Page 36 of Burden to Bear

In an instant, Brock’s hand fell from my shoulder, and he righted himself. The look on his face changed, worry creeping in.

That’s when it hit me.

Brock might have been interested in me when he thought I was single and not carrying another man’s baby. This pregnancy changed everything for him. Sure, he was a good guy, and I didn’t think he’d ever be truly unkind to me, but this wasn’t something he wanted in his life.

“Oh, Mia. Um, I’m really sorry, but?—”

“Silly me,” I interrupted him. “What was I thinking? I’m sorry. Tonight actually doesn’t work for me. I forgot that I’ve got… something going on. You know what? I should really get going. I just wanted to drop the cookies off for you, and I’m so glad you like them. I’m going to head out now.”

I was panicking. I couldn’t handle more rejection. This was all coming at me faster than I could cope with. As quickly as I could, I stepped around him and moved toward the exit.

“Mia, wait!”

My legs carried me forward. “It’s okay, Brock. Really, I do need to get going.”

Just as I made it to the door and pulled it open, Brock’s fingers curled around my wrist. “Wait a minute,” he pleaded with me.

Tears were filling my eyes again.

I needed to get out of here, but I didn’t think he was going to let that happen without saying whatever he needed to say.

Pressing my lips together, I cautiously lifted my gaze to his.

“I’m so sorry about this. I’d love to get together with you, but I’ve already got plans for dinner tonight, and?—”

I yanked my hand from his and held it up between us. “It’s okay. Honestly, don’t worry about it. Enjoy your evening. Enjoy the cookies. Thank you for the eggs. And I’m sure I’ll see you at the mailbox on Monday.”

Without giving him a chance to respond, I turned and walked out of the house.

As quickly as my feet would take me, I moved toward my own home.

And with every step I took, my harsh new reality hit me.

Sure, I hadn’t exactly been looking to dive right into another relationship immediately, but it hadn’t hit me until I asked Brock to have dinner with me tonight that I realized just how unlikely the possibility of it ever happening would be.

Why would a man like Brock, who could have it all, ever want anything to do with a woman like me, someone who was already used up?

ELEVEN

Brock

This was a disaster.

She left so fast.

There was a part of me that wanted to go after her, to get her to stop and listen to me, so she’d understand.

But I could see the toll the entire situation was taking on Mia, and the last thing I wanted to do was upset her more than she already was.

Of all the days for Mia to mention the two of us having dinner together, it had to be today.

Talk about regret.

The timing of this couldn’t have been any worse.

If only I had sealed the deal with Mia days ago. I’d seen her nearly every day over this past week when we both got home from work. I could have chosen any one of those opportunities to set something in stone, and I hadn’t.

It was stupid.

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