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“It’s Nolan’s baby,” I admit. “The night at the wedding, that stupid one-night stand.”
“Oh, sweetie.” She squeezes my hands. “You’ve been keeping this a secret since then?”
“I found out a few weeks ago, before he came back into the picture. I planned on telling someone, anyone, but then… things happened, and now I don’t know what to do. It’s like I’m trapped by circumstance.”
“Are you safe?” She pulls me toward the counter again, her voice pitching lower. “I mean, if Nolan finds out—”
I shake my head. “He wouldn’t hurt me.”
“Are you sure?” She stares into my eyes. “Think about it, Keely. There’s a reason you haven’t told him.”
“Right, it’s that I don’t want the baby to be a Crowley, and I just—” I stop myself as Jamila shakes her head.
“You’re not telling him because you’re afraid of him. What can I do to help?”
“Jams—” But before I can explain how Nolan’s been nothing but sweet to me, nothing but tender in his own strange way, the door to the back kitchen pushes open, and we both stop talking.
Nolan steps into the room.
It feels like someone’s jammed knives into both my feet. I can’t move. I can’t breathe. I’m in pain, but there’s no actual pain. My jaw works, but no words come out. I should be screaming—running—doing something.
Nolan’s staring at me. His face is contorted into confusion.
“You’re pregnant?”
His voice comes out small. Quiet, gentler than I’ve ever heard from him.
He must’ve been listening from the start.
I should say something. Tell him how he was never supposed to find out, not yet anyway, how I’m beginning to want the dream he showed me yesterday at that house in the suburbs, but I’m afraid, terrified of his family, terrified of what it might do to me. How it could chew me down to the bone, spit me out, leave me nothing. Leave my child worse than nothing. A monster.
“Leave her alone.” Jamila turns on him, holding her hands out like she plans on pushing him back. “You don’t get anywhere near her, Nolan.”
“When?” he asks, ignoring Jamila. “When did you find out?”
“Nolan.” I choke his name.
“You’re pregnant with my child,” he roars at me, coming forward, but stops when Jams screams in his face.
“Leave her alone!” Jamila shoves him, like pushing against a stone wall, but it halts his advance.
He’s breathing hard. His nostrils flare, like an animal in rage.
I’ve never been afraid of him before, not like this.
Right now, I’m terrified.
“I’ve known since the beginning,” I manage to say. “Since you made your proposal.”
“That’s why you accepted, isn’t it?” He looks shocked. “You’re going to leave me, just like you said. Take the money and run. Steal my baby away.”
“Nolan, no—”
“I won’t let you.” His face darkens. “You can’t.”
“Get the fuck away,” Jamila shouts before she turns and vaults the counter. It’s actually really impressive, and I’d say so, if I weren’t busy freaking out from fear. Nolan looks like he wants to grab me and drag me off. To do what, I can’t imagine, but it wouldn’t be good. “Come on, we’re going.”
“You lied to me,” Nolan says, not moving as Jamila drags me to the front door.
