“He doesn’t want anything to do with me or the baby.” Her voice fractures on the last syllable. “He told me to… take care of it.”
A fierce and blinding anger flashes through me.
“Son of a—” I clamp my mouth shut before the rest has a chance to escape. The words that crowd my tongue wouldn’t help her or fix anything.
So, I do the impossible and force the anger down. Losing my temper won’t make this situation better. What she needs in this moment is steadiness and support.
I pull her to my chest, one arm banding around her shoulders, the other coming up to cradle the back of her head.
She fits there too easily. Almost as if she were made to fill the space.
I slide my hand through her hair, struck by how small she feels. The realization settles over me like a weight I can’t shake. When it comes down to it, protective instincts are dangerous. They slip in quietly, convincing you they’re temporary, right up until they’re not.
What kind of man says that to a woman who’s pregnant with his child?
The guy better hope we never meet on the street, because if we do?—
I shove the thought away and refocus my attention on the woman shaking in my arms.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers.
“Hey, you don’t have anything to apologize for,” I say firmly. “Not for any of it.”
Not for being scared or needing help. Or for getting involved with the wrong kind of man. One who’s not a man at all. Next to Elody being born, the day Sarah told me about being pregnant was one of the happiest of my life. And that includes the moment when my name was called for the draft.
Only now do all the pieces fit together.
“Is that the reason you left school?”
She nods against me. “I didn’t know what else to do. And I had to get away from Collin.”
My hold on her tightens. “There’s no reason for you to do this alone. I’ll go with you to the appointment.”
She pulls back enough to search my face. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I know, but I want to.” My hand rises to her cheek, thumb stroking the delicate skin beneath her eye. “You shouldn’t have to sit in that room by yourself.”
Her lips part, as if to argue, before she stops herself and nods instead. Tension drains from her muscles as emotion swims in her eyes. Although, it’s different from what I saw when I first walked into the room. That earlier edge of panic has softened. There’s less fear and more relief now.
“Thank you.”
“It’ll be all right. I promise.”
The words settle deep inside me like a vow.
One I’ll be damned if I break.
23
Kia
The drive to the doctor’s office is made in silence. It’s not awkward or strained. Instead, it’s as if neither of us are willing to disturb the fragile balance that’s settled between us.
Laiken’s hands are steady on the steering wheel, his posture relaxed, like this is any other errand on his day off. As if we’re not headed toward something that’s been weighing me down for weeks.
His calm is enough to make my throat constrict.
The way he treats this like something manageable that we can face together, instead of the catastrophe I’ve been telling myself it is, calms me in ways I didn’t expect. For the first time since I found out I was pregnant, I wonder if maybe he’s right.
