I’m only brought back to reality when Caleb stands up and stares at me with narrowed eyes that I can’t read.
“Caleb?” I ask, brows pinching at his darkened expression. “Are you—”
“Fuck,” he curses, walking out of the tiny room before I can finish the question, fists tightened into balls on either side of his body as he goes.
He doesn’t look at me. Doesn’t say another word. It leaves me gaping at the nurse, who only offers me a sympathetic smile.
What the hell just happened?
Chapter Eighteen
CALEB
She’s got tobe pregnant.
The thought rips through every single barrier I put up as I remember each time we’ve had unprotected sex. She told me it was fine. Why would she lie about that? Why else would she not look me in the eye when she was told to pee in that cup or when the nurse came in asking questions? I’ve seen her panic before, so I know the look well at this point. But this isn’t because she forgot to do a homework assignment or study for an exam.
Fuck.
It takes me a few minutes to cool down in the hallway, with a few cautious nurses staring at me from the far side of the reception area, before I’m calm enough to go back into the room my ex is still sitting in.
It’s just Raine when I enter through the parted curtains, her face still as pale as when I walked away, except her eyes stay locked on the floor and one of her hands gently cups her lower stomach.
I ask one thing: “Whose is it?”
It’s only then her eyes slowly,so slowly, lift to mine. The deep brown color is full of distance and shock.
Then she blinks. “What?” she whispers, another blink doing little to clear the cloudiness. Her voice is so quiet I almost don’t hear it, but what I do sense is the crack in her tone.
Is she really going to play dumb right now? There was a reason she ended things, and it was obvious that caught up with her.
“Chris texted me over the summer,” I tell her, eye twitching at the memory of the message I got from the douche who was obviously trying to get a rise from me. It worked. It stung then, and it’s ten times worse now, considering the current situation. “He basically told me what happened.”
Is it hypocritical to be pissed that she was involved with other men this summer when I’ve been seeing Emma? Yeah. But it doesn’t suck any less knowing it was somebody I knew. Someone I hung out with,withRaine.
It’s never fun having to accept that someone you love has moved on without you.
Chris:Tell Raine I’m sorry about what happened between us
Chris wanted to piss me off by sending that text, especially since I—along with everyone with fucking eyes—know he’s had a thing for her for a long time. The quiet ones will always be the sneakiest, so I’m not shocked that he made a move as soon as he could. I just didn’t think she’d be that stupid to fall for his nice guy routine. There was always something a little sleazy about him, and I doubt I was the only one who thought so.
“Chris?” she repeats, shaking her head as if she has no idea what I’m talking about.
“Chris,” I confirm, fists tightening again.
“Caleb, I don’t know what you’re talking about or what you must be thinking. What did Chris say happened?”
What I’m thinking is that my ex-girlfriend dumped me to date other people because she was worried she’d be settling for me without knowing what andwhoelse was out there. Does that hurt like hell knowing I would have given her everything she could have ever wanted? Yes, it does. But would I be naive not to put some sort of barrier back up to protect myself now that she’s back?
I don’t want to think the worst of her, because there’s not a bad bone in Raine’s body. But I can’t ignore what’s happened since I got down on one knee. It’s not too far off to assume that she got into something this summer that’s going to be one hell of a problem to get out of.
Loosening my fists, I admit, “I’m not sure what to think anymore, Raine.” I scrub the side of my face and close my eyes for a moment. “I used to think this would beus. We’d be here, excited about a baby. It could have been, before you dumped me for anyone else to make sure you had a taste of something different just to be sure.”
A sharp breath comes from her that has me opening my eyes. “You could not be more wrong than you are right now, and I don’t like what you’re implying, Caleb. You’re upset, I get it. But I suggest you take a breather before you say one more thing.”
Take a breather?A dry, disbelieving laugh escapes me that has her eyebrows rising in inquiry. “Answer me this. Was it worth it?”
There’s a brief pause where we stare at each other, hurt shadowing her features. It no doubt mirrors my own. “Was what worth it?”