she squeals, scrambling off his lap and toddling toward me, her little arms stretched wide.
My heart breaks and mends in the same breath. I drop my bag by the door, sink to the floor, and gather her into my arms as she barrels into me. I bury my face into her soft curls, breathing in the sweet scent of baby shampoo and innocence. And just like that, everything else fades into the background—the anger, the longing, the wildfire Landon stirred inside me. This… this is what truly matters.
“You okay?” Mick’s voice is gentle, but his eyes are sharp, tracking me too closely as I settle beside him.
“Yeah,” I say automatically, pressing a kiss to Liala’s head.
“You sure?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“You wanna talk about it?”
I shake my head, keeping my gaze on the blocks in front of me, stacking them higher and higher.
He nods quietly. He gets it. He always does.
“I’ve already fed her. She’s good.” He rises to his feet, but not before dropping a quick kiss on both our foreheads. “I’m gonna take a quick shower, then I have to leave for a shoot.”
“Thanks,” I murmur, and it means more than just feeding her or staying back and watching her.It’s gratitude for showing up. For everything he always does for us.
“Anytime.” He squeezes my shoulder as he passes, the kind of touch that says he’s here without needing to put it into words.
When we’re alone, I shift Liala onto my lap. Her tiny hands pat my face as she babbles about the ‘castle’ she and Mick built. I smile and nod, letting her chatter pour into the silence. My arms tighten around her as my mind drifts back to the day I saw the two pink lines.
Sitting on the bathroom floor, knees pulled tightly to my chest, I trembled so badly I could hardly breathe. My eyes stayed locked on the test in my hand. It had barely been a month since I’d signed the divorce papers, and suddenly, there was this life inside me. A part of him.
The knock at the door jolted me.
“Anna?” Mick’s voice came through the door, laced with concern. “You’ve been in there for quite a while. You okay?”
I couldn’t answer. My throat felt tight, and I couldn’t bring myself to utter a single word.
The door creaked open a moment later, and Mick froze when he saw me.
“Jesus, Anna.” He sank to the floor beside me, worry flashing in his eyes. “What happened? Are you sick?”
Wordless, I held the test out to him, my hand trembling.
He took it, blinked once, and the color drained from his face.
“Holy shit.” He looked at me, wide-eyed. “You’re pregnant.”
The word ‘pregnant’ brought fresh tears to my cheeks.
Mick let out a slow breath. “Does… does he know?”
