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“You have my word.”
And just like that, Kieran Van der Zee breaks my heart for the second time.
27
Ari
England is lovely. The weather. The people. All of it. But I just can’t seem to care. Arista and Ayla walk ahead, chatting softly to each other. I know they’re worried about me, but I’m too tired to reassure them I’m fine. It’s been two weeks since I found out what Kieran had done. In that time Kieran did as he said, giving me a cell phone and access to my bank account. He also made an appointment for me to see Grimsby, where I learned that I’m four months pregnant. Seeing the baby on the ultrasound was… a lot.
Andrina stays closer to me as we walk, as if she can sense that I don’t want to be alone.
“Want to talk about it?”
“Not really.”
“Come on, Ari. We’re your sisters. That’s what we’re here for. Besides, you didn’t come all the way to England to stroll around a garden.”
I snort softly. “I’m pregnant.”
“Ari! Really?” She squeezes my arm. “Wait, are we happy about the baby or not?”
“I’m not sure. Mostly happy, but also sad and angry.” I give her a watery smile. “Kieran had me thinking I was taking birth control when I was really taking a fertility drug.”
“Shit. Really?”
We come to a stop at a bench and sit.
“Yes, really. He was going to take the child from me as some kind of revenge for something Dad did.”
“Dad? What did Dad do?”
I give her the short version and she shakes her head.
“Why am I not surprised that he would go after someone who was already taken?”
“Maybe he didn’t know she was taken. Or maybe he loved Mom so much that he did anything to get her.” I shake my head. “I feel like such a fool. I went to Kieran and never questioned why he was so willing to help me when I had nothing to offer in return.”
She’s silent for a moment.
“He’s been checking up on you.”
“Who? Kieran?”
She nods. “He called the day you boarded the plane, letting us know that you were coming.”
Well, that explains why my sisters weren’t surprised when I showed up at their boarding school.
“What else did he say?”
“Just that he had messed up. And that he loves you.” Her gaze searches mine. “Do you think he loves you?”
I look up at the sky, willing myself not to cry. “I don’t know.”
“Ari, I think you do know.”
“Everything got so complicated. He said one thing, but when he kissed me, I knew it was all a lie. He cared for me even though he didn’t want to.”
“Do you care for him?”
