Page 14 of Wed to the Devil

“Come on. Get your stuff. We’re going.”

She looks at me like I’ve grown a second head. “Why would I go anywhere with you?”

Annoyance fills me and I cross my arms, shooting her a glare. “You're my wife. We have things to do. We can’t be traipsing around the hills of rural Vermont. Let's go.” Checking my watch again and pulling my cell phone from my pocket, I try to figure out where the nearest small airport would be. Somewhere big enough to land a chopper is all I require.

Talia doesn't move. She looks out the window again and grits her teeth. It's a new side of Talia that I haven't yet witnessed and I can't say that I am too crazy about it. “You are not being very helpful,” I say to her.

That earns me a sharp glare. She stands up, wrapping herself in the soft white blanket. “Well, you are unbelievably selfish.”

That stops me cold. “What does that mean?”

“You can't really think that I wouldn’t find out about your deceptions and just be okay with it. That's insane.”

I shrug. “I did what I did out of necessity. It's true. But in the end, you knew what you were signing up for. I haven’t changed. I'm still the same person.”

She gives a cold little laugh. “You are rude, boorish, temperamental, domineering, and selfish. Before anything else or anyone else, you are always on the lookout for yourself. It's disgusting.”

My brows furrow. “What is that supposed to mean? Everybody looks out for themselves first. That's what being alive is all about.”

She makes a soft noise of disgust and turns toward the window again, giving me her blanket covered back and the long copper mass of her hair. “You would say that.”

“What is that supposed to mean? Are you saying that you don't look out for yourself first?”

She whirls, her tone exasperated, her face pained. “No! I don't. I think of other people first. And for someone that is going to be a father, you are going to have to learn to put someone else ahead of yourself for once in your damned life. You have to start looking out for other people, even if it's only me and the baby.”

My mouth opens but I don't know what to say. For the first time since I met Talia, I find myself unsure.

Is she right? Do normal people walk around all the time with thoughts of how they affect others? That sounds awful.

“So?’ She demands, stomping her foot.

“So what?” I ask.

“Are you not going to even try to apologize for coercing me into this marriage?”

“Would that make it better?”

She looks at me, pressing her cheek out with her tongue. “It wouldn't make it worse. I need to know that I can trust you and I can count on you. And you haven't shown me even the slightest bit of humanity. There has to be something else that's going on under your surface. But for the life of me, I can't figure out what it is. How am I supposed to trust anything with you? How am I supposed to trust you with a baby?”

I feel the back of my neck heat. I grimace and shrug at her. I have no idea how to answer any of the indictments she is spitting at me.

“Get yourself together. We're going. Maybe when we get back, we can have a conversation.”

Talia whips around, walking past me and bumping my shoulder. The miserable look on her face doesn't make me feel exactly warm inside.

I pull out my phone and text Rob, telling him that we need to be picked up at my location. Then I glance behind me, where Talia is just packing her bag.

Her questions weigh on me, as I don't seem able to answer a single one of them. I hadn't frankly put much thought into being a father until just now…

ChapterFive

TALIA

When I climb down from the helicopter, holding a hand up to shade my eyes, I stare out at a busy marina. Snow is falling on the ground all around me and I look around at the mass of the ships and the walkways that lead between them. Where are we?

I look at Dare and he comes around my side, putting an arm around me as he pulls me down toward the dock before us.

Prince Edward Island.

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