Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 116(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
“Is everything okay, Mark?” I repeat in a careful tone. “Is it something I said, or did? If so, I’m sorry.”
He jerks to look at me so fast that I swear, he’s going to get whiplash. To my surprise, those blue eyes are filled with rage, but instead of shouting, Mark speaks in a low, trembling voice.
“Don’t you think it’s strange that I keep going with you to these doctor’s appointments?” he manages between gritted teeth.
I pause for a moment.
“No. Why? I mean, I think they’re used to having all sorts of people accompany the prospective mother. It’s not always the babydaddy, you know. It could be a parent, a friend, or maybe even a social worker. Not to mention the women who have kids. I’ve seen children following their pregnant moms into the exam room, so I don’t think it’s so far-fetched that you would come.”
“Yes, but I’m your neighbor,” he practically spits. “Don’t you think it’s a little strange that I’ve been at each and every appointment?”
I pause again, trying to feel my way in the dark.
“Well, do you think it’s weird? And if you don’t want to come, it’s totally fine. I never meant to pressure you. I just thought you might enjoy seeing photos of the child,” I say in a tentative voice. “Sorry if I was wrong and if it’s getting burdensome. I can call an Uber next time, it’s completely okay.”
Mark’s face is dark with anger now as he hauls the truck into the driveway of my house before shutting off the engine.
“It’s not Uber. It’s not the rides. You just don’t get it, Freya,” he bites out in an angry voice as we approach my house. I let him in, and immediately, the huge man strides to the living room, but he doesn’t sit. Instead, he crosses his arms over that massive chest, glowering at me.
“Then what is it?” I implore. “What’s wrong? What have I done wrong?”
He lets out a disgusted sigh before plopping down on my chintz sofa.
“I think the question is what I’ve done wrong,” he moans, burying that dark head in his hands. “Fuck, how did we get here?”
I try to console him.
“You haven’t done anything wrong,” I murmur. “But I’m confused, Mark. What’s got you so angry? Just tell me,” I say in a persuasive gone.
He goes still for a moment, refusing to look at me. But then he lifts his head, and there’s agony on that handsome face.
“It’s just that… I don’t know, Freya. I’m so mixed up.”
I sit down tentatively next to him, the sofa lurching a bit from my weight, before putting a gentle hand on his shoulder.
“No, it’s fine. Everyone gets mixed up sometimes, and I know it must be weird going to my doctor’s appointments when the baby isn’t yours. But it’s okay. You don’t have to go,” I reiterate once more. “I’m perfectly fine on my own.”
It’s then that Mark jerks his head up to glare at me with blazing blue eyes.
“You’re fine alone,” he parrots in a wooden voice. “I think that’s the problem.”
I stare at him.
“Mark, you know I’m a single mom. I have to be self-sufficient because that was my plan from the get-go. I’m responsible for this child, and no one else.”
Mark buries his head in his hands again, and I can hear him breathing loudly, trying to calm himself down. But before I can speak, he looks up once more and fixes me with that azure stare.
“So what about me then?”
I blink, startled.
“What about you?”
“What about us?” he asks, swirling his hand in a circle between us. “What about what we have together?”
Uh oh. Warning bells go off in my head because I’ve been in this situation before, although none of them men seem quite as agonized as Mark at the moment.
“Well, we have something good together,” I say slowly. “It works for both of us, and I’m very happy to have you in my life.”
My lover lets out a rude snort.
“Very happy, huh? Well, what if I said I want more? I don’t just want to come over for fuck-and-sucks, Freya. I want us to be something real. Something … I don’t know,” he says helplessly before jumping to his feet and beginning to pace around. Mark is so gorgeous with his broad shoulders and long legs, and my heart breaks a little because I don’t want to see him in pain. This is not what I intended when we started this.
“Mark,” I say in a slow voice. “I hear what you’re saying, but you know I can’t provide that. Plus, it isn’t part of the deal we made.”
“What deal?” he asks furiously, whipping his head around to glare at me. I swear, if eyes had lasers, then I’d be a pile of ash right now, seeing how he’s ready to take me down. “I never agreed to anything.”