Page 161 of Forgot to Tell You Something

I find Hecate curled up on the guest bed, and I lay beside her, stroking her fur as her noisy purrs calm my rattled nerves. I swear, this cat is the best form of therapy.

“Owen loves us, Hecate. I know he does. He’s told me so many times, assured me I’m more than just his baby mama. I’m being stupid, right? Letting Charlotte get inside my head again.”

Hecate continues her therapeutic purring, but a small, niggling voice breaks through any surface calm. What if Owen’s declarations of love and devotion are as false as the other lines he spouted throughout our relationship?

What if he is only staying because of the baby? Hell, then I’ve trapped him in the same manner as Charlotte. The details may be different, but it’s the same concept.

Owen is very good at telling me what I want to hear, omitting things as he sees fit. His profession and former fiancée are proof of that fact.

But he wouldn’t lie about the baby, would he?

* * *

“Darlin, wake up. You’re having a bad dream.” Owen’s voice jerks me from my nightmare, and I gasp as I jolt into reality, my body trembling and covered with sweat.

His arms encircle me, pulling me against his chest.

I glance out the window, noting the street lamps illuminating the beach. How long have I been asleep? “I was drowning…”

“Shh, I’m here, Tally. You’re safe.” He traces my spine with his hand, his lips pressing against my hair.

“Did I wake you?”

Owen shakes his head, planting kisses across my face. “I only got in a little while ago. I had some last-minute things to take care of before the trip tomorrow.”

The trip. With Charlotte.

My earlier conversation with his ex-fiancée roars back into focus, along with my insecurities. I sit up, putting some space between us. “I’m sorry if I disturbed you.”

“You didn’t disturb me. You scared me.” Owen glances around the room. “Why are you back here?”

“I fell asleep with Hecate earlier.” I stretch, rolling my neck to relieve the kinks. “I feel better now. I should be able to fall asleep again.” I tug at the blanket wedged under Owen. “Can I have my blanket back?”

Owen scoops me into his arms, carrying me into the master bedroom. “Thisis your room now. I don’t care if you want nap on the counter, but at night, you sleep with me. Besides, I’m not going to see you for a few days. I want to hold you tonight.” He places me on the bed, sliding in beside me.

He’s fresh from the shower, his skin tinged with the scent of our citrus soap. He always smells so good. He pulls me against his chest, glancing in my direction when I resist. “Everything okay?”

My head doesn’t want to get into it. My heart has had enough.

“She stopped by here earlier,” I mumble.

“Who?”

“Charlotte,” I huff.

His grip tightens around me. “What the hell did she want?”

“She gave me paperwork for a paternity test.”

That did it. The bedside lamp flicks on and I squint up into his handsome face. His perturbed, handsome face. “She did what?”

I wave a hand, trying to dispel the tension. “I told her you hadn’t asked for one, but I have no issue with it. She claimed that you wouldn’t want your name on the birth certificate until you were certain the baby was yours.”

Even in this low light, I see Owen’s anger raging. Those gray eyes are now a thundering storm. “That bitch. I hope you told her where she could shove her paternity test.”

“Owen, I wanted to tell her she was wrong, that you loved me—”

“Damn straight.”

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