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“What the fuck are you talking about?” he burst out.

It shocked me a bit, his renewed fury, and it took me a moment to regain enough composure to elaborate. “After all that stuff happened, with school, with the video,” I told him as calmly as I could. “You were done with me after that.”

“When did I ever say that?” he bit the question out severely.

“You didn’t have to spell it out. It was obvious. I could feel it. Everything bad that had happened was my fault, and you were done with me.”

“Well, you suck at reading my mind,” he said harshly. “I was upset and depressed about some of the things that happened, yes, but I didn’t blame you for any of it, and I never stopped wanting you. It was exactly what I told you it was. I needed some time. Now, swear it. Swear you won’t pull any shit like that on me again.”

“I swear it,” I said solemnly. Not leaving him again sounded heavenly. Leaving had been the unnatural thing. It had been hard as hell to go against all my natural inclinations, which were always to stay close to him.

Another stretch of silence took us, and I was the one that broke it again, “Do you plan to be faithful?” I asked him tonelessly. What he was proposing here was in every sense a forced marriage of convenience for the baby. I just needed to know what that meant to him. “I know you didn’t choose this, that I wasn’t your choice,” my voice cracked in spite of my attempt at composure, “but I’d like to know.”

We were at a stop light, and he turned his head to stare at me. He looked like he’d never been so offended in his entire life. Like the very question had made him ill. “What kind of a guy do you think I am?” he asked, tone filled with disgust. “I’ve slept around before when I was single, but I’ve never cheated on even a casual girlfriend in my entire life, but you think I’d screw around on my wife? On the mother of my child?”

He seemed to be growing more upset with every word, but they were having the opposite effect on me.

This was going to be a real marriage. My chest filled with warmth, with elation.

Even if he never grew to love me, I thought this could be enough. No one that spent five minutes with Carter could doubt he’d be a good husband and father. It was more than I’d ever even let myself hope for. Wanting more was just greedy, I told myself.

We arrived at my apartment building.

Of course Carter didn’t like the neighborhood.

Our place was three stories up with no elevator, and Carter started cursing darkly as soon as he realized it.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he muttered from behind me on the steps. “Heavily pregnant and going up and down these stairs.”

“Top floor apartments are a bit cheaper,” I said defensively.

I could feel him glaring at my back.

Maddie was home and packing my things. She ran to me and hugged me the second I walked through the door. “Are you really okay?” she asked into my ear.

I just nodded. Honestly I was getting more okay by the minute.

She pulled back, looking behind me. “Uh, hey, Coach North,” she said awkwardly. “Long time no see.”

He nodded at her, shutting the door behind him. “Thank you for helping her pack up, for helping her in general,” he said, though his tone was at odds with the words. He was in full cold teacher mode.

He pointed behind her. “This was her room?” he asked her.

Maddie nodded.

He shot me an unreadable look, stroked a hand over my hair as he passed by me, and pointed at the sofa. “Sit down and rest,” he told me.

I obeyed. Maddie watched us both with wide eyes.

“I’ll grab some things and take inventory, see how many boxes we’ll need to move you,” Carter continued. “You two can have a moment to say goodbye.”

He walked into my room. I opened my mouth to tell him I didn’t have much to move, but closed it. He’d see soon enough.

Maddie sat down next to me, staring after him even when he’d shut the door behind him.

“I don’t remember him being this intense,” she said with awe.

“It’s been an intense day,” I said ruefully.