Page 66 of The Wrong Side Of Us

“Answer me.”

“Evelyn—”

“No,” I hissed. “If you want me to trust you, you need to give me something, anything. I’m risking my relationship, my family, for you. A man I hardly know. So if you want my trust, earn it.”

Seeing my determination, Derek gave in. “I was meant to make your life miserable, cause problems for you and Nathan. I figured Hannah is in jail, so you needed to suffer too.”

“What does Hannah have to do with any of this?” I asked this time. Derek didn’t seem like a vengeful person.

He grimaced. “We had issues. I thought you were like her, and well…you’re not, clearly. But now I need to get out of the shit I got into, and it’s not as fucking easy as I thought it would be.” Derek placed a tentative hand over my belly, a soft laugh leaving his lips. Admiration covered his features, and when his eyes met mine, I gulped, taken aback by the intensity of his emotions. “You are everything I never thought you would be.”

His words brought tears to my eyes. Why? Well, that wasn’t something that I could understand.

“I’m sorry about your relationship with Nathan. If I’d known, I would have never…I would have never tried to hurt you. Hate is an evil thing, though, and I was blinded by it.”

“It’s too late for that,” I whispered. “You’re here now. I deserve to know what’s going on.”

“Evie—”

“No,” I interrupted. “I received a call, and it was weird, Derek. I need to know what’s going on, and you need to tell me soon.”

The whole time, he didn’t move his hand away from my belly, his thumb now moving gently over the dress. After considering it for a few minutes, he nodded. “Just give me a few days. That’s all I ask for, okay?”

I said yes. Derek didn’t move his hand away from my belly, now both our attention on the sax player and the people dancing in front of us. It didn’t feel strange, didn’t feel odd, so I let myself relax for a moment, taking in his appearance.

He was very calm, at ease.

“How did you know I was here?” I asked him, breaking our silence.

“I didn’t.” He grinned. “I come here when I need time to think. I suppose great minds think alike.”

I scoffed, leaning back when I felt something…something I’d never felt before. The expression on my face must have changed, because Derek’s eyes widened in alarm. “Are you okay?”

I shushed him, placing my hand over his and moving it over to the left side of my belly, waiting. Sure that it was my imagination, I was about to remove it until I felt the gentle fluttering again.

“Did you feel that?” I asked Derek, smiling so widely my cheeks hurt.

He gave me a questioning look until I held his hand down firmly. Amazed, Derek laughed at the soft movement he felt. “Your baby is moving.”

As happy as I was, my happiness wasn’t complete, not until I shared that moment with Nathan. No matter the situation we were in, as the father of my baby, he deserved to be a part of this moment.

“Can you drive me to the gallery?” I asked Derek with a hopeful smile. “Please, I need to show Nathan.”

He chuckled, squeezing my hand. “Of course, let’s go.”

***

“I’ll leave you here,” Derek said at the entrance of the gallery. He shifted on his feet, sighing before pulling me into a hug.

I smiled, returning the hug just as strongly. “Take care, Derek. Call me when you’re ready to tell me what’s going on.”

“I will, I promise, okay?”

When I stepped inside, the first thing I did was search for Nathan desperately. His gaze was already on me, though, and my heart dropped. He didn’t seem happy to see me.

Nevertheless, I approached him eagerly. He excused himself from the conversation he was in and nodded towards his office. I followed the silent instruction, walking—nearly running—from the excitement.

“Hey,” I said, gazing up at him.

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