AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Leo’s laugh was harsh and self-mocking. “Hard? Try impossible. I wanted Christine to go away; it just felt right. But I also wanted her to stay, even if every time I looked at her, I saw myself for the loser I am. Every glance like a knife to the heart, until…”
“Until what?” I asked, unable to control myself.
“I realized what was hurting me was love. Love that I couldn’t do anything about.”
August frowned. “I mean. You did plenty about it. I heard you loved her good and hard all night long just a few days ago. Maybe you need to stop blaming yourself. Maybe that’s why you don’t feel like you’re enough.”
Leo’s eyes burned with anger and pain. “It’s not just my fault,” he spat. His words were laced with exhaustion and a sour sting of self-loathing. “The fault lies in the hands of Lord Geralt, Lord Nathan, King Frederick, you”—he glared at August—“and Atticus.”
August sighed as if Leo was being overdramatic. “Sounds like you have a lot of feelings to work through,” he exhaled.
Leo shook his head and chuckled bitterly at August’s lack of understanding. “I’m not processing my trauma,” he said through gritted teeth, “I’m admitting the truth. If you had been there, you would have let her down too.”
August gave a grave, heavy sigh. His dark eyes lingered on my face, filled with regret and heartache.
“I did fail her,” he murmured. “But I learned my lesson. That’s the thing about life. You can only do your best. You’ve got to release all the crap that doesn’t make you feel good, but not let those truly special people go.”
I could barely speak, so I just nodded as his words settled around us like a heavy blanket of snow. My mind raced, swirling in a whirlpool of what-ifs and fear of potential heartbreak. I didn’t want to get attached only to lose it all again—the old wound still ached like a sore reminder of what could happen if I reached out too far. Yet despite everything, I craved having Leo wrap his arms around me and tell me that everything would be alright.
“My royal therapist would be so proud of me,” August said with a playful clap of his hands.
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” Leo said.
I clenched my hands into fists, feeling my rage bubble over. I wanted to scream, wanted to throw something. Words flew at Leo like a torrent of fury, desperate hope, and longing.
“Of course you want to run away the second the conversation gets too hard. You pretend. That’s all you ever do. Pretend that I’m not in love with you, that the things I said were empty words, that I don’t want more from you than to be my shadow. Pretend that you’ll survive if we’re not together,” I spat.
My anger evaporated as soon as Leo whispered his reply; the sorrow in his voice was like a dagger to my heart. “And I guess I’ll pretend that you’re not pregnant with another man’s baby.”
Atticus pulled me close and gave me a comforting squeeze. “Christine,” he said tenderly, “there’s nothing wrong with celebrating this pregnancy. I’m excited for this baby.”
“Are you excited, August?” I asked.
August twisted in his seat to face me, and his expression was a mask of trepidation. “It all happened so fast we haven’t had the time to take it in,” he said in a dazed voice. “I mean, I like the idea of having a kid—I think. But that doesn’t stop me from being scared shitless of actually having one. What if I drop her? Or what if I… Oh, God.” He trailed off, his forehead wrinkling in concern.
I reached out, placing a hand on his arm. “You think it’s gonna be a girl?”
He shrugged, an uncertain glint in his eye. “I hope it is,” he said finally. “A beautiful little princess who looks like her mama? I’d just pamper her rotten.”
A soft smile tugged at the corner of his lips before quickly falling away with an almost painful tilt of his head.
Atticus huffed an uncertain laugh. “I’m hoping for a boy, but if I have a daughter…I’d have to string up any suitor who glanced her way. I’ve already envisioned a thousand scenarios in my head.”
I snickered. “Judging by your tendencies, I’d say your son would be a real charmer. I guess I’ll be on the lookout for any little girls coming to win his heart,” I said with a chuckle.
August’s face twisted in agony. “God, if they have even an ounce of my DNA, they’ll be troublemakers. What if they end up wild and partying too hard? Or maybe pop pills and screw some girl named Candy and have to take some strong ass antibiotics for a few weeks for a totally normal and treatable disease that I no longer have?”
A hysterical laugh erupted from me, reverberating through the car. “August, you need to take a step back and relax. Our kid is going to be one of a kind.”
Atticus chuckled, but his voice was icy as he asked the dreaded question, “What about you, Leo? Boy or girl?”
The car swerved as Leo stepped on the gas. He scrunched his face, exhaling slowly. “Girl,” he at last said, his voice heavy with defeat. “I used to take care of my sister when we were younger, and I think I’m better with girls than boys. I bought her first pack of pads when she got her period.”
My mouth dropped open before I could stop myself, and I blurted out, “No way! That’s so sweet.” Once the words escaped me, I remembered we had been arguing just minutes before. My heart sank as my amusement evaporated away.
Leo managed an awkward smirk and returned my gaze for a split second before returning his attention to the road. His lip curved into a half-hearted smile as he spoke. “I think I may have gone a little overboard at the store; Mom was working double shifts, and I guess I felt like I had to step up and take care of this for us,” he sighed.
August’s eyes widened with panic. “I forgot about periods. What will we do?!” he exclaimed, his voice ringing throughout the car.
