Page 33 of Bad Teacher

She glanced at him, and specks of silver twinkled in the depths of her irises. He kissed the back of her hand, feeling the tension when the doctor did her job under the sheet. Thankfully, it didn’t last long, and Dr. Gilbert sat upright with a smile.

“We’re done here. You did great, Violet.”

Violet’s hand softened in his. Relief loosened his stomach. “Really?”

“Yes. You may feel cramps, which is normal. But I was able to remove it, and you should be able to carry this baby without any problems related to the IUD.”

“Thank you,” Violet whispered.

“I’ll give you two a moment,” Dr. Gilbert said, before she left the office and closed the door behind her.

“You’re great, baby. Everything is good,” he said.

She moved on the bed, then came to a sitting position, letting go of his hand. “Thanks, Theo.”

“See how good we are together?” he said, even if he bit his tongue a second later. Yes, patience certainly wasn’t his forte. But exhilaration surged through him. Their baby would be fine. Why not celebrate it? And why not make another attempt for her to see they were meant to be together?

“Yes.” She straightened her shoulders and stood, reaching for her clothes hanging on the hook. “You’re a great father and I wouldn’t expect any less,” she said, her tone cold. Almost detached, like she was looking at the situation from the outside.

“Have I said anything wrong? You changed in the last minute.” He toyed with mentioning pregnancy hormones, but he didn’t want her to reach for a heavy object and throw it at him. Besides, one look at her and it dawned on him.

Fear.

Fear darkened her eyes, usually clear and bright, and also thinned her lips. She broke the gaze and shove the gown in the appropriate bin, then slid on her clothes. Ice ran in his veins, soon fast tracking his whole body until he stood in front of her, stiff as a column.

“Violet. Talk to me.”

She rubbed her temple. “I want to co-parent with you, Theo. But I can’t give you anything else right now… not even what we were sharing before I got pregnant.”

“Why not? If there is a moment, it’s right now.”

“Because I have to focus on this baby, on my children and keeping my life balanced. If I add you as the man who’s making me feel all these different emotions… I won’t be able to do it all.”

He stepped forward, eyes searching for hers. “Since when is feeling these emotions bad?” Hell, she made him fell all kinds of emotions too.

“Since you’re doing the right thing. You want to marry me to do the right thing. But see, I’ve done the right thing a lot in my life—even when it felt wrong— for the sake of doing what was expected of me. I can’t go back there.”

“I’m not your family, Violet. I’m not your ex. I’m a brand new person.”

She glanced at the floor.

“Damn it, Violet. I love you.”

She turned to him. Color drained from her face, and she slapped her hand on her chest. Surprise flickered in her gaze.

He grabbed her hands in his, feeling the coldness of her palms. Merde. Every part of him throbbed, every part of him had come alive like he hadn’t in years when those words impulsively fled from his mouth. He loved her… and that sentiment scared the shit out of him, too. But he could no longer hide it.

“And I’m supposed to believe you now?” she said. Tears formed in her eyes. She disengaged her hands from his, trembling. “You always said you wanted something temporary, that you weren’t ready. I’m pregnant, and all of a sudden you’re telling me you love me. That’s a very low blow, Theo. You’re trying to manipulate me to gain control of the situation.”

What? Her not believing him was bad enough, but to accuse him of manipulating her? Disappointment cooled his blood, and an ache tightened his heart. Perhaps he hadn’t been ready, but she made him want to be ready. For her.

“I’m not lying, Violet,” he said evenly. “I have no reason to.”

She folded her arms. “That’s where you’re wrong.”

“So you’re telling me we’re done, romantically? And your only interest is me is as a co-parent?”

“Yes.” She wiped a couple of tears falling down her cheeks.

“And what I feel has zero saying in this?”

“What I feel has zero saying in this. I’m sorry.”

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