Page 89 of Leave Before I Love You
I’m having an out-of-body experience as she turns on the volume, and the sound of a heartbeat fills the room. It’s fast, steady, and impossibly real.
“That’s your baby’s heartbeat,” she says softly.
There’s a baby. In my uterus. A baby that’s half me and half Henry, growing inside me.
For a moment, warmth washes over me. The sound of the heartbeat, the knowledge that this tiny life is mine… It’s overwhelming in the best way.
But then fear creeps in.I’m pregnant.I’m going to be a mom.And no one in my life even knows I’m in a relationship.
Because it’s a secret freaking relationship with the father of my baby, who just so happens to be my brother’s best friend.
Dr. Moretti hands me a packet of information and a couple of ultrasound photos. The receptionist schedules my next appointment, but it all feels like a dream. I float through the motions, my mind spinning like an out-of-control top.
When I walk out of the office, I don’t know what to do or where to go. So, I just sit there in my car, in the middle of the parking lot, with ultrasound photos of my baby—oh my God, my baby—clutched to my chest.
My phone buzzes from my purse—that’s apparently still on my shoulder—and I pull it out to find a message that makes tears fill my eyes.
Henry: Can’t wait to see you tonight.
A few hours ago, I felt the same. Now, I don’t even know my own name.
How the hell am I supposed to tell Henry I’m pregnant when I can hardly believe it myself? Especially when it’s all my fault.
The whole reason Henry and I even had sex in the first place is because of me. I’m the one who convinced him on the island, maybe even manipulated him into it.
Iseduced him. Not the other way around.
I’m a trapper. A baby trapper.I trapped Henry!
My God. Everything’s about to change. And he has no freaking clue it’s coming.
Avery
The drive to Beau and June’s house feels like it takes forever, even though it’s only twenty minutes from Dr. Moretti’s office. My hands grip the steering wheel, knuckles white, my stomach churning. The reality of my doctor’s appointment is still sinking in, and the more I try to process it, the less it makes sense.
I’m pregnant. With Henry’s baby.How did this happen?
I barely remember parking the car, let alone walking up to their front door. When I knock, it feels like an eternity before it opens, and there stands June, Addy perched on her hip. Her little pregnant belly is prominent beneath her soft sweater, her blond hair pulled back in a messy bun. She looks glowing and adorable—as always—and I’m struck by the contrast between her put-togetherness and my barely-holding-it-together mess.
“Avery!” she says, smiling. Then she pauses, her brow furrowing slightly. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” I lie. Because that’s what I do.
Addy’s tiny voice interrupts us. “Auntie Avie!” she exclaims, squirming to get down. June sets her on her feet, and Addy bolts toward me, wrapping her little arms around my legs. “Pays tea partys?”
“Maybe later, sweet pea,” I manage, forcing a smile. “Is…uh…Beau home?” I ask,looking back at June.
“Nope.” She shakes her head. “Left to go golf with Neil about an hour ago.” She reaches for her purse and pulls out her wallet. “You left your credit card at the diner,” June says, handing my Black Amex over to me. “Thanks for lunch, by the way.”
Lunch? Oh, right. That’s when I freaked out and bolted. It was mere hours ago, but it feels like a lifetime.
“How was your Botox appointment?” June asks casually as she ushers me inside.
I blink at her, completely blanking. “My what?”
“Your Botox appointment?” she repeats, giving me a confused look. “You know, the one you rushed out of lunch for?”
Crap. That’s the excuse I gave her. “Oh. Right. That. I didn’t actually have a Botox appointment.”
