Page 34 of His Bittersweet Regret

“I’m not staying gone, Opal.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Because I’m still fucking in love with you.”

“Oh, that’s rich! It was just two days ago that you were fucking someone else. That sounds an awful lot like you’re really in love with me.”

“Opal, I already told you that was a mistake, and don’t try to be cute. You knew I thought there was another man involved in making that baby.”

“Well, that just shows how little you think of me.” My hands shook as his implication, his assessment of my character burned through my battered soul. “Your assertion that I would go out and do that, when I was literally balled up on the floor and dying of a broken heart instead, is insulting.”

I moved forward and poked my finger into his chest with purpose. “It was you who wanted your freedom. You who wanted to fuck other women. You who wanted to know what it was like to date someone other than me. I never wanted any of that, so you, Marshal Kennedy, can go fuck yourself and stay far away from me while you do it.”

“What happened to you?” He whispered.

“YOU DID! You happened to me. You broke me! Now get the hell out of my house!”

“Come on, man. You need to leave her alone. It’s not good for her or the baby to be upset like this. She’s already exhausted.” Ryker – the voice of reason – spoke in gentle tones to his brother as he all but pulled him out of my apartment.

I had just enough energy to lock the door and make it back to the couch before I passed out into a fitful sleep of horrible dreams and tear-stained pillows.

~*~

“Girl, I am never leaving town again without you,” Bethany promised as I finally finished the recap of everything that had taken place in her absence. “Although,” she said while glancing around the tiny little apartment. “I’m not too thrilled about your current living situation, either.”

“I already told you, if I’m going to have a car payment and all the baby expenses to think of, then I have to be frugal with where we live for now. Maybe once I have the car paid off, I’ll be able to afford something a bit bigger.”

“Why isn’t Mr. Marshal Kennedy going to be providing support for all of this baby expense you’re going to have?”

“Seriously? There’s no way I’m asking him for anything.”

“But it’s not for you. It’s for your son.”

I shook my head. “It’s bad enough that he’ll probably want visitation or something to appease his family, now that everyone knows.”

“What’s so wrong with that? As much as he’s been a jackass these past six months, Marsh isn’t a bad man. His family are usually good people too – if you don’t count his despicable brothers.”

“Uh-huh, and now I have to worry about whether Monica, or that pixie girl from the party that instigated our breakup, or maybe some other awful woman will be playing house with my son. Beth, I don’t think I can handle it. Things were bad enough when I knew Marsh was sharing himself with those women, but how am I going to take it when he’s sharing my son with them? Having them play mommy for him? I don’t think I could handle it if he came home and got mad at me and said he liked them better. His dad already chose them over me. How would I be able to breathe if my son did too?”

“Oh, sweetie,” Beth cooed as she pulled me into a hug.

“I would never put you in that position,” a deep voice called out by the door, startling both Beth and me.

“What are you doing in my house?”

“You didn’t lock your door.” He ignored the rest of the implied question, considering I told him I didn’t want him coming around anymore the last time he was here. “And I said that I would never put you in that position with our son.”

“Excuse me if I don’t believe you, Marsh, considering you already put me in that position with you.”

“Son of a…” he growled under his breath. “Beth, you mind stepping out for a bit, so Opal and I can have a conversation?”

“You mean the conversation you should have had with her a little more than six months ago?” She asked, while tapping her foot impatiently at him.

He glared at her for a minute, before he refocused all of his attention on me. “I’m sorry for how I handled every single thing. It was all stupid, and a waste of time.”

“Well, I’m glad your waste of time was worth all the heartbreak I suffered.”

“It wasn’t. If you’d just listen,” he begged.

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