Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 70092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
"No, it's not," I snap. “It's not okay." I shake my head, the tears coming again.
"Presley," she says softly. “You are having a baby with him." She puts her hand on top of mine.
"And he can be as involved as he wants to with the child." The words taste sour in my mouth. “He knows this."
"What did he tell you?” she asks, and when I look up at her, I know she has an idea.
"That he loves me." I finally say the words, and I don't add that I love him also, because what difference does it make?
"I mean, that's a good thing, right?" She smirks, trying to be the voice of reason. "There is nothing wrong with admitting that you want him," she urges softly. “It's not going to make you less of a woman if you admit you love and need him. It's okay."
"No, it's not," I say angrily. “It's not okay." I wipe my cheek off with more force than I wanted to. My hands are shaking. “It's the opposite of okay. I can never give him what he wants."
"Why not?" She sits up and folds her arms across her chest.
"Because," I huff. “That isn't the way it goes."
She rolls her eyes and laughs at me. “And how does it go?"
"Look at Travis," I start. “He was supposed to marry Jennifer, and then what?"
"Then he didn't." She shrugs. "Then he got his head out of his ass and married Harlow, just like he was always supposed to."
"Look at Shelby," I counter and don't even give her a chance to answer. “She was head over heels in love with Joseph, and he fucked her friend."
"One, he's a douchebag, so there is that." Clarabella holds up her finger. “And two, she was always supposed to marry Ace."
"What about you?" I look at her. “Were you always supposed to marry Luke?" She glares at me now. “Were you always supposed to marry Luke?"
"Yes," she says without even thinking about it. “Now that I can look back on it. Knowing one thousand percent that I was always supposed to marry Luke. Look at Bennett." Just hearing his name hurts my heart. “He's been home for the past six months, and he's been at your beck and call this whole time.”
I'm about to say that he hasn't when the doctor comes in again. “Okay, Ms. Baker," he says. “Let's see how we are doing."
"Do you want me to get Bennett?" Clarabella asks, and I just nod my head. No matter what, I told him that I would never keep the baby from him. She gets up and walks out of the room.
"The father is in the waiting room." I don't even know why I'm telling him this.
"Have you gone to the bathroom?” he asks, and I shake my head. I was too afraid to go to the bathroom. “If you can, go and check and see how the bleeding is." I nod at him, turning and getting out of the bed.
I walk to the bathroom in the corner, and when I pull down my panties, I see dried blood. My heart starts to speed up when I sit down and pee. I close my eyes for a second after I pee, trying to gather the courage to wipe myself. I grab the toilet paper. “You better be clean," I say under my breath. “Also, you are very grounded when you come out for scaring me like this. But I love you." That’s the last thing I say before I look down and see a clean piece of toilet paper. With not even a pink tint to it.
I walk out of the bathroom with the biggest smile on my face. “No blood,” I tell the doctor as the door opens, and Clarabella comes back in with Bennett behind her.
"What happened?" Clarabella asks, and my eyes go to Bennett, hoping that he looks at me, and he does for a second. The hurt and pain are so evident it makes my whole body hurt.
"No blood," I say, walking to the bed, afraid that at any moment, my knees are going to give out on me, and I'm going to be lying in the middle of the floor.
"That's good news," the doctor says when I get back into bed. I pull up the cover to my waist as the doctor lowers the head of the bed a bit. I lift the hospital gown up but keep my private area covered with the blanket. “Let's see how the little one is doing." I look up at Clarabella, who stands beside Bennett at the foot of the bed. My eyes don't move from Bennett as he puts his hands in his pockets and looks at the monitor and then the doctor. My whole body cries out for him. My hands shake as I grab the bedsheets beside me. I plead with the universe to let him look at me, but no one is listening tonight. The sound of the heartbeat fills the room, and my eyes go from Bennett to the screen. The weight of almost losing the baby is taken off me. I put my hand in front of my mouth as I cry, but this time, they’re tears of happiness. My baby is going to be okay, at least for today, and I have this sudden need to put my hand back on my stomach to protect him or her from anything. The tears quickly turn to a smile that is so big on my face it hurts my cheeks. The baby looks like it's doing somersaults in there. I look down at my stomach in awe that I feel nothing, not even a little tickle. I look back at Bennett, and his eyes are just on the screen. “You have a very active baby." I wait for Bennett to say “We have a very active baby," but he doesn't. The doctor turns off the machine and wipes my stomach. “I'm going to suggest that you stay off your feet for a couple of days and rest." He turns on the lights. I don't tell him that the idea of sitting in bed and not doing anything for the next two weeks has played over and over. “I'll send a report to your doctor, and you can do a follow-up with her."