Page 60 of Love to Hate You

Oh, fuck.I’d completely forgotten about that little event. “You said you were okay.”

“I said probably. Guess I was wrong.”

“Are you sure?”

“That it’s yours? Yes, asshole.”

I frown. “No, I mean that you’re pregnant.”

“Pretty sure,” she says and rolls her eyes. “Don’t worry. I’m making life really easy for you, Nash. I’ll take care of everything myself and I even handed you the presidency.”

“What do you mean, you’ll take care of everything? You’re not going to have the baby?” Even though I’m not in the right headspace to think about being a father, the idea of Charlie having an abortion doesn’t sit well with me. It’sourbaby. Does she really care so little that she’d terminate what we created together? Even if it was unplanned?

Hurt washes over her face before she composes herself and a blank expression takes its place. “Don’t worry. You can enjoy running TB Tech while I’m changing diapers.”

A rush of relief passes through me and that quickly turns into annoyance. “What? So, this is my fault?”

“Just so you know,” she says and walks right up to me, blue eyes blazing, “I had it in the bag. I had everything I ever wanted.”

“It’s always about the win and one-upping me, isn’t it? Even when I think you’ve changed, you haven’t. You’re still the same old Charlie.”

“And you’re still the same egotistical asshole who thinks he runs shit.”

“I do run shit now.”

“Thanks to me stepping down.”

“Jesus, you can be a bitch,” I snap. The instant the words leave my mouth, I regret them.

“Go,” she says, voice cool.

“Charlie-”

“Regardless of what you think, I don’t have the energy or desire to fight right now.”

“I want to know something.”

She sighs and crosses her arms. “What?” she asks wearily.

“Why are you having the baby? You could’ve terminated the pregnancy and never told anyone. Nothing would’ve changed.”

Charlie considers my words for a moment. “Maybe I need a little change, Nash. Did you ever think of that? Or were you too busy assuming I slept with Jordan?”

I’m wound so tight, I’m on the verge of shattering. Charlie Langley knows how to rile me up like no one else and she just had to get that last little dig in. “You swear that you have no interest in him?”

“Oh, my God!” She throws her hands up. “I’m carrying your baby, Nash. Yours! Not Jordan’s.”

“What does that have to do with anything? It was an accident. It could’ve just as easily happened with-”

“I did not sleep with Jordan!” she yells. “I’m done explaining myself to you.”

I know I sound like a crazy, jealous lunatic but I can’t help it. “I don’t understand you,” I say. “You go out with him, you fuck me. You want to be President and then you resign. What the hell do you really want, Charlie?” I grab her arms and lightly shake her. “Huh? What? Because you’re confusing the hell out of me!”

“We went out to dinner when I was courting him as a potential client. They were business dinners, Nash. You should understand that.” She shakes her head and looks down at my fingers still wrapped tightly around her arms. “Let me go and leave.”

“What about us?” I demand.

“Whatever we had is over, Nash.”

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