Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 97339 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97339 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
“I know,” I say with a sad smile as I put an arm around her shoulder and give her a quick squeeze. “But you know me, I’ll find a way to be okay. It’s Bri I’m worried about. The idea of her hurting . . . fuck. Promise me you won’t lose touch with her. Be there for her. She’s going to need you, Cass, and Elle.”
“I promise,” she says. “You know I’ll never push her aside. You might be a brother to me, but she’s like a sister to me too. I love her just like I love you. She’s going to be alright. It’ll take some time, and she might be in a really dark place for a little while, but she’ll come around. I’ll make sure she’s okay.”
I nod, feeling everything weaken within me. Knowing I’ll break if I allow this to carry on, I swallow my pain and give her a reassuring smile. “How are you doing?” I ask, glancing down at the small bump protruding from her stomach, the very first niece or nephew of what I’m sure will be many.
“I’m doing good,” she says. “But I’m hungry, like always hungry. It’s ridiculous. I’m worried this pregnancy is turning me into an elephant.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re tiny and fucking gorgeous. If anything, you could use a few extra pounds. Besides, it’ll give Sean a little something to grab hold of.” Sara gasps, her eyes widening as if horrified, but we both know she’s a dirty little minx when it comes to my brother. Besides, did she forget who she was talking to? A laugh rumbles through my chest, and I go easy on her. “Has the morning sickness gone away?”
“Yeah, but my tits hurt,” she tells me with a cringe, giving them a rub just to prove her point.
My face scrunches. Sara is like a sister to me. I’ve known her since we were teenagers, and hearing about her tits really doesn’t give me the thrill that hearing about Bri’s does. Hell, it’s like watching your sister feel herself up. “Yeah, that’s too much information.”
“You asked,” Sara laughs, shrugging her shoulders before getting up and searching the fridge again. She comes back a moment later with a bowl of cereal in hand, her spoon already in her mouth. “Listen, if you’re going to . . . end it,” she says around the spoon, wincing as she brings up our earlier conversation, knowing how much it kills me to talk about it, “Do it nicely. Bri puts on a tough exterior, but you know just as well as I do that she’s a marshmallow inside. This is going to destroy her.”
I nod my head, knowing all too fucking well how she is on the inside. Hell, I’m in love with her. I know every little thing that makes up the incredible woman she is. Sara isn’t telling me anything I don’t already know. “Yeah,” I say, unable to find the right words to convey how I’m really feeling.
“Okay. Well, I’m gonna go and check on Elle,” she tells me, giving my shoulder another squeeze. “Sean and I are around if you need us.” And with that, she gives me one last broken smile that doesn’t reach her eyes before trailing back up the hallway and leaving me here to wallow in my thoughts.
With a sigh, I throw back my orange juice and head upstairs, knowing the longer I put this off, the harder it’s going to be.
Chapter 4
CARTER
After a night like last night, I know Bri won’t be up for another few hours, but if this is the last few hours I’ll have to call her mine, then I’m going to soak it up and take my sweet fucking time.
Resisting the urge to climb back in bed and hold her, knowing the second I hold her, I’ll change my fucking mind, I take a seat on the couch and watch the steady rise and fall of her chest as she sleeps. She’s so goddamn beautiful. Bri is the love of my life, and I hate myself for having to do this to her. I will never find another woman who makes me feel the way she does, who makes me come alive like she does, who makes me so fucking happy I could die.
Leaving her is going to tear her to pieces, but in the long run, it’s the best thing to do for her. Her heart will eventually heal, and she’ll move on with someone who can give her the life she’s always craved and the babies she wants to raise. God, her children are going to be fucking gorgeous with those big green eyes and feisty little personalities. They’re gonna be hard work, but she’ll love every moment of it.
For me, it’s simple. I will never love again. I’ve already come to this conclusion. It’s just a fact, but because I love her, I need to do this. I want to give her the world, and if losing her is how I’m going to do that, then that’s what I have to do, no matter how fucking hard it’s going to be.