Page 21 of Reed

“You’re better than this,” he asserts, pushing up from the chair. “So much better, Reed.” As he turns and leaves the office, I can’t help but feel like I’m making a huge mistake, but what’s the alternative?

How the hell do I become the man I’ve no clue how to be? Especially when I don’t want to.

CHAPTERTEN

GIA

“So,the test proved he’s the father, and you haven’t heard from him?” Tyson asks.

Disappointment ripples through me, and I hide the sting of his words by blowing into my hot chocolate. “It’s been over a week.” I confirm.

“How do you know he got the email?”

A knock comes from the front door before I have a chance to respond, and Tyson takes off toward it.

“Who the hell are you?” Reed snarls out, the venom in it unmistakable.

Great. Just great.

He’d have to show up while Tyson is here, freshly showered, and wearing only his gray sweatpants. The man has an eight pack, along with a sleeve of tattoos that sends women into a frenzy. He has those warm-chocolate eyes you beg to devour you, and he finishes the look with short, cropped dark hair. He’s the epitome of a hot military man. He’s also my husband’s best friend.

“Who the hell are you?” Tyson bites back.

Shit, I best defuse this. I scurry toward the front door to witness Reed and Tyson having a face-off with one another. Both have broadened their shoulders, their strong arms crossed over their chests.

I nudge Tyson aside. “Tys, can you take Bryce to practice?”

His eyes snap down to mine. “Is this him?” The sneer on his lips is clear, and I want to shrink away from the conflict behind it, but something about his protective stance has annoyance rumbling inside me. From the moment I told him I was pregnant, he’s taken the big-brother role thing to heart—a little too much, truth be told.

“I’ll be fine, I promise.” I plead with my eyes.

His eyes narrow, then he turns on his heel and heads up the stairs with a heavy huff. “Change of plans, dude. I’m taking you to practice. Your mom can meet us there,” he snipes out.

Great, and now he’s making sure I have to go to practice too. Nice work.Dick.

Before I turn back to Reed, he’s pushed his way inside and heading toward the kitchen, but he stops at the photos lining the hallway dresser and lifts the one of us at the cabin, causing a surge of emotion to overcome me.

Never in a million years did I expect the father of my baby to be looking at the father of my son like this. Nor would I have expected to be having another man’s child six years later. Hurt slices through my chest at how things have turned out.

Guilt poisons my veins, and as my bump gives me a little kick, it’s like a reminder to nudge the feeling aside.

“You have a lot of this man,” he whispers, then places the photo down.

I clear my throat. “He’s my… He was my husband.”

Reed stiffens, then walks toward the kitchen. It’s not lost on me that he didn’t head into the living room, given how that experience turned out before.

When he stops at the door to the garden, he turns to face me. “Are you divorced?” His sharp eyes sear into me, and my breath hitches, the intensity behind them almost cutting through me.Wow. Does he think I cheated?

“Widowed,” I whisper, and every ounce of anger falls away as the sadness at confirming my status bleeds from me.

His shoulders sag, and I wonder if it was with relief that I’m single or knowing he didn’t sleep with a married woman. “I’m sorry.” His tone is sincere. “Really fucking sorry.” As his eyes implore mine, I swallow back the emotion lodged in my throat. Then I do what I always do, I lift a shoulder. Having spent years dealing with people’s reactions, I’ve become accustomed to shrugging it off as if it’s an unfortunate event that I’m over. In reality, I never will be.

“Fuck, and he left you with all those kids.” He exhales heavily and throws his arm out toward the door, with horror written all over his face.

My head rears back. “Huh?”

He shakes his head. “I’m not a knight in shining armor, Gia.”

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