Page 101 of Claimed by my Bestie's Dad

I step closer to her but don’t dare touch her. “Youdomatter. You matter so much to me, Aurora. I was never trying to keep you in the dark because I didn’t care. I was trying to protect you, in my own messed-up way.”

She looks away, and I can see the conflict in her eyes. She wants to believe me, but she can’t just set aside her hurt.

“I just… I don’t know how to feel about this, Madison. You’re my best friend. And my dad… He’s my dad. I never imagined something like this happening between you two. And now you’re going to have a baby together? It’s like…I think I know what my life looks like, then you come in and shake it up.”

I have to tell her the truth. She wants honesty? I’m going to give her honesty, even if it’s not the honesty she wants to hear.

“Okay, here’s the truth. I love him, Aurora. I didn’t plan to fall in love with him, but I did. And now… Now I’m going to have his baby. I can’t change that, and I don’t want to. But that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you, or that I don’t want you in my life. I really do. I want you to be a part of this kid’s life too. I don’t want you angry at me forever.”

She shakes her head, tears welling in her eyes again. “It’s just… It’s so much, Maddie. I feel like I’m losing you. Like I’m not your priority anymore.”

Her words hit me like a blow. It’s true. She’s not, but I don’t want her to feel like just because she’s not my priority it means she’s not important at all.

“You’ve always been a priority to me, Aurora. You’re likefamily to me. When my parents moved away, you know how lonely I felt. And you were there for me.”

She lets out a shaky breath, wiping at her eyes again. “But that’s how it feels, Madison. You’re having a baby with my dad. Your life is changing, and I don’t know where I fit in anymore. It’s kind of like… I’ve just been shoved to the side.”

I step forward, reaching out for her hand, but she pulls back slightly, the distance between us feeling so much larger than just a few feet. “You’ll always fit into my life, Aurora. I promise.”

She bites her lip, her eyes searching mine for something. “I just… I need time. This is a lot to process, and I don’t know how to handle it right now.”

My heart sinks at her words, but I nod. I get it. This isn’t something she can just accept overnight, and I can’t force her to. I just want a promise that things between us will never change, but I get that I’m asking for too much with that.

“Okay. Take all the time you need. I just… I hope we can work through this. I don’t want to lose you as my best friend.”

Aurora looks down at the ground, her arms wrapped around herself. “I don’t want to lose you either. But it feels like I already have.”

“You haven’t.” But I know that nothing I say is going to change how Aurora feels. I pull her into a hug, and she lets me. But she doesn’t hug me back.

“I’m…going home now. But you can text me, you know. I’m there for you.”

Aurora doesn’t say anything, but I won’t forget the image of her standing in her doorway with a trail of tears making their way down her face. I won’t ever be able to forget that.

49

ETHAN

I turnover in my bed and gaze at Madison as she sleeps. Things are finally starting to feel right again between us. We’ve been through hell and back lately, but it feels like we’re finding our footing again. We have been sleeping back and forth at each other’s houses mostly since she told me about the pregnancy.

I think she sleeps better at my house without the dogs tip-tapping around on the floor all night and occasionally barking. As I gaze at her now, I can’t help smiling. She has no idea what I’m planning.

Now that it seems like things are finally under control again, we can move forward.

And moving forward means preparing for the baby.

The thought of a baby, our baby, fills me with this quiet excitement I haven’t felt in years. I’ve always wanted more kids, always pictured myself with a big family, but after everything that happened with Aurora’s mom, I thought that door was closed for good. And now? Now it’s opening again in a way I never expected.

I never would haveplannedto have a baby with anyone, but it’s worked out perfectly because I can already see what kind of mom Madison will be by the way she takes care of Samson.

Madison stirs beside me, blinking awake. She turns her head and smiles when she sees me watching her. “Morning.”

“Morning. Sleep okay?” I brush a strand of hair out of her face, just wanting an excuse to touch her.

She nods, her eyes soft with that just-woke-up haze. “Yeah. You?”

“Yeah. I was thinking… maybe we should start talking about what we need to do to get ready for the baby. You know, planning things out.”

Madison blinks at me, then grins. “I just woke up, and you want to plan things out for the baby? Give me coffee and breakfast first, then we can talk about it.”

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