Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 50872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
When I help her lie back on the couch, I cover her up and then sit back down on the coffee table, leaning over her.
When she opens her eyes and turns her head to me, she looks so sad it guts me. My voice is a croak and filled with emotion. “Talk to me, baby.”
She sucks in a breath. “Gregory called me and asked if I would meet with him.”
I can’t help the sense of betrayal that goes through me. “You went and met him?”
She nods and puts her arm over her eyes. I want to ask her more, but the need to make sure she’s okay outweighs all the questions I have. “Do you have a headache?”
She nods her head, and I’m up in search of the blood pressure monitor. I’m running up to the bedroom, telling her what I’m doing the whole time. I’m back to her in a minute, and I wrap the cuff around her arm.
Anxiously, I wait for the reading and breathe a sigh of relief when it’s on the higher side of normal, but at least it’s normal. “It’s normal. Do you want some Tylenol?”
She shakes her head side to side, and I get nervous when she goes quiet again.
I let her sit quietly, trying to be patient even though it’s the last thing I want to be. When she doesn’t say anything, I can’t stop myself. “Do you love him?”
She pulls her arm from over her face. “What are you talking about?”
My chest seizes up. “I’m just asking you, Ally. He obviously upset you, and—”
She cuts me off. “He said he won’t sign over his rights.”
I hiss out a breath. “You want him to give up his rights?”
She looks at me as if I’m crazy. “Of course I do.” She struggles to sit up, and I grab her arm to help her sit up. “What? You thought I wanted him back?”
I hunker down on my knees to get closer to her. “No, I mean I hoped not, but Ally, honey, I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on, that’s all. Is that why you’re this upset? He won’t sign the papers?”
She levels me with a glare. “No, I mean, of course I want him to, but he won’t do it. The reason I’m so upset—” She sucks in a deep breath, and the way she lets it out, slow and controlled, tells me that whatever she says next, I’m going to want to kill the asshole. “Gregory said he can talk to a judge… that, uh, he wants custody—full custody—of my daughter.”
“That won’t fuckin’ happen.”
Her eyes widen, and the way she looks at me tells me that she wants to believe what I’m saying, and there’s no way I’m going to disappoint her. “Listen to me, Ally. I promise you, there is no way he is going to get custody of our daughter.”
“You can’t promise that.”
I put my hands to her belly. “Ally, listen to me. I know we’ve been through this over and over, but I need you to marry me. No matter what, I’m going to protect you and our daughter, but it would be so much easier if you had my last name.”
She reaches for me, cupping her hand along my jaw. “Austin…” She searches my eyes, frowns, and then her jaw tightens. “Do you really think that if we’re married, that would stop him from getting custody?”
I cover her hand with my own. “Ally, what I’m saying is that no matter what, he is not getting our baby. I won’t let that happen whether you and I are married or not. But I want you to be my wife. I want to be that baby’s real father.”
She sobs and nods her head. “Okay, I’ll marry you.” She holds her hand up. “But anytime you want to move on, you want this to be over, I understand. I’m not expecting forever.”
I’m not going to argue with her. All that matters now is the fact that she agreed to marry me. I lean my head in her lap and hug her to me. “You won’t regret it, Ally. I promise you’ll never regret agreeing to marry me.”
I pull back and rise to my feet. “Come on. I’m going to run a bath for you, and then we’re going to lie in bed and rest.”
She pulls me by the collar of my shirt. “I need you, Austin. I don’t want to rest. I want to forget about my day today, and I want you to help me forget about it.”
I lift her into my arms. “Baby, by the time I’m done with you, you’re not going to think twice about today. All you’re going to think about is how I make you feel.”
She leans her cheek against my chest, and I carry her up the stairs. She’s finally given in. I’m going to make sure she and the baby are safe. And I’m going to get what I want. I ignore the twinge of guilt that I feel. I know I have things I need to tell her, but I’m going to do it another time.