Page 60 of Strike Zone

“Really?” He sips his coffee, letting the silence choke it out of me.

“The long and the short of it is, I thought we were dating exclusively. Turns out, he has a wife.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah. I found out two weeks before the fight. I ended it immediately. I need you to know that I’d never knowingly sleep with a married man or be a part of cheating in any way.”

“You don’t need to explain yourself to me.”

“I do. I feel so… dirty. And guilty.”

“You have nothing to feel guilty for. That fucking scumbag is the one who should be held accountable. Did his wife find out?”

I hang my head in shame. I took the easy route and pretended it’s not my place to tell her. “No. And I haven’t contacted her. She deserves to know what her husband does when she’s not around, but I’m selfish, and I don’t want my name dragged through the papers as a homewrecking adulteress.”

“Can I ask one thing?”

“What?”

“How long were you together?”

“A year. I had no idea. I thought I knew him, but in the end, I only saw what he let me. I’ve gone over every interaction I can remember, trying to figure out if there were glaring signs I chose to ignore.”

“He’s the douchebag from the wedding.”

“You noticed my date that night?”

“I couldn’t give two fucks about him. I noticed everything about you. If I’d had my way, you’d have been in my arms and my bed that night.”

Oh, how I wish I could go back in time and change that one day. I’d have saved myself a year of regret and self-doubt. I felt Linc’s eyes on me that night, but I’m not a cheater—or at least I wasn’t until Anthony turned me into one. If I’d paid attention to the little ways he controlled me from the start, maybe I would’ve realized his deception sooner.

“In hindsight, I’d have let you.”

Chapter Fourteen

DIANA

I’ve been pacing my apartment since six o’clock this morning. Woken by an overwhelming need to empty the contents of my stomach, it’s become the expected way I start my day. Today, the nausea is threefold—the baby doesn’t seem to like my diet of nutritional food, I have my ultrasound today, and a wave of panic sets in every time I think about Linc taking me to my appointment.

Facing being a single mom is terrifying, but I’d made some kind of peace with it before Linc found out. Deep down, I knew I had to tell him, but I thought I had more time to figure it all out. Having him find out the way he did left a sour taste in my mouth, and I know he has reservations about all of this. How can he trust me when I kept this from him?

He’s been encouraging me to tell Brooke since we returned from the Hamptons a few weeks ago, but there’s something nice about having this secret with him. There’s an intimacy to it that transcends the physical relationship that got us here in the first place.

When my phone pings with a message from Linc letting me know that he’s idling on the curb outside my building, a wave of nausea takes over, and I have to run to the bathroom, forfeiting my breakfast before I’m ready to face him.

The second he spies me, he’s out of the car and opening the passenger door. “Morning, southpaw.”

“Hey, Linc. Thanks for coming with me this morning.”

“I said I would.”

“I know, but…” He stops me in my tracks as he closes the door behind me and jogs back around to the driver’s side. As he slides in, I can’t help noticing the way his lithe body moves—effortless—exuding sex appeal.

“But nothing. I’m the dad. I may not be your ideal choice for the role, but I promise you, I’ll learn to be good at it. I’m going to be here every step of the way. Today is about two friends hanging out, and we just happen to be taking a look at your uterus to see my spawn growing inside you.”

“God, don’t say that. I’m nervous. What if the doctor missed something last time? Or something has gone wrong since then? What if it’s squished, or they don’t find a heartbeat, or it has two heads?” He reaches for my hand, resting the other on the wheel before pulling out into traffic.

“It’s going to be fine.”

---