Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 104766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
“You clearly don’t know what you need,” he tells me, eyes scanning down the front of my shirt.
I’m not showing yet, but that doesn’t make his intense scrutiny any better. He’s judging me.
First, he judged me for sleeping with his friend, who I care deeply for, then he judged me when he heard I had gotten pregnant.
Brother of the year, you can fuck right off.
When did it get like this?
I thought we were good, he and I. Now suddenly, he’s angry all the time and went to the press without telling me. It’s humiliating and unforgivable.
This isn’t the way I wanted Drew to find out.
I planned to fly to Illinois and break the news in person once I knew for sure that I would stay pregnant.
Now that Grady has forced my hand, I have no choice but to do it sooner.
“How much did they pay you?” Miranda asks my brother.
He shrugs, looking a little sheepish. “Enough.”
“And I don’t suppose you’re going to share any of that with your pregnant sister.”
“I don’t want anything to do with that money,” I say through gritted teeth.
Miranda steps between my brother and I before I scratch his eyes out. “You should go.”
I watch as my best friend walks him to the door, slamming it behind him.
“He is some piece of work,” she starts. “I had no idea what an asshole he is, did you?”
“No.” I walk to the couch and sit, staring blankly at the TV.
Miranda sits down next to me and wraps her arm around my shoulders. “You should stay here tonight. I don’t want you driving back to school when you’re upset. You can sleep in my room with me, mmkay?”
I nod because I don’t have the energy to argue and quite honestly would rather not go home to my roommates.
I still haven’t told them.
They won’t know until I do. They don’t follow sports and have no idea who Drew Colter is, and they sure don’t know that I had sex with him weeks ago.
Sober sex.
I can’t even use alcohol as an excuse….
Drew’s usually warm eyes are now ablaze with anger, and the tension in the air could be cut with a knife.
I take a deep breath, mustering the courage to say the words weighing on me…
Lost.
I have to take another breath.
"Drew," I begin, my voice shaky, "there's something you need to know."
He glares at me, his jaw clenched.
Why is he already angry? I haven’t told him anything?
"What is it, Tess?"
My mind races, my words stumbling out. "I'm pregnant. And... you're the father."
The color drains from his face. "Pregnant? You've got to be kidding me.” He pauses. “Wait. Why are you telling me this?”
"Because it's yours."
“Mine?”
I nod, tears tingling behind my nose. “Yes.”
“How.”
I roll my eyes. “You know how.”
“How far along are you?”
“Ten weeks or so?” That’s how long it’s been since we were together.
“I don’t know what ten weeks means.”
“It’s like two and a half months.”
“There is no fuckin way.”
“I’m sorry…”
His voice suddenly becomes laced with bitterness. "How could you keep something like this from me? Do you know what you've done?"
"Drew, I didn't know how to tell you. I was scared of your reaction, and I thought... I thought I could handle it on my own."
He scoffs, his frustration echoing in his voice. "Handle it on your own? By shutting me out completely? And where the hell was your brother, Grady, in all of this? Did he put you up to this?"
I shake my head, desperate to explain. "No, Drew, it wasn't Grady's idea. He didn't even know until recently. Please, try to understand."
"What a lie—he took money to sell a story, didn’t he? Stop lying for him." He practically spits out the words. "You've kept me in the dark about something life-altering, something that involves me, and you want me to understand?"
Tears stream down my face as I reach out to him, my voice cracking with emotion. "Drew, I messed up, I know that. But I never wanted things to turn out like this. I never wanted to hurt you."
He steps back, his anger still simmering beneath the surface. "Hurt me? Tess, you've betrayed my trust in the worst way possible. You and your damn brother."
My heart aches at his accusation, and now he's directing his anger toward Grady too. "Drew, please don't blame Grady.”
“Don’t blame Grady? That’s hilarious.” He runs a hand through his hair, frustration etched across his features. "I can't believe this, Tess. I trusted you, and you kept something this important from me."
"I'm so sorry," I choke out through my tears. "I know I can't undo what's done, but I want you to be a part of our child's life. I want us to figure this out together."
Drew's anger seems to waver for a moment, replaced by a mix of sadness and confusion. "I don't know if I can do that, Tess. This changes everything."