AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I close my eyes, pressing my mouth together to conceal the quiver in my bottom lip—he said King, not Princess.
"Please look at me." A kiss is placed on my nose.
I cannotnotobey. My nerves are buzzing with fear and excitement at the same time.
"You hurt me." The vulnerability he lets me see is almost too much.
"I know. I'm—"
"Shh," he shushes me. "Please let me get this out."
I nod, not wanting him to stop talking. The longer he talks, the longer I can pretend before it all ends.
Wes drops his hands and wraps me into an embrace around my mid-section. "When I saw you with…your father, I was convinced you had tricked me, made me fall for you. I just didn't understand why. I hadn't been in contact with Lilly or Rhys in years, and I had nothing you could take."
"I never—" I start, but he interrupts me.
"Kiwi set me straight weeks ago, but I was too proud to reach out to find you. I would rather drown in my misery. Then, you came back." His gaze drops between us. "And you were not alone. I felt…fuck, I don't know. Cheated? Betrayed? Tricked? I have no clue. Either way, it wasn't good."
I dip my chin, staying quiet this time.
"I'm still angry about how I found out. Especially because Lilly knew about you, about…her." He splays his fingers across Nugget. "In my mind, you would've never told me about her." He searches my eyes. "Would you? Have told me?"
My heart squeezes, but I refuse to lie to him. There have been too many lies already. "I don't know," I whisper. "You hated me. I saw it written on your face that night. I didn't want to keep her from you, but I also didn't want to force you into anything." My eyes begin to water again. "I was scared."
Wes nods. "I want to be in her life. That hasn't changed." His tone is almost emotionless, and I can't read him. He's not pushing me away, but he's also not saying that he—
"I want us to try."
What?
"I can't promise you anything. We have a lot of damage to work through—on both sides. But I want to give this a shot."
I scramble off Wes's lap. "Please don't." I hold my palms out as if to warn him off.
He doesn't move, just stares up at me in bewilderment. "Princess?"
"Please don't call me that." I can't breathe."I won't keep her from you, I promise, but please don't do this. I never meant to hurt you. I love you so much. You deserve more than—I'm not trapping you with a baby," I word vomit through a waterfall of tears, taking one step backward at a time. I need to get out of here.
Wes jerks up from the couch and grabs me by the wrists. "What did you say?"
Huh?
His tone softens. "Say it again."
A crease forms between my brows, and I go over my words in my mind. "I won't trap—"
"Not that, Princess." He chuckles.
"I don't—"
"You love me?" His gaze ping-pongs between my eyes.
Oh.
I can't form the words he wants to hear. I didn't mean to blurt them out. Yes, they're true, but it also allows me to get hurt. He must realize my struggle because he releases my wrists and pulls me into a hug. My back stiffens, but he either doesn't notice or—more likely—ignores it.
Wes rests his head on top of mine. "Princess, I don't want this because we're having a baby." There is a pause. "I love you. And despite everything—who your sperm donor is, or you potentially never telling me that I was going to have a daughter—I can't deny what I feel for you. I've tried."
