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"Pull over," she demands.
I do as she says, slowing the car and pulling off on the shoulder. I look over to find her opening the door before we've even fully stopped, and I reach for her.
"Claire, please let me explain," I start.
She slams the door.
I jump out and run after her, where she's stomping up the street. It can't be fun; she's already showing a lot and I know her feet have been swollen. She's slow enough that I catch up easily, reaching for her arm and taking her by the wrist.
"Claire--"
"Don't touch me!" she cries, shaking me off. "Gray...what the hell? You're a felon? How did this stay out of all our conversations, all the times you..." She pauses. "Oh my God, I'm having a baby with a felon, I was such an idiot. Harvey was right, oh my God, I..."
"Claire, please listen," I say. "I wanted to tell you so many times, but every time, it seemed less important than whatever was going on. I thought I'd come clean on our first date...but you told me about Harvey and I didn't want to distract us from that. And then there was the contract, and then I was convinced I was going to tell you one day after work and you told me you were pregnant and I..."
"There have been so many opportunities, Gray! When you were working on my house, when we were out walking Luna, when we were watching TV!" she says. "That isn't an excuse!"
"I know," I say, "and you have no idea how much I regret not telling you. I just got so scared of losing you that I couldn't bear the thought of it, and we were so happy that I just thought..."
"You just thought what?" she says. "Did you ever even plan on telling me?"
I zip my lips shut, ducking my head. I'm watching her slip away, and everything I say makes it worse.
"Claire," I say quietly. "I promise I'll tell you everything. No more secrets. No more lies. If you let me drive you back to Fern Hollow, I'll get it all out on the way, and then you can decide if you want me to stay or not."
She stares at me, her arms crossed over her belly. She's so beautiful in the summer sun, her hair up in a messy, curly ponytail, wearing a loose pink t-shirt dress. I try to commit the sight of her to memory.
I can't lose her.
I can't.
"You have an hour," she says. "Let's go."
Chapter eighteen
Claire
Itryreallyhardnot to panic when we get back in the car, but it doesn't work.
It feels like Gray has completely changed in the blink of an eye--like the gentle, kind man I knew was a lie. The only thing reminding me that it's still him in there is the way his hands shake as he puts them on the steering wheel, pulling back onto the highway toward Fern Hollow.
"Before I start," he says. "You should know that...that Cooper isn't my real name."
My eyes widen. It felt like it couldn't get worse--but I don't even know his name. He signed acontractunder that name. "What is it?" I ask.
"Hart," he replies. "Grayson Hart. But I haven't gone by that name in a real long time. Grayson Cooper is currently mylegalname, but it’s still not my real name."
I don’t know if that makes anything better. "How long?"
"Fifteen years," he mutters. "Two in juvie, five in prison, six here in Oregon."
"Juvie?"
"Yeah," he says. "I was sixteen when I went in. Sentenced as a minor."
As strange as it is, that changes things. It means the guy who beat someone up wasn't a grown adult making a conscious decision; he was just a kid. Still, it scares me, especially after I saw his violent streak with Harvey.
"What happened?" I ask.
