Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 29962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 150(@200wpm)___ 120(@250wpm)___ 100(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 150(@200wpm)___ 120(@250wpm)___ 100(@300wpm)
“We’ll be a family,” he says it so confidently, like the matter is already settled.
“Absolutely not,” I insist, thinking of my mom. I was a backseat baby that my dad didn’t stick around to help raise. My mom spent the first eighteen years of my life constantly reminding me of what a terrible burden my existence is.
His expression changes, becoming even more steely. If I thought he looked determined before, it’s nothing compared to how he looks now.
For a moment, I know how this might appear through his eyes, and I soften. “Listen, I don’t want anything from you. I thought you had the right to know. I’ll never restrict your access to the baby. You can even come to the doctor’s appointments. The first one is not until—”
“That’s not good enough. I want everything with you,” he insists.
I swallow hard. It’s the hormones that have me wanting to let him open the box and slide the ring on my finger. “We can be friends that happily co-parent. It’ll be like a road trip adventure.”
An unexpected road trip adventure that lasts for eighteen years with the hottest man I’ve ever met.
Finally, Jasper tucks the ring box into the pocket of his shirt. Who has an engagement ring lying around? How did he have such quick and easy access to one?
He seems to have accepted my suggestion that this is a road trip adventure, and I sigh in relief. Now that we’ve gotten that over with, we can both be sensible.
But what he says next changes everything, because he grabs my hand and places it over his flannel shirt, right where his heart thuds softly under my palm.. “We’re soulmates. I know you feel it too.”
I shake my head and glance away from that brown gaze that’s holding me hostage. What would it be like to accept his offer and let him slide that ring on my finger? For a second, I ache to tell him I lied, and I want the whole fairytale with him. But then I remember my mom’s words echoing from the past. You’re my burden, my curse. You’ve ruined everything.
I can’t let him say that one day, so I brace myself against the longing. It doesn’t matter if he believes we’re soulmates in this moment. One day, he’ll grow to resent me and our child. I can’t let that happen to my baby.
“I’m here to exchange phone numbers and contact information. We can discuss everything over the phone,” I answer as if I didn’t drive seven hours to see him again. Because I had to see him again. Because I wondered what his face would look like when I told him.
He squeezes my hand tighter and glances at the sky as if he’s looking for something, but I don’t know what. “I made stew, and I slid a cherry pie in the oven. Why don’t you eat something before you hit the road again?”
My stomach chooses that moment to rumble loudly, and I nod. “I’m only coming inside for pie.”
He nods a little too quickly. “Sure.”
I follow him inside the cabin, instantly feeling the calm surrounding me. The smell of stew and pie hit my nose, making my mouth water. The fireplace is crackling cheerfully in the corner, and the wall of windows are showcasing bare trees reaching toward an eerie gray sky.
Those things are the same, but the rest of the cabin looks so different. There are cardboard boxes scattered everywhere and most of the decorations are gone. It doesn’t look nearly as cozy and warm here. “Oh, you’re moving.”
I can’t imagine why someone would ever want to move from this secret little retreat. It’s the perfect place to hide away from the world. If I had it, I’d drive here every Friday and spend my weekends exploring the mountains and eating cherry pie in front of the crackling fireplace.
He opens his mouth to say something at the exact moment the smell of the cooking stew turns my stomach. I still remember my way around the house like there’s a map tattooed in my brain. I race for the bathroom, getting there in time to empty my stomach.
Jasper is beside me, holding my hair. When I’m finally done, I lean into him. He rubs my back in a soothing circle and murmurs little nothings under his breath. But his quiet rumble fills me with peace. What would it be like to have him by my side through this whole pregnancy? What would it be like to not be alone for once?
“Is that normal?” He asks after I’ve had a swish of his mouthwash and color is starting to return to my cheeks.
“It’s part of morning sickness, which starts earlier for some women than others,” I explain. “My reading indicated that it’ll most likely get better in the next trimester so only a few weeks of that if I’m lucky.”