Page 113 of Scores Of The Heart

“I am telling you the truth!”

“Do you seriously expect me to believe that you’re going to just let the mother of your unborn child walk away?”

“I want to be in the baby’s life, Cindy. But I don’t want to be with Stacey anymore. I’m not in love with her. I’m in love with you.”

She scoffs. It’s the first time I’ve seen her even a little fired up. “You know, the last guy that said that to me screwed another girl right before my eyes!”

“I’m not him, Cindy. I’d never do something like that.”

Tears spring to her eyes. And I feel like such a fucking jerk for upsetting her like this. My mind flicks into captain mode. I know I’m not dealing with the team now and my captaincy means shit here, but I need to broach it as carefully and tactically as I would if I were with one of the team right now.

I need to put my feelings aside and reassure her.

“Baby, I love you.” I stand to reach for her, but she pushes me away.

“I think you should go. We need some space, and I need to process this.”

“I don’t want to leave it like this.”

“I’m going to need some time.”

“I want you to know there’s zero chance of me getting back with Stacey.”

“You say that now, but you’re about to see her heavily pregnant!”

“That doesn’t matter. What matters is how I feel about you. I’ll do anything for you. Why do you think I’m here? I was going to tell you after I saw her today, but I couldn’t keep it in any longer.”

“But you’ve been okay to screw me senseless every day and sleep in my bed every night!”

I don’t like her talking about it like that, like what we do is a dirty, sinful act.

But now she’s sounding like she’s seeing it that way.

“That part was wrong. I should have told you in Miami, I admit that. But it doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

“It changes everything, Ty.”

Her words hit me like a tonne of bricks. I stare at her, realizing, not for the first time, that this could be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

She’s pissed, and for good reason. But I’m here, aren’t I?

But maybe it isn’t enough. Maybe I’ve fucked it up for good this time.

CHAPTER 23

Tyler

I’m upset she thinks I’m anything like that asshole she told me about, Damon.

For one, I’m not a cheater, and two, there’s no other girl I want.

I knew I was making a rod for my own back when I kept the Stacey thing from her, but I was genuinely trying to do the right thing and find out the facts.

I thought she may cut me some slack since I’ve only just learned this information myself, and Stacey has been ghosting me since we got back from Miami.

“Can we talk later?” I ask, before I make for the door. I need to get uptown anyway and meet her soon. But I don’t want to leave it this way.

She blinks up at me. “Let me know how it goes.”