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Tria snickered and tucked her head against my chest. I wondered how she would feel if she saw my parents’ estate. Compared to their home, Michael’s house was a double-wide.
“You still need health insurance,” I reminded her. “The school is only going to cover so much. If we get married, both you and the baby are covered. I don’t make enough for a separate policy for you.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Tria said. “I don’t want you to feel pressured into marrying me just because of…of this.”
She patted her stomach, and I placed my hand over hers.
“I’ll get money for insurance from Michael then,” I said quietly. I didn’t like it, not at all, but Tria needed to be taken care of now, and I wasn’t going to let something stupid like money get in the way of her getting the best fucking care she could.
Maybe if I had done that with Aimee…
My throat tightened up a bit.
“I’ll get it from Michael,” I repeated.
Tria suddenly moved her hand to the side of my face.
“You’re going to ask Michael for a handout?” she asked.
“If that’s what it takes,” I said. “I was going to go with a loan, though.”
She looked back and forth between my eyes.
“You mean it,” she said. “You really are going to ask him for the money.”
“Yeah, I mean it,” I said as I narrowed my eyes. “Why wouldn’t I?”
Tria sat there and eyed me for a long moment while a slo
w smile spread across her face.
“Okay,” she said.
“Okay?” I asked. “Okay what?”
“Okay,” she said again, “I’ll marry you.”
I was never one to actually whoop for joy, but I couldn’t really help myself.
Chapter 12—Tie the Knot
With Tria under me, wrapped tightly in my arms in the bed we shared at my uncle’s house, I could almost feel at peace.
Almost.
The cool air from the air conditioning—God, how I had missed AC—mixed with the sweat on my back from the recent exertion made me shiver a bit. Tria still breathed heavily as she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the mattress. Afraid of crushing her, I moved to the side and collapsed to the sheets with my arms still wrapped around her.
I reached for her stomach automatically. I couldn’t help either the action or the intrinsic fear that accompanied it.
“What are you thinking?” Tria asked.
“Nothing,” I lied. I shook my head and tried to clear it of thoughts.
“Yes, you are,” Tria argued. “Tell me.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before looking at her face. For a long moment I didn’t speak but just looked at her. I tried to focus my thoughts on anything but red streaks on the floor, the acrid smell, and the sound of my own screaming in my ears.
Tria’s eyes bored into me, but as she touched my cheek, her eyes softened. I couldn’t help but think about all those songs where people claimed they could see into each other’s souls. I figured as long as she was looking at it, I might as well bare it.
