The fear of losing him after losing their baby was too much.Hormonal, sleep-deprived, and drowning in grief, Beth acted on survival instincts, even though it was irrational and desperate.
She stepped into the elevator, set her bag at her feet, and stared at the buttons to avoid his eyes. Yet guilt clawed at her chest. Letting him believe this was about his past wasn’t fair.
Her voice was quiet. “Nothing could ever make me think you’re not good enough. And I’d never cut you out of your child’s life. I know how excited you were. What an amazing father you would’ve been.”
She drew in a shaky breath and pressed the elevator button.
“I had a miscarriage on Tuesday. And now that there’s no baby to tie us together, I don’t see the point in sticking around and waiting for you to ask me to leave.”
Just before the doors closed, she finally met his eyes.
The shock of her words wore off quickly. Vaulting over the counter, Bryce sprinted to the stairs, taking them two at a time. He burst into the parking garage and spotted Beth at her Jeep fumbling to get the door unlocked.
“Beth!” he called.
“Please just let me leave.”
“Not a chance. Not without talking first.”
“What’s the point? Deep down, we both know this was never going to work.”
“I know no such thing. The point is I love you and I’m not letting you walk out of my life.”
Beth’s voice cracked. “Did you not hear me upstairs? I had a miscarriage. I am no longer pregnant with your child,” Beth explained as if Bryce, a doctor, did not know what amiscarriagemeant.
“I heard you,” Bryce said, stepping closer. “But that’s not why I love you.”
Beth stood rigid as he gently turned her to face him.
“Just let me go. There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Never. I told you I will always chase after you. I’m sorry we lost our baby, and I’m sorry you went through that pain alone. But I don’t want to lose you too. The baby wasn’t the reason we stayed married.”
As Beth shook her head, Bryce gently tilted her chin up.
“Our marriage wasn’t based on a pregnancy. Remember the flight back to Denver? We agreed that the possibility of a baby wasn’t reason enough to stay married. Why have you lost sight of that?”
“Because I know the statistics. Most marriages don’t survive the loss of a child.”
“We aren’t ‘most’ marriages.” His voice softened. “Do you love me?”
“Yes, but I don’t know if that will be enough.”
“It’s not.” Bryce smiled gently at her surprised look. “That’s why we need Christ and His work on the cross. That’s Who we need to cling to if we want to hold on to each other. That’s a truth you reminded me of when we first got married.”
Beth’s tears spilled over.
“What happened to change that, Sweetheart?”
Beth clung to him, crying harder. “I was so afraid you wouldn’t want me anymore if I wasn’t pregnant. I kept replaying your words from Monday about how I’m too demanding andjudgmental. Why would you want someone like that when you don’t have to for the sake of a child? The pain of passing the baby and the fear of rejection were just too much for me.”
“Oh, honey, that’s not what I meant.” Bryce rubbed her back. “It’s freezing out here. Can we go back up to the loft, or do you want to go to your parents’?”
Beth realized how cold she was and agreed to go back upstairs, knowing she wasn’t ready to share this with her parents. Bryce grabbed her bag and with a hand on her lower back he guided her to the elevator.
Back in the loft, Bryce settled her on the couch with coffee before sitting across from her.
“There are so many things I want to say, I don’t even know where to begin.” He let his gaze rest on her face. “Lizzy, I wanted you long before you were married to me or pregnant. My attraction to you has nothing to do with a baby.”
