Page 91 of All the Promises We Break

A chill runs through my body before I answer. “Him. Please.” Eli kisses the top of my head before taking my hand and giving it to Dylan. Eli steps away from me and focuses on Wes standing in the noise of New York City. “Eli? He’s hurting. Please listen.”

“I will, Hay. I promise.”

Elijah

I can feel the heat of the day the closer I get to the balcony doors. The cool air at my back and the humidity from the other side. Wes is gripping over the railing with his head lowerednearly to his chest. If he hears me come out behind him, he never lets me know.

I don’t want to startle him. I know they didn’t fight. Hayley would be angry, not in tears, and she wouldn’t still be here. She would have given them space and not involved us. I start to wonder if opening the door back to Michael is taking a toll more than I realize.

“Mav?”

“I figured she’d call you. Please don’t say it. Just don’t. We both knew I was going to fuck this up somehow. All you asked is that I don’t hurt, Hayley. One thing that’s as simple as fucking breathing,” the rattle from the railing vibrates with every slap punctuating his words, “and I can’t even get that right with her.”

My brain is trying to process everything. Hayley needs me to help him. Wes says he’s hurt her. Where is this going? “Hayley hasn’t said anything. She just asked us to come right away. That’s all I know. Why don’t you tell me what happened so I can help? Is it your mom? About Michael?”

Wes roughly slides his hand across his face. “If it was more about Michael, Hayley would be the first person I’d let in. No. My fuck-boy bullshit was going to eventually cause major damage to someone I care about again.”

“You’re talking in circles. Sit down and tell me what is going on.”

Wes doesn’t move at first. I nearly reach in to turn him to face me, but he looks up and uses the bright sky as his confessional. “Hannah’s pregnant. She says I’m the father.”

Now I’m the one who needs to sit.

The shock hits me in a couple waves. I don’t at first compute what he’s saying. Then, when it sets in, I find the nearest chair I can. “Of all the things you could have said to me, this wasn’t even in the top five, let alone top one hundred. I hate to ask this. I feellike an asshole for doing it, but first, are you sure she’s telling the truth?”

Wes doesn’t answer me with words at first. He pulls the phone from the pocket of his basketball shorts, unlocks the screen and lays it in my hand. “Her name. Today’s date.”

The sonogram picture is crystal clear. It’s the perfect image of a beautiful baby. “Hayley’s seen this?”

“She was beside me when I got the call. I’m meeting Hannah tomorrow to figure out what the next steps are.”

I rest my head in my hand. “There are a few things to consider, yes. Layers. The first thing is you need a paternity test. This will either set things in motion or stop them.”

“I think I’ve already stopped them, Eli.” Wes starts to chuckle. “You know this is fucking hilarious. I just was thinking about two hours ago how settled I feel. For the first time ever, I was like, I’m content. I have the best girl in the world and happy as hell about it. The one thing I’ve avoided for my entire adult life was making me the happiest I’ve ever been, and in runs karma and says fuck that.”

“Hold on. Did you cheat on Hayley with Hannah?”

“What do you take me for? Shit. In the matter of a few weeks, you’ve accused me of that twice. Nice. Great. Just fucking fantastic.”

I raise my hands in hopes of controlling his anger. “Calm down. I was asking a question in order to prove a point. So, because of your reaction, the answer is no.”

With each defensive statement, the volume of his voice raises exponentially. “I haven’t seen her in about five months. I’ve been one-hundred-percent faithful to your sister. I don’t want to hurt her for anything.”

“Breathe, please.” I visibly inhale and exhale hoping he will join me. “You’re both getting ahead of yourselves. You need DNAvalidation. Don’t just accept Hannah’s word as fact. Let’s get that rolling first.”

“Then what?”

“We wait.”

“Where’s Hayley?”

“She’s inside with Dylan. She’s worried about you. Do you want Dylan and I to stay?”

“I hadn’t thought that far. I assumed if she told you, you would likely come in swinging and then I’d be alone anyway.”

“Now who’s making judgments?” I’m finally able to rise to bridge the physical distance between us by putting my arm around his shoulder. I stand directly beside him to make my next statement very clear. “You’re not alone. We’re here. We’re all here. I’m going to be here, no matter what. It’s my turn to hold the controls. Okay?”

Wes doesn’t respond with words. He turns and hugs me. I can feel what he’s trying to hide. His anger is a mask. I can feel him shaking. This isn’t a simple hug. It’s one of fear, thanks, and his need to give in to how he’s feeling deep in the places only I would understand.

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