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“Don’t do this, Kass.”
His voice cracked on her name. That shouldn’t have hit her as hard as it did, but it did. He reached out for her hand but stopped halfway, letting his arm fall back to his side. She choked on a sob, but she stubbornly held it back. He didn’t even want to touch her anymore. “I’m not doing anything. We had sex. We did this. I’m just the one accepting responsibility for it, and that’s fine, but don’t act like I’m the bad guy here. I’m not. Neither are you. We just want different things.”
“We can’t do this. We’re not ready.”
“You’re not.” She lifted her chin even more. “I am.”
He made a broken sound. “I can…I can try to—”
“No.” She shook her head. “I told you I wouldn’t ask you for more than you’re willing to give me, and I stand by it.”
“Kass…”
“Think about it. Really think about it. Do you want to be with me? Like, actually be with me? And this baby? Do you think we could be together forever? Can you give me promises you’ve never given anyone else? Can you be here for the rest of your life, at my side, loving me?”
He stared at her like he’d seen a ghost.
“That’s what I thought. And that’s okay. It’s okay that you don’t want that…but I do. I want more than you can offer me.” She lifted her chin. “Good-bye, Wyatt. Please leave.”
Growling under his breath, he sta
lked past her. As he turned around, mouth open to speak, she shut the door in his face because if she didn’t, she’d lose it in front of him.
And she refused to lose it in front of him.
After locking the door, she stumbled to the steps and sat down, focusing blankly ahead. So. That settled it. She was doing this alone. That was fine. Everything was fine.
She was…she was…
Not fine.
Covering her face, she sobbed into her hands, pain twisting her heart into shards and making it hard to breathe. She knew, deep down, that she would be okay, and that she was strong enough to make it through this alone, and she’d be a kick-ass mom. This kid would get so much love from her that he or she would never even notice the lack of a father in their life.
There was no other option.
All this time, he’d been very clear that he wasn’t sure he would be able to stick around, and she’d been okay with that. Even when he tried to warn her away, she’d refused to listen. Refused to back down when he told her he didn’t want to hurt her. She’d decided the risk of a broken heart was worth the reward of being in Wyatt’s arms.
And it could have been.
Why, then, was she crying on her stairs? It wasn’t just because she was alone and pregnant and scared. She was all those things, but this was more than that. It was like she’d lost something huge. Something that she would never, ever get over. Like a big giant piece of herself had walked away. It was at that moment that it hit her…a big, giant piece of her had walked away.
Her heart.
She’d been an idiot and fallen in love with him, despite the many times he’d told her not to. She’d fallen for him, head over heels, and he’d walked away without glancing back. Maybe he’d return and tell her he wanted to be a part of her child’s life. Maybe he wouldn’t. But either way, what they’d had was over. She loved him, and he didn’t love her. He never would.
He’d broken her heart like he said he would…
And she had only herself to blame.
Chapter Seventeen
Later that night, Wyatt glowered at the glass of whiskey in his hand, blinking at it, trying to clear his vision. It didn’t help. He still saw two glasses, when he knew for a fact he’d only gotten one. Unless Brett or Chris had given him more…
Nah. Why would they give him two glasses?
Groaning, he set the glass down without drinking the rest. If he was seeing double, he’d obviously already had enough. Someone slid into the seat beside him, and he turned, expecting to see Brett or Chris, returned from wherever the hell they’d said they were going. For the life of him, he couldn’t remember. Something about a girl, maybe…?
“Where did you—oh.” Instead of his friend or his brother, it was a pretty blonde that reminded him of what he’d been drinking to forget: the fact that he’d screwed up with Kassidy.
