“If you are, it’s the perfect way to show the rest of the world a different side of Everett Donnelly.”
“What does that mean exactly?”
“It means you’re going to embrace this new chapter in your life without argument.”
I stareup at the building I’ve been in a few times over my lifetime, anxiety twisting up my stomach.
The last four days have been some of the darkest of my life, and I doubt this experience is going to make it any better.
Since getting home from my meeting with Hailee the morning after the disaster that was the Stanley Cup Final, I’ve locked myself in my apartment and turned my cell off.
Linc and Parker have invited themselves inside and tried to “fix” me. Killer and Monroe have also been at my door. But I’ve ignored them all.
The last thing I want to do is look into their eyes and see the pity that I know is going to be within them.
I don’t need pity, or sympathy or…anything.
I just need space.
Space and time to deal with the fallout of that night and the impact it’s now having on my life.
Of course, I could ignore Hailee and continue as I always have been. But the thing about Hailee is that she’s almost always right.
No. Scratch that. She is always right.
It’s why I’m so fucking terrified.
I can tell myself that she’s wrong. That this isn’t my baby. But deep down, I know the truth.
I might have accused Beatrice of sleeping with others and not being sure. But the truth is, I remember everything about her from that night, and while she might have ended up fucking me out the back of the club, she’s not one of those girls. Not really.
She made me work harder than I ever have. And I know why.
She told me no.
That was like a red rag to a bull. Once she said that, I had to have her. Consequences be damned.
Well, hello consequences.
Maybe Hailee was right; even with protection, it was always inevitable that it was going to happen eventually. I guess I just have to be relieved that it wasn’t with a bunny who’s desperate for marriage and access to my bank account.
I haven’t heard a thing from Beatrice since before the game. That doesn’t mean I haven’t done some research, though, and I’ve discovered that there was a stream of messages from her in my request box.
She’d been trying to reach me for weeks, but just like all the other random messages I get from women, they were filtered and ignored.
But while I might have tried to do some digging, I didn’t get very far. Her personal profiles are tightly locked down, and I wasn’t brave enough to request to follow her. That would tell her I’m looking, and that’s the last thing I need. I might be willingto consider Hailee’s plan, but I’m yet to decide if I’m going to go through with it.
I glance at the clock on my dashboard and notice that I need to move. My grip on the wheel tightens as my muscles tense.
Walking in there means facing a future I’m not sure I’m ready for.
Somewhere inside that building is a woman I’ve now met twice who is waiting for me so that we can see our baby.
Acid burns up my throat.
Our baby.
Tipping my head back, I close my eyes and breathe slowly in the hope of calming my racing heart.
