AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah. A few times. Are you sure you’re okay?” She frowned, looking past me. “Where did my dad go?”
Guess he hadn’t shared that information with her either.
“I don’t know. But he’s pissed at me. Not you,” I said firmly, reaching out to grab her hand. “It has nothing to do with you. I just suck as a girlfriend.”
“What did you do?”
I tried to smile and was certain I failed miserably. “I forgot the whole ‘sharing your worries’ part of things. I’ve never had someone to share with before other than my best girlfriend and she’s, well, she won’t be any help with this particular worry.”
God, I couldn’t even begin to think of what Mickey would say. I’d need earplugs.
It wasn’t as if we hadn’t been careful. Should I have insisted we drive to a neighboring town? The juju in the Cove messed with hormones or something.
Or maybe it was just meant to be.
I buried my face in my hands. “I’m tempted to Uber home.” And hide like I had every other time something happened with Christian.
Get caught making out. Barricade myself in my apartment.
Find out he has a daughter and wonder if I might be pregnant. Skip work and hide in my apartment.
Hurt his feelings? No, rip open his chest and shove my fist through it? Uber away and go anywhere but here.
If Iwaspregnant, I sure was setting a fine example for my—our—future child.
Reagan’s voice was hesitant. “You don’t want to talk to him about it? Whatever it is?”
I dropped my hands and faced her squarely. “I very much want to talk to him about it because when he turned his back on me, it made me feel like shit. He doesn’t do that. And the reason he did is because I hurt him.”
“Why did you hurt him?”
“I didn’t want to be called on my evasion tactics. I didn’t want to have to be an adult yet.” It was amazing I didn’t scuff the toe of my shoe on the floor. “I mean, yes, I had one altruistic reason, but the others were solely about me. And your dad—he’s like a super adult. I’m still learning.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “You know I’m almost eighteen, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And that didn’t freak you out?”
“A little,” I admitted. “I’m not much older than you. But I thought maybe that would make it easier to be friends.”
“Yeah. But you didn’t run.”
“No. I wouldn’t do that to him.” The quivering throat ailment was back. Surely that wasn’t part of pregnancy too. Wrong area of the body to be affected. “You’re his and he loves you so much.”
She smiled slowly, like the sun peeking out from behind a cloud. “I’m pretty sure he loves you too.”
Impulsively, I pulled her into a hug. “Would you mind giving me five minutes to talk to him? If I can find him. I’m not sure where he went. But I don’t want him to get the wrong idea about me.” If I wasn’t already too late.
If I was, this time I’d stick around and make sure I fixed it. No more hiding. No more depending on Christian to be the adult while I acted immature as hell.
I was tenacious too, dammit.
“Sure, go look for him. I bet he didn’t go far. He just wanted you to come rescue him.” She grinned. “The guy rescuing the girl is so vintage, dontcha think?”
I liked this girl. And what a relief that was. I would’ve pretended even if I hadn’t but it was so nice to not have to.
I grinned back. “I like how you think. Wish me luck.”
