Page 31 of The Forever Game

“Do you have any idea how lucky you are?” I snap.

Caroline and Troy both jerk, twisting their heads to gape at me. Troy blinks his big eyes, and Caroline’s lips part.

“Don’t you dare complain about one. Single. Thing!” I point at her. “Your life is perfect, okay? You have two beautiful boys and a daughter on the way! How dare you stand there whining when there are some people out there who would kill to have what you have.”

“Ray, I?—”

“Don’t even talk to me,” I screech. “I can’t be here. I can’t watch this!” A sob pops out of my mouth and I spin from the room, racing down the stairs as Caroline feebly tries to call me back.

I ignore her, storming out to the car and slamming myself into it.

Covering my face, I give in to my tears and let them wrench through my body. My stomach convulses, my shoulders shaking as I sit in the Pierce driveway and mourn once again.

But this time it’s worse, because I’m not just lamenting the loss of this little girl who I thought would be ours. I’m also riddled with guilt over shouting in front of Troy and being such a bitch to Caroline. Her day has been bad enough as it is, and I’ve probably made it a hundred times worse. But I can’t walk back into that house.

I can’t do it.

I just want to go.

“Hurry up, Liam,” I whisper, cringing when I think about what Caroline must be saying to him.

Swiping tears off my face, I sniff and start hunting for a tissue. I find one at the very bottom of my bag and whimper, ripping it as I pull it from the packet, then weeping all over again.

Seriously, Ray? You’re crying over a ripped tissue.

That gets the tears going even more, and by the time Liam finally joins me, my face is a blotchy mess.

“Sorry I took a minute,” he murmurs as soon as he slips into the driver’s seat. “I wanted to split myself in half and be in two places at once. I couldn’t just leave Billy and?—”

“It’s okay.” I shake my head, wiping my face again and sniffing. “You did the right thing. I’m the one being unreasonable.”

“Cariña,” he whispers, lightly cupping the back of my head. “It’s okay. Caroline said you got a phone call.”

“Yeah,” I squeak. “From the adoption agency.”

He sighs, sadness washing over his expression as he reads my face and immediately works out the news.

“I should have known it was too good to be true. We were warned this whole process would take months, a year even, and it all came together so quickly.” I shake my head, the words wobbling out of me.

“Is she keeping it?” His voice is rough and gravelly, like it’s hurting him to speak.

“Yeah.” My stomach jerks with a sob. “The family wants to keep it. Her parents called and said the adoption’s not happening anymore,” I whimper. “I’m heartbroken.”

“Me too.” He nods, his lips rising into a brave smile, but it’s etched with sadness, and he’s soon frowning down at his lap.

I lean toward him, wrapping my arms around his neck, and he holds me tight. “This sucks.”

“Yeah.” He squeezes me close and I instantly feel better, knowing I’m not alone in this pain. “But we’ll get through this, and when the time’s right, we’ll get our baby.”

“You don’t know that.” My words are muffled by his shirt.

He strokes my hair. “I guess not.” Then he pulls back to cup my face. His soft brown gaze is so deep and beautiful. I sink into it. “We have each other. And Ray, that might have to be enough.”

My lips tremble as fresh tears line my lashes.

His eyebrows crinkle with worry. “Is it enough for you?”

“Of course it is.” I nod. “I love you. You’re the best husband in the world. And I’m grateful, I really am. I just wanted the whole package, you know? Does that make me a bad person?”

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