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It would be so easy to say yes. To give him that chance, and pretend like she didn’t see how it would end. But the thing was, she knew how it ended. He would walk away.
And she would be alone.
“I’ll try to be everything that you deserve if you give me another chance.” He caught her hand, holding on to it tightly before she could pull free. “I don’t make promises I can’t keep, but I promise I’ll do my best to be the man you deserve. I promise I’ll give you everything I have, even if it’s not enough in the end, and I promise to try to do better than last time.”
And trap him into something he never wanted?
No, thank you.
Part of her wanted to say yes so badly it almost took control of what little logic she had left, but the smarter, quieter part wouldn’t let go. It would only hurt more in the end when they both remembered he didn’t want to be with her after all. So why bother to try? He didn’t love her. Didn’t want to love her.
And that was that.
She lifted her chin, blinking rapidly because she refused to let him see her cry. “I want more. I want love. Happiness. Marriage. What we had was fun, but it’s done. We’re done. If you want to be a part of your child’s life, I won’t stop you…but I won’t make you, either. It’s your choice. Your call. You have nine months to figure that out. But as far as you and I go? I’m done.”
He paled, stumbling back a step. “You’re done.”
“Yep.”
“Kass—” he started, reaching for her.
“No. Don’t Kass me. Don’t touch me. Don’t…just don’t.” She held her hands up, her lower lip trembling. She bit down on it mercilessly. “I understand why we’re here. I’m not mad at you for not wanting to be a part of my life. You told me all along that you didn’t want a relationship, that you didn’t want forever. A baby is forever. I get it.”
“But then I told you I wanted to try for more,” he said calmly. “That I was willing to try.”
“Right before you accused me of being a gold digger?” She snorted. “Yeah, I remember.”
He winced. “I told you—”
“I remember what you told me. I remember all of it. Every word.” She met his eyes. “But I didn’t listen. I fell for you, Wyatt. I love you, so, no, I don’t want you to try, and I don’t want to wait and see what happens if we hope and wish you might decide to stick around and be a part of my life after all. I want someone who is going to need me as much as I need him, if not a little more. I want it all. All the things you don’t want to give me.”
He looked more shocked than when she’d told him she was pregnant.
Maybe even more scared, too.
That told her everything.
She slid into her car through the open door.
He finally snapped out of it. “What if I give you all those things?”
“You can’t,” she said, her voice harsh because she was through with these games. “Don’t even try to convince yourself, or me, otherwise. I won’t believe you.”
He flexed his jaw. “Why not?”
“Because I get you, maybe even better than you get yourself. You don’t want this. You don’t want me.” She closed the door most of the way, pausing before shutting it. “You’re free to walk away and never come back if you want. I free you from all obligation. All commitment. All guilt. Be free. Play football. Have sex with random women all around the world. Kick ass. Win a Super Bowl. Whatever you want. You deserve it all, and more.”
With that, she slammed the door, started the car, and pulled away from the curb.
As she drove away, she glanced in her mirror one last time, in case she never saw him in person again. She’d handed him a get out of jail free card, and if he took it, her child would grow up never being a part of Wyatt’s life. Their child would never understand how Wyatt had changed her life, or the things he’d shown her. How happy he’d made her, even for a short time, and how he’d given her the greatest thing of all…
Before he’d walked away forever.
Chapter Nineteen
Cursing under his breath, he tossed another rock at her window, watching for any sign of movement from within. There was nothing, despite her car in the driveway, which told him she was home. When she hadn’t answered his knock, he’d decided to try what had worked before, but even that was failing.
Clearly, she chose to ignore him.
