Page 75 of The Broken Keys

Two lines. Bold and unmistakable.

There it is. Just as I suspected, I’m pregnant.

My breath hitches. Or maybe the results are wrong. I reach for the second test.

The word stares back at me in digital clarity.Pregnant.

The third test shows a plus sign. Clear. Definitive. And undeniable.

Three tests, all are positive.

There’s no doubt I’m pregnant.

It doesn’t feel real. I stare at the results lined up on the counter, three different confirmations of the same life-changing truth. I’m carrying Jax’s child. My world just flipped upside down and I’m not freaking out like I thought I’d be.

The only thing that’s scaring me right now is the thought of the man who’s trying to win me back. Callum, who just spent the afternoon taking care of me.

My heart aches for him because he has no idea his world is about to implode. And once again, I’m the one who’s going to shatter him.

Life is sometimes just plain cruel, and our love keeps causing pain. We hurt each other even when that’s the last thing we want to do.

But I don’t have time to think about that. I need to get to Jax and tell him first. It’s three-thirty now. If I want to beat the traffic to Malibu, I need to leave soon.

I grab my keys and throw the phone that’s on the coffeetable into my purse. My pulse races as I check my reflection in the mirror. I’m pale and look like I could use another full day of sleep.

I stare at myself. “Jaxon Crowne, please don’t let me down. Please take this news like the king I know you are.”

The drive to Malibu is a blur. I take Pacific Coast Highway, the ocean stretching endlessly in my peripheral sight. The sun is starting its descent toward the horizon, painting everything in shades of gold and amber.

My thoughts race as I try to find the words to say to Jax. Do I just blurt it out or what? How am I supposed to spring this on him when he made it clear…?

Don’t go there, Livianna. Being pregnant with his baby changes everything.

The radio plays in the background. There’s a rock song on that I don’t recognize. Then the opening notes of a song that makes my blood run cold.

“Forget Paris” by Mayhem. Callum’s voice, raw and aching, fills the space in my car.

A flash of hope, but signals misread, echoes of what used to be.

At that moment, time stood still. I took a chance, went unfulfilled.

A hotel suite, a chance encounter.

My hand moves toward the console, ready to change the station. I don’t need this right now. I can’t hear the pain in his voice and be reminded of what we lost and what we’re about to lose all over again. His voice cuts through my thoughts.

Love lingers in this empty soul of mine, with it the slow tick of time.

Though I can’t deny I roam with hearts untrue, I only want you.

It’s true, it’s only you.

I’ll always love you.

The tears come without permission, hot and fast down my cheeks. How am I supposed to tell him? How am I supposed to look him in the eyes and say I’m pregnant with another man’s child?

After what I took from him…our baby. This news is going to be a stab in the back.

He’s worked so hard to pull himself out of the darkness. He’s built a life, a career, and himself into someone worthy of a second chance.