Page 113 of Forking the Billionaire

I could cauterize the wound before it drained the life out of me.

I’d spare us both the hurt.

“There’s something I have to—” he started.

At the same time, I said, “We don’t have to make a big deal?—”

A softness passed between us. It would have made me smile if the inevitable words we both needed to say didn’t hurt so deeply.

“You go ahead,” he said.

You can do this.

I took a moment, and a deep breath. Then, before I lost my nerve, I let it all out in a rush. “This week has been fun. It always had a time limit, and that’s okay. We knew that from the start.”

Jasper’s green eyes were too soft, like a summer field full of lush grass to roll around in.

“Bramble.”

He said my nickname like he, too, was mourning the possibilities that could have been between us. It felt like he wished I hadn’t moved to the island, like if we hadn’t grown up next door to each other, that maybe it wouldn’t have to end here.

It was a name filled with a history that I’d come to cherish, the good and the bad.

Jasper’s gaze flicked to a spot next to me on the ground, and his eyes sharpened.

It was like he just remembered he’d left the stove on in a house filled with propane.

“What?” I asked, worry slowly constricting my chest.

Upbeat music played from someone’s phone, as everyone danced. They felt distant, like we weren’t even on the same beach anymore.

“Is that…” Jasper’s skin went ashen.

I whisper hissed,“What?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat.

I looked at the ground where he was looking. There was something dark there, like the sand was wet. I ran my hand over the spot, still not sure what Jasper was so upset about.

I lifted my palm in front of me, and found something wet on my fingers.

“Hospital, now,” he whispered, gently lifting me to my feet.

The wetness was also on my leg, which I hadn’t noticed while I was sitting because of how cold the sand felt.

I lifted my shawl with me. It was stained red.

Blood.

Jasper thought I was sitting in a puddle of blood. He thought I was bleeding….Ohmygoodness, the baby.

Panic pulsed through my veins. Thank goodness Jasper hurried me away from the fire, toward Rum Bum Tiki Tavern. The bar was closed. This was a smart move. I wasn’t sure if I could think well enough to put one foot in front of the other on my own at the moment.

The excitement continued on the beach, and in the back of my mind, a little voice wondered if we should say something. But what excuse could we make? I could hardly handle the situation on my own, let alone deal with Gabe for this.

“We’re calling an ambulance,” Jasper said in a stern voice.

Yes, I felt quite wet, but I wasn’t in any pain.

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