Page 78 of My Damaged Protector

He left on his own accord, and I'm not about to beg him to come back. Maybe if he'd been patient like I asked of him, I would eventually tell him everything. But now, he'll never know. At least I won't have to endure the pain of having him reject me when he finds out I'm pregnant.

“God, I wish I could talk to Olivia so badly right now. I want to tell her about the new addition to our life, you know? But I can't call her because I can't risk it.”

My aunt smiles in understanding, her hand rubbing my back in a soothing motion.

“You're a good mother, Sarah. I'm sure all this will blow over soon and you can speak with her.”

I don't feel like it. I rarely speak with her because I'm trying to protect her. She's no longer a small girl, and the older she gets, the more questions she has. Questions I can't answer.

The bell to the house rings, and my aunt and I immediately exchange a look of surprise. I'm immediately on my feet, my heart jumping to my throat as I hope it's Ian.

I'll be so happy if it is. I won't even hesitate to apologize to him.

My aunt and I leave my room, and we go into the living room. She opens the door, insisting that I stay back just in case it isn't Ian.

She opens the door. The voice that responds to her greeting isn't Ian’s. It's a female voice. And the words she utters immediately make me wish we'd never left my room.

Damn it.

23

IAN

I go straightto the bar from the house.

Where else is there for me to go?

I don't trust myself enough to leave town yet. Although I gave her an ultimatum, I'm not stupid enough to try and actually walk away from her until I'm certain she's safe.

So, as I walk to the bar, I try to keep from driving myself insane by trying to figure out what she's keeping from me or why she's keeping it from me.

If she doesn't stop me, I'm not going to beg her to. I'll stay around until I'm certain the risk to her safety is taken care of, then I'm going to have to figure out what I'm going to do next.

Something tells me it's not going to be taking my job back.

I'm not sure yet though.

The first thing I do as I enter the bar is order a glass of whiskey. I would take beer, but it's not going to do much for me. While I may understand Sarah's situation right now, it doesn't change the fact that she showed me to the door. Literally.

Did I first point out the door was there for me to take? Yes. But it was a bluff.

Taking a sip of my drink, I look around the empty bar and shake my head. I'm literally the only one here. What's someone going to think if they see me here? I don't know anyone around here enough to care so there's that.

As if prompted by my thoughts, the door to the bar opens, and in comes Christopher with a wary look on his face.

Just my luck, huh?

He walks up to me, his eyes pinned on the glass in my grip. Taking a seat without asking, he's soon beside me with a questioning look in his eyes.

Not wanting him to be the one to start the conversation, I speak. “Fancy meeting you here.”

He shoots me a look, his lips pressed thin. He has something to say, but he's not saying it.

“What? You're not going to say anything?”

Rolling his eyes at me, he looks away, the back of his neck red in probably annoyance or irritation.

“It's not my place to say anything.”

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