“Angie… are you…”
“Don’t say it,” she mumbles, her voice echoing through the porcelain.
My skin prickles with awareness, my mouth suddenly dry. “Are we having a baby?”
She reaches for the roll of toilet paper and breaks off a few squares, wiping her face before sliding back into position. “I’m pregnant.”
If I wasn’t already on my ass, her matter-of-factconfirmation would’ve put me there. A wide smile breaks across my face, and my heart swells. “We’re having a baby.”
She chews on the inside of her cheek and stares down at her hands. There’s a long pause before she speaks again, and by then, I’ve already come to my own horrible conclusion.
“I don’t know,” she says. “It could be…”
My stomach sinks, and all of the air seems to evaporate from my lungs. “Tyler’s.”
She stares down at her hands, twisting in the hem of her shirt. “Maybe.”
“No. He doesn’t deserve this. He doesn’t deserveyou.”
“Maybe not, but that doesn’t change that it could be his.”
Could be, notis. There’s still a chance she’s carrying mybaby. It wouldn’t matter to me either way. That baby is meant to be mine as sure as Angelina is.
I kneel and cradle her face in my palms, forcing her to look at me. “Tell me what you need me to do. You want me to forge a DNA test? Force Tyler to sign away his rights? Help you flee the country? Say the word, Angel. I’ll make you both mine before Tyler knows what happened.”
Her shoulders begin to shake. At first, I think she’s crying, but the sound that follows isn’t anguish. She’slaughing.“You’re ridiculous, you know that?”
“I’ve never been more serious in my life. I want to take care of you.” I press my hand to her soft belly. Nothing has changed, but I need the connection. “Both of you.”
“I can do this on my own.” Her voice is barely more than a whisper, like she doesn’t believe herself.
“I have no doubt that you can do this, Angel. But you don’t have to.”
She huffs out a disbelieving breath. “You say that now, but this isn’t some game of pretend. Once the baby is here, you’ll change your mind.”
Like Tyler did.
She doesn’t have to say it; I already know that’s what she’s thinking. He was all in until he wasn’t, and when the time came to step up, he walked away.
I’m not him. I walked away once, believing that’s what she wanted, but wild horses couldn’t drag me away this time. I’minthis.
I cup her jaw with my free hand, letting my thumb trace the delicate curve of her cheek. “There’s no changing my mind about this or anything else.”
I can tell by the look in her eyes that she still doesn’t believe me, so I continue speaking, hoping like hell I can convince her of what I already know to be true—they’re mine.
“I want to be there for all of it. Late-night feedings, diaper changes, first words, first steps. I’ll even teach them how to ride and play guitar.”
It’s only when Angie’s expression falters that I consider she might not want to keep it. Even though I’ve only known she’s pregnant for a handful of minutes, I want this more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.
I thought I had everything when I slid that ring onto her finger, but my heart just expanded to encompass the little life growing inside of her. I can’t imagine losing them before I get to hold them in my arms.
“Are you happy?” I ask, needing the answer more than I need my next breath.
Glancing down at where we’re joined, her expression softens. “It still doesn’t seem real.” She looks up at me through tear-filled eyes, lacing our fingers together. “I was finally coming to terms with the idea that I might never have kids of my own. I thought I’d never get to experience this.” She blinks rapidly, and a single tear falls against our joined hands.
I glide my thumb along her cheekbone. “You’re going to be an amazing mom.”
“What about you? Do you still want kids?”
