Page 18 of Inked Craving

I cleared my throat as Lee mouthed the wordbabe, a single brow raised in question.

I shook my head, feeling odd at the sound of Colton’s voice. There was nothing there. No twinge, no yearning. Had I only been in love with theideaof love and getting married and moving on with my life?

Because if I felt nothing after what? Two months or so after seeing Colton last, then what the hell was wrong with me?

“Hey. I’m sorry to hear about your phone. That makes sense why you didn’t call me back.”

“I’m sorry, babe. I didn’t mean not to call you. I’m not that much of an asshole. But hell, I’m so glad you called.”

I cringed. “I sure hope you’re still happy once I finish what I have to say.”

Colton didn’t seem to hear me, however. “I wanted to tell you something in person, but hell, let’s do it right now.”

I frowned, confused as Lee gave me an odd look. I shrugged, and he winced.

“Paige, babe, I know it’s fast, but we both said that we wanted to be friends when we ended things. So, I have to tell you this.”

I hadn’t said anything of the sort. I’d been so confused about him walking away. Lee just frowned, his jaw going tense.

“Babe, I found someone. Like, really found someone. You would love her. It was like love at fucking first sight, Paige.”

The ground fell out from under me as if jagged rocks were torn from the hardwood beneath my bare feet. I looked down at my phone, wondering what circle of hell this was inDante’s Inferno. It wasn’t jealousy. It wasn’t lust. Perhaps it was rage. Or a new special circle of hell for me. One where I watched a man I had thought I loved, one who hadn’t wanted to settle down yet and then moved across the country to get away from me, find the love of his life and besoglad to tell me.

“What?” I asked, my voice strained.

Lee moved forward, a scowl on his face, and I held up my hand, palm out, telling him to stop. He didn’t say anything, and for that, I was grateful, because I had no idea what the hell I was supposed to say, let alone let Lee say anything in that moment.

This wasn’t exactly how I’d expected this call to go.

“Seriously, though, Paige, you would love her. She’s beautiful, brilliant. She’s just so good at what she does. She’s a restaurateur out here and just amazing. Paige, babe, I proposed. I know it’s too soon, only like two months, but when you know, you know, right?”

My mouth dropped open, and I met Lee’s gaze. I wanted to laugh. There was no crying. I needed to laugh and pretend that this joke would just be over. But Lee simply looked at me, his face telling me that he was just as confused as I was.

“What the fuck?” Lee whispered, and I waved him off, not wanting Colton to hear him.

“Are you there, Paige? I’m getting fucking married. You would love her. I cannot wait for you to meet her.”

“Colton?” I asked, my voice shaky.

Colton kept going on and on about this woman named Tarryn, and well, she did sound like a wonderful woman. And maybe Iwouldenjoy meeting her. We could have been best friends. I could be her maid of honor at her wedding to my ex-boyfriend. Everything would be great, and she’d be beautiful and happy and have the life that I thought I wanted. But hell no. What the hell was happening? It didn’t make any sense. No sense at all. And I could only stand there and listen to Colton go on and on about this woman, when all I wanted to do was scream and tell him that no…that wasn’t going to happen. I couldn’t let it, damn it.

Maybe it would be a secret baby in one of those romance novels that I loved, but that was always my most hated trope. I despised it because it made no sense. Why would a woman keep that secret? And yet, standing here and listening to Colton go on and on about a woman he just met that he would marry and how he didn’t understand why this could possibly break me, I knew I had to tell him the truth. It was so fucking stupid. This was the father of my child. This was the DNA this baby would share.

I would not let my baby grow up to be as stupid as Colton.

“Colton? I’m pregnant.”

Lee looked at me, then threw his hands up into the air and began to pace. I wished I could do that just then, but I was afraid I would throw up if I moved. And that vomit would have nothing to do with morning sickness.

“Babe, you found someone? I’m so fucking happy for you.”

I rubbed my temple as Lee pretended to strangle Colton using his hands in the empty air, and I gritted my teeth. “No. You asshole. You stupid, stupid asshole. It’s yours. And, apparently, you are moving on nicely, and I’m still here, picking up the pieces. We’re going to have a baby. We’re going to have to figure something out. And while I would love to keep this secret, I can’t. So, congratulations on the engagement. Oh, and you’re going to be a father.”

“Oh my God. Are you sure?”

I wanted to toss the phone across the room. How much of an idiot was I that I had loved this man? Was this my taste? Dumbasses who couldn’t understand what the words coming out of my mouth meant? Was my taste so horrible that I had put myself in this situation because I was an idiot? Maybe I was dumb. Perhaps I didn’t get the science and math that Lee had gotten because I was a fucking idiot. Maybe my family only gave me my job at Montgomery Builders because they felt sorry for me. They didn’t need me to organize their lives or plan everything when it came to a multimillion-dollar company. No, they could do that on their own with an online scheduler. They didn’t need Paige Montgomery because I was a fucking idiot who always fell for the wrong fucking men.

“Are you sure?” he asked again, and I nearly threw the phone.

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