Page 68 of The P Arrangement

Throwing his hands up, he shouted back, “Don’t you understand? I can’t do it again. I can’t go through that again. Do you know how long it took me to move past it the last time?”

I didn’t understand what he was talking about. Had he lied about wanting Paxton? Had he faked being happy that whole time? It just didn’t seem plausible that he would have been able to pretend for nine months. And I didn’t have any doubt as to how much he loved our child. That was completely real. Which left me confused.

“Can’t do what? I’m the one who’s pregnant. I’m the one who has to go through everything. I’m the one who has to give birth. You don’t have to do anything.”

Color drained from his face. “Fuck you, Delaney.”

I gasped and stared in shock as he picked up his chair and shoved it way too hard into the table. Spinning around, he tore his keys from the key hook and threw the door open before stomping into the garage. He slammed the door behind him, and I stood there, not sure what to do.

It was only after I heard the garage door go up, his truck start and pull out, and the garage door go back down that I realized my little arrangement with Preston had come to an end.

Except, instead of me leaving, this time, he had left me.

* * *

The following morning, I woke up in Paxton’s bed. I had gone to lie down with him in hopes that I would stay up and hear when Preston got home, but I had fallen asleep and not heard a thing.

It was obviously over between us, with us being on opposite sides of what to do with my pregnancy, but I hoped once he calmed down a little, we could talk about me moving out and what we were going to do with Paxton. His nanny wasn’t due to return home for a couple more weeks, so we were still going to have to do pickups and drop-offs ourselves.

I sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed my forehead. Maybe I should have waited to tell him until Madison came back to Minnesota. But I’d had no idea Preston would blow up the way he had. I hadn’t thought he was going to be excited, but his absolute refusal to even consider having another baby had shocked me. And his unwillingness to even have a discussion about it was where I drew the line.

Pushing myself off the bed, I went to Preston’s room. All my clothes were in there, and I needed to get dressed and ready for work.

When I walked in, I noticed that the shades were still open and the bed was made.

Preston hadn’t come home last night.

And just like that, what little hope I’d had for our future—hope I hadn’t known I even had until that moment—was gone.

TWENTY-SIX

PRESTON

Delaney: Can you come pick up Paxton from my sister’s after work?

Me: Yes. I’ll be there at six.

* * *

I knockedon Natalie’s front door and waited for Delaney to answer.

It had been two days since she’d broken the news to me about her pregnancy, and I knew I owed her an explanation for why I had gotten so upset and stormed out. But when I’d gotten home the next night, she and Paxton were gone. I’d figured we both needed a couple of days to cool off before we sat down and talked again.

I heard the lock flip on the other side, but when the door opened, it wasn’t Delaney standing there. It was her sister.

And she looked pissed.

“Hey, Natalie. Is Delaney here?”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Nope.”

“Oh. Do you know where she is? I need to talk to her.”

“Why? So you can break her heart again? Oh, wait. You already did that.”

I frowned. “Listen, I know I didn’t handle her pregnancy announcement well, but in case you forgot, she’s the one who left me and asked for a divorce.”

Natalie narrowed her eyes at me in disgust. “That is rich. Is that what you’ve been telling everyone?”

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