Page 54 of Worth Risking It

The gravelly sand crunched, so I turned around, seeing she had dropped to her knees. Her arms crossed over her belly, she was bent forward, rocking and crying.

“I know. Oh my god, Wyatt…my baby. My children! What the hell am I going to do?”

“I’m not quite sure. Did you love him?”

Her sniveling choked to a halt, her head tipping back to gaze up at me. “Very, very much.”

“He worth dying for?”

Her throat constricted and she faintly nodded. “Yes.”

Cursing, I squatted, dangling my cigarette when I set my elbow on my knee. “And the baby?”

She sat up a bit, petting her belly. “He’s innocent, Wyatt. He didn’t do anything wrong. My other kids…they’re safe, but he… What do I do?” she whispered, bringing her focus back to mine.

Thumbing my nose, I squinted at the lake, inhaling my cigarette. “You’re going to disappear for a while. You’re going to pack a suitcase, get in your car, and go to a cabin I have rented in Wisconsin. You are going to stay there. You are not to set foot outside, not even to the porch. No phone calls to your kids, your parents, your friends, nothing. You will simply vanish until the baby is born.”

Not surprisingly, she was stunned and terrified when I returned my attention to her face.

“That’s…five months.”

As if she didn’t say anything, I continued. “I will visit you every other week to bring you groceries and anything you need. I will get you a disposable phone for you to call me if something comes up, and you will refer to yourself as Melinda.”

“Wyatt,” she wheezed, her head bobbing forward. “This is crazy.”

“This is going to save your baby,” I hissed, pointing at her with my cigarette.

She scrambled to her feet, her shoulders at her ears, her hands splayed at her sides. “I can’t do this.”

Rising to my full height, I sneered and growled, “You want that baby to die? You say you loved my brother, but don’t want to do what it takes to keep his son alive?”

Her chin quivering, she folded her arms over her stomach and turned her profile to me, her lids closed. “And why would I suddenly disappear like this?”

“Because you’ve had a miscarriage and you’re having a mental breakdown.”

She scoffed, shaking her head. Wringing her hands together, she was pacing once more. “And how do I explain having a newborn son when I decide to pop up again in a few months?”

“You won’t. I am currently dating a woman named Melinda who is pregnant with my child. In five months, I will have a son that I will raise to protect Milo and Chazzy’s future kid.”

Gasping, she spun around, her palms on her cheeks, her eyes bulging. “You’re going to raise my baby?”

I gulped, flicking the forgotten cigarette away. “Yes.”

Her brows arched, her lips pulling between her teeth. “You’re going to keep him safe?”

“Yes.”

“Then…then I’ll do it.”

Rubbing at my forehead, I coughed anxiously, dragging my fingers together to pinch the bridge of my nose. “Amanda, I can save your baby, but I can’t save you.”

A tiny whimper drew my attention. She was crying again, shaking, looking quite sick.

“I’m sorry. Eventually, you are going to have to return, and Jack will…” I set my fists on my sides and then folded my arms, leaning to one leg while glaring up at the house. “Finish what he started.”

She took in a jagged breath that had her shivering, exhaling through pursed lips. “I know.”

“If I could, I would help you disappear, but we both know he’ll never stop looking for you, and as long as he’s looking, that’s going to put the baby’s life in danger.”