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“Why?”
“Because I do.”
Something didn’t feel right. It was too easy. “You told me youhatekids.”
“And you made me realize I’m just scared of them—”
“You told me if we ever had a kid, you wouldn’t even be there when they were born—”
“Laura.” He winced when I repeated his words. “I remember what I said. You don’t need to remind me. I don’t want that to be the reason we aren’t together. Whenever that time comes in our lives, I’ll do my best to be ready for it, to be the best father I can be. I’m willing to try for you.”
It still didn’t feel right. Never once had Bartholomew ever even remotely entertained the idea, and now here he was, with a complete change of heart. I studied his face, searched for answers in his eyes, his expression, but I didn’t find anything.
But then…it hit me.
The reason he’d shown up at my apartment out of the blue…was because he knew.
He knew. “No…”
“What?”
“This is not how I wanted it to be.”
His eyes narrowed and his face hardened.
“This is not the love story I want…”
“Laura—”
“Get out.”
“I’m not leaving. Not this time. Not ever.”
“I gave you the opportunity to choose me for love, not obligation. You made that choice, and now you have to stick with it.”
“I’m not here out of obligation—”
“Yes, you are. That’s the only reason you came to my front door.”
“Laura, I could have just gone about my life without a care. I didn’t have to come here. I didn’t have to care. But I’m here because I do care, because I don’t want my kid to have a stepfather, because I don’t want my kid to know what it’s like to know their father doesn’t give a shit whether they’re dead or alive.”
I stepped back, my privacy violated, my world upended.
“Sweetheart—”
“No. I know how you really feel.”
“And those feelings changed the instant I knew,” he snapped. “That’s how it works, right? You aren’t ready to be a parent until you’re forced to be a parent. You don’t know how it really feels to have a kid until that moment is upon you. I know how I feel now. I want to do this with you.”
My arms crossed over my chest, and I stepped back.
“You know what I said to Benton when he was having a kid?”
“You told him to get her an abortion.”
“Which is an option for us since we’re still in the first trimester.”
My eyes narrowed on his face.
