“Of course,” he rushes out, cradling his hand while leading me to the couch.
“I’m sorry.” I almost wail.
“Can I just … Do you have a first-aid kit?”
“Bathroom,” I say through my tears.
Adam races out of the room like he’s on fire, making me cry harder if that’s possible. The only thing I can do is wait him out and hope that I didn’t fuck everything up.
I’m not hopeful, though.
Chapter 21
Adam
Am I going to throw up?I can’t tell. I don’t even feel the pain in my hand. I know I need to wrap it, so I make short work of that while I hyperventilate with the news that Claire is pregnant.
“Holy shit,” I whisper to my reflection. We only had sex once, and she said we were covered.
It’s not mine. That’s the only conclusion I can come to.
And it absolutelycrushesme.
One thing I do know is that I need to calm down. Claire is out there, crying her eyes out, and I at the very least need to make sure she’s okay.
A deep breath doesn’t calm my racing thoughts, but it’s all I can do.
As I walk out to the living room, I see Claire curled up in a tight ball in the corner of the couch, hiccupping as she cries.
It breaks my damn heart.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper as I sit next to her. “I just … I’m shocked.”
“I know. I know. It’s my fault.”
“No, it’s absolutely not,” I murmur, desperate to give her comfort. “Can I just … hold you while I wrap my head around things?”
She looks up at me and uncurls from her little spot. There’s hope in her eyes that makes my heart thump even harder in my chest.
Claire naturally fits against me as my arm wraps around her shoulder. In this moment, I realize just how much I missed her and needed her. Whatever her response to the next question, I want to be in her life. In her baby’s life.
“I want to ask a very selfish question,” I whisper.
“It’s yours,” she immediately cuts in. “I don’t know how, but I’ve only been with you for a couple of years now.” Her tears seem to be slowing down.
Emotion strikes me hard. My eyes blur with unshed tears.
The baby is mine. I’m going to be a father.
“I don’t expect anything,” Claire says softly.
“Shh. We’ll figure it all out later. Just … give me the night to get used to this.”
She nods but doesn’t say anything else. Within minutes, her breathing gets heavier as she sinks deeper into my side.
I panic. She can’t be comfortable like that. It takes me five minutes to shimmy out from underneath her and lay her down so she can sleep more comfortably. I don’t want to wake her up to put her in bed.
Then I drop to my knees and, with my good hand, I gently cup her little bump.
