Page 85 of Before I Loved You

My arms hold her closer, possessively against my chest. My lips brush over her forehead. “That was perfect.”

We hold each other tightly, neither wanting this moment to end. Eventually, when I look down at Sarah’s closed eyes and parted lips, letting me know she’s asleep, I glide us down onto the sofa, holding her snugly against my body. My bicep slides under her head as a personal pillow as I fall asleep beside her, wishing we could spend every night like this together.

nineteen

SARAH

Nerves rattle every square inch of me as I repeatedly tap my pencil on my desk, guilt increasingly eating away at me. Even going out with Natalie and Vanessa last night didn’t help much with putting my mind at ease. If anything, it just made me feel guiltier for keeping my pregnancy a secret from them as well.

Not being able to tell Paul that I’m pregnant with his baby is taking a toll on me, both physically and mentally. I haven’t been able to sleep more than a few hours, and when I do fall asleep, I wake up drenched in sweat from the same nightmare. Greyson standing over me, laughing menacingly, with his laptop in his hand, pressing upload for the world to see…me.

I cringe, internally shaking my head.

Thanksgiving with Paul’s family last week was perfect. I might have been a little overwhelmed at first, being in a home with people I don’t know, but that feeling was soon replaced with warmth. Whether by Mrs. Weston, Tina, or even his brothers, they welcomed me into their home as though I were part of their family.

It felt…strange, but in a good way. It was an unfamiliar emotion that I hoped I might be able to feel again someday.

And it was becoming increasingly apparent how much Paul wanted me in his life. I mean, the man has pretty much spelled it out on a billboard for me, but with the ominous blackmail cloud hanging over my head every single day, I haven’t opened my eyes to see what being with Paul would mean clearly.

But now I know it would mean being with someone who makes me feel like all the bad days are behind me. Like there is hope and happiness just waiting for me at the end of the tunnel, as long as I take his hand and walk through it with him by my side.

So, enough is enough. It’s time to put an end to this blackmail bullshit because I won’t stand by and let someone like Greyson Black drag me, Paul, or our baby down with him.

I won’t let it happen.

I just need to think harder, and a plan will come. I know it will.

I press my palms to the side of my head and close my eyes. Think. Think. Think.

“Are you sure you can get into the professor’s computer to change my grade?”

The low, husky voice to my right breaks me from my haze.

“Are you kidding? I doubt he even has a password for that ancient piece of junk. It’ll be like taking candy from a baby.”

I peek over my shoulder to see a guy I recognize from the basketball team. I’m not sure, but I think his name is Glen.

“How much will it cost me?” the guy in the blue hoody asks quietly.

Glen glimpses around, ensuring no one is eavesdropping. My eyes are glued to the textbook before me, pretending to be skimming the pages.

“Two hundred and fifty. And you need to keep your mouth shut. If I go down, you go down,” Glen threatens.

“Yeah. Yeah. I won’t say anything. I just really need to pass this class. I won’t get into law school if I don’t.” I notice the guy wearing blue fidgeting nervously with his hair.

“Like I said, it’s a piece of cake. There are only five minutes left of class, and I need more time than that to do this. During our next class, I’ll be able to access his hard drive as soon as he’s hooked up to the Wi-Fi. As long as his device and my device are both using the same Wi-Fi, it’ll work. So, don’t worry. You’ll be passing this class by the end of the week.” Glen pats the guy on the shoulder reassuringly.

“Thanks, man.”

So Glen is a little computer whiz. Huh. I wish I knew how to hack into computers. It might come in handy, especially with… That’s it!

“All right, I’ll see everyone in the next class. Don’t forget to turn in your essays on your way out,” the professor announces to the students, eagerly filing out into the halls.

I quickly shove everything in my bag and run out the door, heading straight to work like a girl on a mission.

Greyson Black is about to regret ever threatening me.

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