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Could she handle being with Colin as he went through Shawn’s pregnancy, then as he helped raise a child with her, if he didn’t marry her?
She thought that she could.
She breathed deeply in and out, trying to clear her head, and calm her shaking body.
She knew that what she and Colin had was special, and she wasn’t willing to walk away without letting him know that she was going to stick with him no matter what. She knew what she had to do.
Chapter Eighteen
Colin sat in silence, his head in his hands, trying to make sense out of what Shawn had just said.
“We always used protection,” he said quietly, unable to accept her declaration as the truth. “Are you sure it’s mine?”
“Fuck you,” Shawn replied, finally losing the smirk that had donned her face since her arrival. “You know I never cheated on you, and I haven’t started seeing anyone new… yet.”
“I thought you said you were on the pill, and we used condoms. I just don’t get it.” He hung his head, shaking it as he tried to come to terms with yet another life changing event.
This didn’t have to ruin his plans, he assured himself as it sank in. He could be a coach and help Shawn raise their child. People did it every day.
When he looked up, Shawn was staring at him as she drank her coffee, studying him as if his every thought played across his face.
“All right,” he said loudly, as if speaking at a higher volume would convince him that everything would be okay.
Before he could finish his thought, Briana came storming back in the door. He was surprised at the relief he felt
at seeing her. She walked over to him and sat down, putting her arm around his shoulder.
“Are you okay?” he asked, kissing her lightly on the cheek and brushing her hair back from her face.
She nodded, closing her eyes briefly at his touch.
“I just needed some air,” she explained, giving him a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
Colin held her gaze and tried to convey his feelings for her. He hoped that she trusted him enough to understand what he was about to say to Shawn.
Then he looked at Shawn again. She looked very annoyed at having to wait for him to respond to her little bombshell.
“All right,” he began again. “I’ll help you with whatever you need. I’ll be there with you through the pregnancy. I’m sure we can get you a place here if you want to be close until you have the baby. Then I’ll share joint custody with you and help you raise the baby. I’ll help with expenses and be a part of his or her life in every way possible.”
He turned back to Briana, to see if she was freaking out at what he’d just said, but she nodded and held her hand out for him to hold. She squeezed it and relief flooded through him.
She was going to stick with him.
He noticed that Shawn still hadn’t said anything. She was staring at him with her mouth open, as if surprised by what he’d said.
“Have you lost your mind?” she sputtered, putting the coffee cup down with a thud. “You actually think I’m going to keep this baby? You think I’m going to ruin my body for some washed up loser? No. I plan to marry someone who can take me places, and that won’t happen with a snot nosed brat at my hip.”
“What are you talking about, Shawn? Why are you here then?”
“I’m going to have an abortion,” she stated coldly. “I want you to pay for half.”
Colin stood up and faced her, his face turning red with anger. “And that’s it? You tell me that you’re pregnant with my kid, but I don’t get any say in whether it lives or dies?”
“It’s my body, Colin. The decision is mine.”
“Why’d you have to come here then?” he asked, his anger fading to sadness. “Why’d you even tell me about the baby if you never had any intention of keeping it?”
“I thought you should know,” she said smugly. “You’re just as responsible for this happening as I am, so you should pay half.”
