Page 66 of Knocked up By the Minotaur

“You came tonight knowing I’d be here with Grace,” I say quietly, without much emotion, since all I feel is emptiness. “You saw how we were at dinner, saw us leave together.”

“Oli, I—”

“You are arrogant and cruel. I don’t have the energy to deal with your games.” I shove her coat against her chest once more and turn away. “I made a mistake being with you.”

I don’t look at her again as I walk away, leaving her standing alone in my living room to see herself out.

And I don’t stop thinking of Grace, not for one second, for the entire night.

Grace and our baby. My baby.

I… I’m going to be a…

Chapter 25

Grace

I’m going to be a single mom.

I sit at the kitchen table, stirring my coffee more from habit than need. I poured the creamer in about an hour ago, and I still haven’t taken a sip. My eyes are swollen from crying, and every limb feels heavy and clunky. I barely slept at all last night, managing only a few exhausted hours after I’d cried all the tears left inside me.

I should have known better. I had known better, but I let myself get swept away on a fool’s hope again, like an idiot. Oli isn’t going to change, isn’t going to suddenly become the family man I’ve always yearned for. He told me exactly who he was, and I chose not to believe him, didn’t I? I let my hopes, and my fantasies get the better of me again, let my dumb little heart convince me once more that this time, this time it would be different.

But I saw his face when I’d told him I was pregnant. He’d looked terrified. He’d literally shaken his head and backed away from me, probably coming back to his senses and reevaluating the idea of being in a committed relationship now that it was real.

In the end, Sera’s appearance was probably a blessing. The final nail in my coffin, the last reminder of reality, to get my head out of my ass and back here on planet earth.

I can’t even blame Oli, not really. I’m the idiot here. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me three times? Different man, same story repeated. And me, the biggest fool of them all.

I shouldn’t have let myself hope. I should have been realistic, and then maybe it wouldn’t hurt so much. Maybe I’d be able to handle having Oli pull back and offer bare-minimum support to his child as required by law.

But I had to go and have hope. I let myself trust his words, his promises, and that crushed me all the more. I knowthat nice words are just that—words. Empty air that sounds good, but means nothing more. Hadn’t Brad at least taught me that much?

Jesus fucking Christ, I’m a mess.

“Mamma?”

I take a deep breath and wipe at my cheeks, before Lucas enters the kitchen holding his stuffed dinosaur tightly.

“Yes, baby?”

“Can I have a snack, please?”

“Sure.” I rummage around in the cupboards for some cheese and crackers, and when I hand them to him in his plastic dinosaur bowl, he stares up at me with shimmering eyes and a wobbly lip.

“I’m sad today.”

I feel my expression crumple, and I drop to my knees before him. “Oh, baby, what’s wrong?”

He shrugs his little shoulders. “I don’t know. You look so sad, and it makes me feel sad, too.”

“I’m not—” I sigh and pull him into a hug. There’s no point in lying. “Sometimes, even adults are sad. It’s okay, I’ll feel better soon.”

“Maybe we can go to the park?” he suggests as he pulls back. “The park always makes me happy. It can make you be happy, too.”

My heart warms. He’s such a good boy. “Alright, we can go to the park. But maybe in a little while? Mommy’s not ready right now.”

“Okay.” He nods and hands me one of his crackers, before heading back to the room downstairs full of his toys.

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