Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 81252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Once I got into my car, I pulled out of the parking lot and headed to Tyler’s place, tapping my fingers against the steering wheel anxiously. Today would either become a dream or stay somewhat of a nightmare. Everything was still in the balance.
Chapter 26
Tyler
When I heard a knock on my door today, I hurried and opened it, breathing out a sigh of relief when I saw Madison standing outside. She looked worried, which wasn’t the expression that I hoped to see on her face. Her internship advisor assured me that everything was fine on their end and that Madison had her internship credit back. So, why did she look so scared?
“Are you okay?” I asked her as I stepped to the side to let her in. I watched her walk farther into my apartment before shutting the door. The tension in the air was thick, nearly suffocating. I followed her over to the couch when she motioned to the spot beside her. “I’m so sorry about what happened with Sara.”
Madison nodded as she reached out to take my hand. “Thank you so much for fixing that. I thought that she was going to make me lose everything,” she said.
I stroked her knuckles gently, giving her a comforting smile. I would never let anyone hurt her like that. She was my girl. Part of that involved me looking after her and helping her when she was in a tough spot.
“I just had a feeling that something was up. It’s unlike you to just run away,” I replied. She stuck up for herself, so I knew something was up when she disappeared without saying anything.
“I wanted to stand up to her, but she had that picture. That could ruin everything for us,” Madison said, still looking worried.
“I made her delete the picture. It’s gone,” I assured her. If Sara tried anything else, I would make sure that she faced consequences. No one hurt Madison and got away with it.
Madison let out a relieved breath and nodded. “Good. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything to you,” she said as she gave my hand a squeeze.
“You don’t have to apologize. I know what she did to you,” I replied as I shook my head. “I’m just glad we’re talking now. I hated not being able to see you.”
Madison’s face softened as she moved closer to me on the couch. “Me too. I’ve really needed you lately,” she admitted.
I reached up and stroked her cheek, seeing her eyes water slightly. Something had to still be bothering her. She seemed so upset, so on edge.
“Is there something else going on?” I asked, wanting her to talk to me. I was here for her no matter what. I always would be.
A tear slipped from Madison’s left eye and trailed down her cheek as she lowered her head. She wouldn’t look at me for a few seconds. When she did, more tears streamed down her face.
“I’m pregnant,” she told me.
At first, I thought that I didn’t hear her right. I blinked my eyes a few times, trying to process what she just said to me. When I finally did, the breath was stolen right from my lungs. My body stilled as I stared back at her, wrestling with my shock.
Things started to make more sense to me now, even if my brain was going haywire. No wonder she had been acting weird lately. I had known that something was off, but it wasn’t prevalent enough for me to look into it. Plus, she told me that she was fine.
“You’re sure?” I asked her.
Madison sniffled as she nodded. “I took a test. I was going to tell you the day that Sara threatened me, but she scared me off,” she said.
I breathed in deeply through my nose, steadying myself as the world threatened to spin around me. She was pregnant, and I was the father. I didn’t expect to have kids for years, but I did want them with her. She was the only woman who made me warm up to the idea of family, and I knew that she would be an incredible mother. She was caring, attentive, and understanding. I just hoped that I would be a good father.
“Wow… that’s… crazy,” I said, unable to help but laugh in disbelief. My world completely flipped upside down. This kind of news would’ve sent me running and panicking, but all I wanted was to be close to Madison. This was our situation, our thing to handle together. I wasn’t going to leave her side when she needed me.
Madison frowned as she looked away from me. “I want to keep it. If you don’t want to be involved…” I cupped her chin, forcing her eyes on mine before she could even finish her sentence.
“Hey, I’m right here with you. I’m not going anywhere,” I told her firmly. I belonged wherever she was. Now, she was pregnant, which meant that we were connected even more.