Series: The Laws of Opposite Attract Series by Vi Keeland
Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 105253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
“I don’t get the impression that space is what she needs right now.”
My chest hurt. “Thank you.” I nodded. “I needed to hear that.”
After I hung up with Billie, I shot off the bench and went back to the building instead of back to work. In my rush to leave, I disrupted a group of pigeons, who flew away from me in unison. I laughed for the first time in days, thinking about the giggling little boy.
And about my little boy—or girl.
My child—or not.
***
When Devyn opened the door forty-five minutes later, I held up a Key lime pie I’d picked up on the way home.
“I thought maybe you could use this.”
Her mouth spread into a smile. “It’s not gonna solve all of my problems, but it sure as heck won’t hurt, Dawson. You know I never turn down Key lime pie.” She stepped aside. “Come in.”
“I heard the way to your heart is through your stomach.” I placed my free hand on her belly. That sort of has double meaning now. A jolt of electricity shot through me as I felt the heat of her abdomen. My baby could be in there. Holy shit. I shook the thought from my head. Devyn covered my hand with hers. Our eyes locked for a few moments, and even though I wanted to kiss her, I refrained. It didn’t seem like the right moment.
Instead, I set the pie on her coffee table and said, “You know what I realized today?”
“What a clusterfuck my life is?” she answered.
“Well, that, too.” I winked. “But no. I thought back to when you vomited that morning at the hotel in Boston.”
“Yup.” She nodded. “It all makes sense now, doesn’t it?”
“It does.” I sighed, rubbing my palms together. “So…Billie called me today.”
Devyn crossed her arms. “Oh.”
“I’m surprised you told her, but I’m glad you did.”
She shrugged. “I hadn’t planned to. She caught me in the middle of a breakdown, and it all came barreling out. Billie makes it easy to open up.”
“She emphasized that she’s not going to say anything until you give her the okay.”
“Yeah, she mentioned that to me, too. I appreciate it. The less people that know right now the better,” she said.
“I agree. And I won’t say anything either, obviously, until you feel comfortable. It’s no one’s business but ours.”
“Thank you.” Devyn nodded. “I haven’t said anything to Heath and Hannah, and I would hate for them to accidentally find out from anyone other than me. Right now, the only person who knows besides Billie is Mia.” She hesitated. “Well, and Robert…”
My stomach sank. “You told him.”
“Yeah, I had to.”
“Of course.” I exhaled, trying my best to remain neutral. “How did he react?”
“It started out pretty positive, until I had to tell him it might not be his.” Her face turned pink. “Then he kind of shamed me for having slept with you so soon after he and I were last together. He seems to forget that we were never in an exclusive relationship and that he’s the furthest thing from monogamous and has been with multiple people himself.”
I fucking hated this guy. My jaw stiffened. “Double standards, anyone?”
“I really wish he had nothing to do with this situation.” She shook her head. “I thought I did everything right, Owen. I always made sure he used protection as a backup to my IUD. And you know you and I used protection. The fact that I’m pregnant truly blows my mind.”
“Nothing is foolproof, I guess. Sometimes, for reasons unbeknownst to us, fate has other plans. This was clearly meant to be.” I looked down at her belly again. “This little one beat the odds.”
She rubbed her stomach. “Whether I wanted this in my life right now or not, I think you’re right. It was meant to be. I hope someday I can see that.” She tilted her head to examine my face. “How are you? I left you in kind of a tizzy the other night.”
I reached out to cup her cheek. “I’m okay, Devyn. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, as you might expect—probably more thinking in a twenty-four-hour period than ever before in my life.”
“Did you come to any conclusions?”
“Yeah, one.” I smiled.
“What?”
“I’m still crazy about you.” I caressed her skin with my thumb. “None of this changes that.”
She closed her eyes briefly, seeming to relish my touch. “How is that even possible?”
“How is that not possible? You’re still you—just with a little human growing inside you now.”
“But it might not be yours…” she whispered.
Her words cut like a knife, a stark reminder that I needed to tread lightly, even if my emotions were getting the best of me. The cold reality of this situation meant I couldn’t let my heart hijack my head.
“I’m not gonna lie, Devyn. I’m scared as fuck—of each scenario. If I’m about to be a father, I have a hell of a lot to learn and prepare for. And if the baby’s not mine, I have to deal with the risk that Robert could complicate things between us. So, yeah, I’m terrified. But not in a way that makes me feel differently about you.” I reached for her hand. “The only reason I’m scared is because so much is at stake.”