Page 28 of Won’t Let You Get Away

“Okay first and foremost, I need you to stop saying you’re being emotional like it’s a bad thing. You’re experiencing emotions, and strong ones at that. There’s nothing wrong with feeling whatever you do.”

He rubs my arm soothingly as he speaks.

“And secondly, you’re not a terrible person. Should you have slept with Noah without telling him about the baby? Probably not. But both of you gave consent and got caught up in your attraction to each other. If you think it was a mistake, apologize when you explain everything to him. Only he can tell you if it was right or wrong.” He pauses, dropping his head to rest on top of mine. “But that doesn’t make you a terrible person.”

“Then why do I feel so…awful?” I grumble.

“The fact that you feel this way only further solidifies my point. Shitty people don’t care how their actions affect others, only how their actions benefit them. You feel this way becauseyou know there is a small chance that your choice is going to upset Noah and that was never your intention. Everything from the holidays and your history with him aside, you don’t want to hurt him because you care about him.” Tucker squeezes me before continuing.

“You care, Sabrina. About your family and the vineyard. About this baby, about Noah. You’re so caught up in thinking about how he’s going to react, how you can make this easier for him or make all of this affect as few people as possible that you’re not seeing the most important part.”

“And what’s that?” I whisper, wiping the tears from my eyes.

“You’re the one pregnant, Sabrina.”

“Um, pretty sure I see that part.”

Tucker lightly pinches my arm.

“It takes two people to create a baby. Yet you’re doing all the hard work—growing a human, carrying it, then delivering it. You care so much for this baby that you’re trying to figure all this out with Noahbeforeit’s born. Yes, it’s messy. Yes, you’re probably going to cry a lot more. But you’re handling it now so that whatever happens between the two of you, doesn’t impact the baby.”

“I just want the baby to be happy,” I whisper, gently placing a hand on my stomach.

“And baby Jones is going to be happy as long as you are.”

His statement makes me pause, so Tucker takes that as a sign to continue.

“You keep putting off telling Noah because you’re scared he’s going to be upset. But what if he’s not? What if telling him is what helps makeyouhappy?”

“When did you become so wise?” I tease, avoiding answering him and admitting just how on the nose he is.

Tucker laughs, finally letting me go and standing up.

“I’ve always been wise; you’ve just never needed me to be that way for you.”

Extending my foot, I tap his calf.

“I’ve always needed you Tuck. You’re my best friend.”

He smiles, eyes twinkling as he cleans up my mess of tissues.

“Pretty sure I’m your only friend, Sassy.”

I reach for the washcloth, chucking it at him as he skips away. Sighing, I lay back on the couch, thinking over everything that happened and everything Tucker said.

By the time Tuck leaves, reminding me to lock up behind him, I’ve decided that no matter how many emotions I feel, I’ll tell Noah about the baby… once the weekend is over.

NOAH

“Good news, Rosie’s not sick,” AJ says as he barges into my office and flops onto the couch.

“What’s going on with her then?” I ask, getting up from my desk.

He fills out paperwork for the visit in silence. After almost a decade of working as our farm’s vet, I know that AJ doing paperwork while we talk means Rosie is fine. I turn towards the filing cabinets and wait for him to finish writing.

“No issues with her health,” he finally says as I tug open the drawer. “She’s pregnant.”

His words catch me off guard, and I let go of the drawer, wincing as it hits me in the gut. “What?” I choke out, rubbing my stomach where it hit.

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