“That’s not an option.”He stepped closer to her.“Whatever your decision, I will not leave you to do it alone.Our momentary lapse of judgment is on both of us.We were both caught up in the moment.”
She didn’t want to remember.She didn’t want to ponder why she had responded to him in such reckless fashion—one that had led to this moment.Never could she recall experiencing such a strong reaction.She had never known a man could be so alluring that she needed to be with him.Until she had met Duke Murphy, Bailey’s social life had been boring and well-orchestrated as the rest of her life.
Dull, her mind taunted her.
“Bailey,” he continued, “if we screwed up, we did it together.”
Screwed up.What they had done was stupid.Immature.But a mistake?Immediately, she recalled the feeling of fulfillment she had experienced when he entered her.When their bodies were joined together.
Was that discovery a screw up?
And if they had made a child together—would the child be considered a mistake as well?She cringed at the thought.
“Are you sure you want to do this?”he asked, his voice low.
For a second, she didn’t know what he was talking about.Then it registered.She looked up at him.“Yes.”
He released a pent-up breath.“Okay.Let’s go.”
Chapter 8
Duke couldn’t everrecall feeling this physically ill.Not when his uncle had died.Not even when he’d found out that his aunt had a heart attack.But right now, it was all he could do not to pull the truck over, open the door and throw up.
The drive to the supermarket and back had been quiet and tense.In all of his thirty-two years, he’d never had a slip-up like this.For it to be with the woman that things were already fragile with, left him feeling like there was lead in his stomach.
He finally pulled to a stop in front of his home.Bailey opened the door and hopped down from the cab before he had the key out of the ignition.He caught up with her before they reached the porch.
She stood silently while he unlocked the front door.Then she surprised him by walking over to the coffee table, setting the bag down before turning to him.
“Can we sit on the porch for a minute?I need some fresh air,” she stated.
He nodded before grabbing the quilt on the back of the couch then followed her outside.She made her way over to the porch swing and sat before clenching her hands in her lap.He sat next to her and then placed the blanket over them before kicking the swing into motion.
Several minutes ticked by but he remained silent.He was smart enough to know this was the one time he couldn’t push her.
“I can hear your thoughts over here,” she said as she moved closer to him.“I have a lot to say, I’m just trying to figure out where to start.”
