Page 73 of Filthy Liar

I watch as she sinks down beside me and hands me a chocolate cupcake. “Fresh out of the oven,” she whispers.

Reaching over, I take the cupcake from her grasp. Bringing it to my lips, I open my mouth and sink my teeth into the deliciously decadent chocolate. Then I close my eyes, and my head falls back against the door as I let out a moan.

“I figured you needed something to pick you up after that rush.”

“That was insane,” I whisper.

She laughs. “Since Shawn started going to the farmers’ markets, we can’t keep the shelves full. It’s been amazing but also exhausting.”

I swing my head toward her while opening my eyes, taking in her profile for a moment. She looks beyond exhausted. Then it hits me. She’s not just tired. She’s pregnant.

“You’re pregnant,” I state.

Her eyes widen, and her head whips around to meet mine as she sucks in a deep breath and holds it for a moment.

“You are,” I murmur.

“I just found out this morning. I haven’t even told Grover yet.”

Smiling, I take another bite of the chocolate cupcake. “I knew you would be. Just the way you gushed about your man, I knew it was happening again. It’s clear how much you love him.”

Her lips curve up into a grin. She takes another bite of her cupcake but doesn’t say anything. I can tell she’s deep in thought, happily dreaming about her new future. Family of five.

Watching her, I wonder what it feels like to be so in love with your man, with your life, that you want to fill the world with the evidence of that love. It’s beautiful. All the women love their men so much that it oozes out of them.

“Are you going to try for kids right away with Clink?” she asks.

I can’t help it. The bark of laughter that escapes is a little too high-pitched and a little too loud. Ryan reaches over and takes my hand in hers, but she doesn’t respond to my outburst.

“I think I’ll wait a while. Like forever,” I snort.

She hums but doesn’t respond immediately. Her hand squeezes mine, and she leans back against the door again.

“I left for six years and had Adam while I was away. I thought for sure that I would never see Grover again. And nowI’m having my third baby with him. So don’t make any decisions yet.”

Ryan doesn’t understand. She has no clue what it’s like for me. Humble’s lies, his betrayal. She has no idea. I had no idea that her life hadn’t been all sunshine and roses. But at the same time, she has no idea what mine has been like, either.

I’m not going to compare traumas, though. It doesn’t matter. None of it does. This is a happy moment for her, and I’m not going to bring her buzz down. So, instead of telling her all about how much of an asshole Humble has been, I just give her a smile.

“I won’t make any,” I say.

But what I don’t say is that I’ve already made my decisions. I made them a while ago. My house is up for sale, and I’m leaving. I know that if I don’t, this man will suck me back into him every minute of every day. I can’t walk away from him, not willingly. So I’m going to have to just do it.

I’m going to have to pack my shit and walk away.

Run away.

Far, far away.

Once we finish our cupcakes, I stand and help Ryan to her feet. “If you tell me how to close up, I can do that so you can head home.”

She smiles, shaking her head a couple of times. “Grover is doing some stuff for the club. The sitter is still at the house. So no worries.”

It doesn’t take us long to clean the shop and lock up. It’s time to start my shift at Sal’s, so I wave to Ryan and head out to the bar. I try not to think about Humble and my predicament.

Because it is a predicament.

I have feelings for him, big and strong ones. But this man has done nothing but lie to me. The fact that I’m conflicted makes me the biggest fucking fool in the whole-ass world. Which means that I know what I need to do.

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