Page 62 of Bullied Pregnant Mate

"That's sorry," she said, "About our fight. But you could have just said that. You didn't have to do this." She looked around. "You do this when you're in love and when you want to prove something."

I straightened myself. "And what if that's what I'm trying to do?"

She stiffened and took a step back. She quickly shook her head. "You're not. You…” She swallowed, licking her lips. She fell silent for a moment before she shook her head again. "We agreed to a fake marriage…"

"Yeah, that we did, but I don't recall agreeing to a real baby." I paused, realizing how wrong that sounded.

Her lips formed a line. "Well, you didn't exactly argue when we were fucking making the baby, did you."

"That came out wrong, Gina. I mean…"

"I know what you meant," she snapped, looking away from me. "And this," she waved her hand around. "This is wrong because you don't love me. You don't know me."

"And maybe I'm trying to," I snapped back. "Jesus, Gina. I have done so many things to prove that I'm trying here. I've been in your corner the second you came here."

"That doesn't erase all those other years." She yelled, her voice echoing around us.

"I know that!" I growled back. "Don't you think I know that! Don't you think I'm aware of how shitty I treated you! How wrong I had been! God, Gina! I'm trying to make up for it! I'm trying to fix it."

"You can't fix the past!" She screamed. "How in God's name can we have a child together when we don't know each other? You don't love me. You don't know me!"

I ground my teeth together. "Because you won't let me. You won't let me in. How am I supposed to get to know you when you have your damn walls up and you don't let anyone in. You hold me at a distance, and no matter what I do, you won't let me get closer to you."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "I've protected myself for years, Lucas. You don't get to insult me because it's how I survived."

"And what about now? What about everyone in this town? They are nothing like our old pack. When are you going to get it through your head that you're not there anymore."

"Right around the time you start opening up yourself, Lucas. You wanna say I won't open up? How about you look in the mirror? What exactly is it you want from me? Why hang around me?"

I froze. I couldn't argue with her about that. I thought of Cayden's words. Just be honest. Open up.

"I want a future with you," I said, finally getting the words out.

She looked utterly shocked and swallowed. She took a slow breath in, but I continued. "I want to be around you. I don't want some fake marriage. I don't want some half-assed agreement. I want a real relationship with you."

She shook her head. "No, we agreed to a fake marriage."

"That was before you were pregnant, Gina. Before the baby. That child," I pointed to her stomach. "That changed everything."

She shook her head. "No, no, it didn't."

"Gina, what do you expect to happen after the ceremony? After you get the house, Chris is finally gone. What then? What's your next step? "

She shrugged, her face paling. "I haven't thought about it."

"Well, I have. I want to be around. So, you either accept all of it or none of it."

Her eyes widened in horror. "Are you saying you won't marry me unless I agree to stay with you?"

No…..maybe…I wasn't sure. I just didn't want whatever we had to be over. I couldn't stomach the thought of everything going back to the way it was now that I knew what it could be like with her.

I swallowed and watched tears burn in her eyes.

"You know, I knew you would fuck it all up somehow!" she yelled, stomping towards me. "You always do!"

"I'm asking you to think about the future. That's what I'm asking you!"

"No, you're making me marry you! That's what you're changing. You're giving me an ultimatum."

---