Page 232 of Branded
I hung up without leaving a message, finished setting out my shit for the morning, did my business in the bathroom, and then typed out a text.
No reply.
And when I went back in a few minutes later, knowing I was obsessing when she’d probably just fallen asleep, I saw that she’d read the message a few minutes before.
Read, but hadn’t replied.
That sour feeling grew.
Trying to ignore it, I typed out another message.
That was left on read, too.
Hand clenching into a fist at my side, I decided to fuck it and just called her again. I’d apologize if I woke her up, but if she was awake, I would feel better hearing her voice.
Except, she didn’t pick that call up either.
“Fuck,” I whispered, trying to sort out what to do.
But even as I was doing that, there was a knock on my door.
“Fuck,” I muttered again, moving toward the peephole.
One glance had my eyes widening, and then I was tearing open the door. “Beth.” My voice was a rasp, and I hauled her toward me, gaze scouring every inch of her, trying to make sure she was okay. “What’s wrong—why?—?”
Her bag hit the carpet; her arms came around my middle. “Hi, love,” she whispered.
“Why are you here?”
That came out brusquely, which was totally not what I’d intended, but she was in another state in the middle of the night and?—
“Breathe, honey.” Another whisper. A gentle one this time. “Everything is good with me.”
I placed my hand over her belly, which had grown to crazy proportions in the time we’d been together, and with still two more months (hopefully) to go, it was only going to get bigger. “Are they?—?”
“They’re fine, too.”
Relief sliding through me.
Her hand came to my jaw. “But you’re not.”
I inhaled. “Sugarpie, I’m fine?—”
“You’re not, baby, and I know why.”
My stomach began churning. “Bethie?—”
“You’re not, and it’s because of me.”
She was, quite literally, the best thing that had happened to me. I hadn’t been this happy, this settled ever.
“I should have told you the rest, and I should have told you it a while ago.”
“You don’t need to?—”
“You’re in this with me. It affects me. Which means it affects you.”
I didn’t have an argument for that.
