Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 68074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
At the moment, however, he was livid. He didn’t help me into my seat, slamming the driver’s door and starting the car before I had a chance to buckle up. He roared out of the driveway, saying nothing all the way home. I could see that his mom had broken his confidence, but she had done so with me in mind. She had been right—he should have told me. He should have found a way to work it into the conversation that first night so I could have made my decision with all the facts.
I wasn’t sure how that would have worked. Hey, baby, I’m just outta prison, do you want to come back to my place? I blushed at my own internal conversation, thinking that actually might have been hot. But how could I sort out my feelings enough to put them into words? There was anger at being lied to. He had spent that entire brunch with Porter dancing around the subject, taking great pains to hide it from me. I was also hurt because his actions seemed to indicate that he thought I wouldn’t support him.
I was relieved to finally know the truth but also nervous that there was more to the story. What was the reason he had gone to prison? Were we in danger? Was there some part of his past that could come back to haunt us? And finally, I was terrified of what Mike’s revelation meant for our future. I knew he had a history of short-term relationships. What if children weren’t on his radar, and he refused to be a part of my life anymore? I didn’t think I could bear the heartbreak.
When we turned off the road and onto our private drive, I glanced over at him. He was frowning, still laser focused on his driving. He parked the truck, climbed out, and stalked into the house. I snarled, pregnant with his child and left out in the cold.
“Hey!” I shouted upon arrival in the living room. “What the hell happened back there?”
“I didn’t…” He raised one hand in protest, looking past me to the door.
“Didn’t what?” I snapped. “Want your mom to tell me your secret?”
He clamped his jaw shut, turning to pace the length of the kitchen. “You have something—”
“Don’t make this about me,” I interrupted him. “Why were you in prison?”
He stopped moving and turned to look at me, pain overwhelming his features. “I’m not ready to tell you.”
“Why not?” I quieted my voice, stepping closer. “Do you think I’ll judge you? I can already tell you’re not a murderer or a rapist.”
“God no,” he swore, turning away. “It’s a long story.”
“I’m going to be here all night,” I said.
He pressed his lips together, hardening his heart. “I can’t.”
“Fine.” I gave up, pushing past him to my own room.
The night wasn’t turning out anything like I had planned. For a moment there, I had been comfortable in his family home. There was so much I wanted to tell him, but I needed to be able to trust him. If he couldn’t come clean with me, how could I possibly start a life with him? This baby might have brought us together forever, but now it seemed like a bad omen. What if we never got past this? Our child would grow up never knowing a loving home. I threw myself down on the bed and sobbed.
21
MIKE
Ididn’t see Tammy in the morning at all. When I got up for work, her bedroom door was closed. I thought about knocking, but I didn’t know what to say. Nothing short of the entire story was going to make any difference, and after so long, I didn’t know if I had it in me to lay everything on the table. Of course, I would have to. Tammy deserved that much. It would just take more courage than I had at the moment, and maybe even a bigger set of balls.
I went to work and tried to focus on my job. If I had thought that obsessing over Tammy’s phone number had been torture, worrying about our future was even worse. I knew I had let her down. The fact that she had returned to the cabin without question, that she wasn’t afraid of me, did not escape my notice. Maybe I wasn’t giving her enough credit. Maybe she would understand if I just gave her a chance. I resolved to tell her the whole sordid truth as soon as I got home that night. If she wanted to leave me, I would just have to deal with that.
The manager found me stacking four-by-fours and asked me to go see my dad. I took my gloves off, thrusting them into my back pocket. Dad was in his office, working on the computer. He looked up with sympathy and came around the desk.