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“Fuck. I’m sorry. It didn’t even cross my mind before I askedyou.”
She shrugs. “It’s fine. She’s a part of your life. She was your wife. I get thatnow.”
“What do you mean, you get thatnow?”
“I understand the loss of someone you love. I now understand, sometimes, you can’t get over it.” She rubs her stomach as the tears fall. “I know I’ll never get over this, just like you’ll never get over Lucy. I don’t blame you for it. I’m notmad.”
“What are you saying?” I ask, simmering withfear.
Her eyes are vacant. Dull. She’s here physically, but she’s nothere.
“I’m saying, we should spend some timeapart.”
I feel my pulse in my throat. “Are you … are you saying you’re done withme?”
She shakes her head and rubs her forehead, like I’m stressing her out. Like it’s the last conversation she wants tohave.
Me,too.
“I can’t be done with you. We’re having a baby together, but we should take a step back from everythingelse.”
I can’t be hearing her right. I lost Lucy. I lost one of my babies. Now, I’m losingher.
“Take a step back from the relationship we’ve been building? Take a step back from feeling happiness? Take a few steps back from makinglove?”
She cringes. “Don’t call itthat.”
“Don’t call itwhat?”
Her jaw clenches in anger. “Making love. We don’tmake love,Dallas, because we don’t love each other. We fuck. That’s it. You and I both knowit.”
“You know that’s not true!” I grind out, fighting the urge to raise my voice. “If I were only interested infuckingsomeone, do you think I’d do it with the most complicated woman in the world?” I shake my head and lean in. “I do it because I’m falling in love with you. Not for a quickfuck!”
“Oh,shit!”
I stumble back at the sound of Stella’s voice and look at the doorway to find her standing there with myparents.
“Bad timing?” Stella asks regrettably, tears lining her eyes. “Sorry, I suck atknocking.”
Tears are falling down my mom’s cheeks. My dad has his fist against his mouth to fight his ownhurt.
They know before even askingquestions.
I stride across the room to hug my mother, rubbing her back as she lets out her hurt, and then move to my dad next. He’s not much of a hugger, but he keeps a tight hold on me, understanding mypain.
I lean back on my heels. “Will you give us amoment?”
They nod, and I’m back at Willow’s side when they’re gone. I scrub my other hand over my face and try to control my breathing. “You honestly can’t believe I’m not in love with you. I’ve been trying to show you how damn good we aretogether.”
Her chin trembles as she prepares herself to break my fucking heart. “I might be younger than you, but I’m not stupid, Dallas. We have fun together. We like each other. We’re attracted to each other. But your heart isn’t ready for anyone else. And my heart isn’t whole enough to give someone a piece I’m not sure I’ll get back. We were caught in the moment, moving too fast, even though we told each other in the beginning that a relationship was off thetable.”
“That was before I brought you into my life, before you showed me how wonderful you were with my daughter, before you showed me what it was like to be happyagain.”
She stares down at her stomach without saying another word. She said what she needed, and now, she’sdone.
“So, this is it, huh? Where you want us to go? I’ve lost two people in my life that fucking meant something. No, make that three if you walk away fromme.”
She keeps her head bowed andgrimaces.
