What happens next? What if he doesn’t reach out? Am I going to go through Hailee again? Or worse, am I going to have to get a lawyer?
Do I want to fight him for anything, though?
Sure, he has money that would come in handy to raise a kid. But do I want it if he isn’t interested?
I know my baby deserves it, but…I’m not sure it sits right with me.
It’ll make me just as bad as the women who go out of their way to get something from men like Everett. That’s not who I am.
If I wanted the money and the status, I could use my own name. But I don’t. I wanted to get away from that life and the benefits that come with it.
Deciding against sitting here wallowing in self-pity, I push to my feet and march toward my bedroom. While we might have put my clothes away, I still have plenty of things to sort through and find homes for.
My cell buzzes as I step into the room and I lift it, thinking it’s Sienna replying, but my heart stops in my throat at what I find.
Unknown: I’m sorry.
“Holy shit,” I gasp.
I don’t open it for fear of showing I read it that fast. Instead, I hit call on Sienna’s contact and put it on speaker.
“He messaged,” I shout the second the call connects.
There’s a beat of silence, making me think she didn’t hear me.
“He messaged,” I repeat.
“Yeah, I heard. I just…shit. What did he say?”
“I’m sorry.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“I don’t know,” I say as I begin pacing back and forth in my new tiny bedroom.
“Is he sorry for getting you pregnant? For being an asshole who didn’t believe you? Or is that his way of telling you he doesn’t want to get involved?”
“I don’t know,” I repeat, my voice quiet and unsure.
“Have you replied?”
“No. Should I?”
“Bea,” she warns.
“I know, I know. It’s too late to play games. We’re already past that. I just…what if he wants nothing to do with us?”
“Then he’s a stupid motherfucker who has no idea what he’s going to miss out on.”
My legs stop, and I lower myself onto the edge of my bed.
“Yeah,” I breathe as my tears finally drop.
They’re not for me. I don’t care if Everett is in my life or not. To be honest, it’ll probably be way less drama and stress if he’s not. But life isn’t about me anymore. It’s about the little nugget we both saw on that screen last week.
Everyone knows Everett Donnelly as this self-obsessed, arrogant hockey player. Is he going to be able to see past that and put someone else above him and his needs, or will my baby always come second best to a game?
21
