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I hold her like I have for years, and it feels so natural. So right.
“Just tell me what it is, sweetheart,” I whisper in her hair as she sobs into my chest. It hurts. Every bit of her sadness shreds me. “I’m sorry,” I tell her and pull back to look at her, but she just buries her face back into my chest.
It’s a long moment before Kat quietly pulls away.
“I have something you should see,” she says and walks off. She wraps her arms around her torso as I follow her toward the stairs.
Anxiousness suffocates me, not knowing what it is she wants to show me.
“Stay here,” she tells me, looking over her shoulder as she grips the railing.
I nod and watch her walk upstairs alone. She takes slow steps the entire way. Her bare feet pad softly on the floor as she leaves me.
I wait with bated breath. My body begs me to sit, the exhaustion making me want to give in and fall onto the couch. But I remain standing.
In the silence all I can think about is the shattered window, the fact that someone broke in. If they didn’t take anything, maybe they left something behind instead. Whatever it is, a picture of some shit I did, a text or a letter—I don’t care what it is that’s making her so damn upset. I’ll fix it.
I won’t let her go, and I’ll destroy anyone and everyone who gets between us.
My head lifts when I hear her coming down the stairs, and my feet move of their own accord.
They don’t move for long, though. The second my eyes land on the white plastic stick in her hands, my body freezes.
My mouth hangs open slightly as I glance from the pregnancy test to Kat’s face.
She stops in front of me, barely looking at me and holds it out. “I’m sorry,” she whispers in a cracked voice. As if this is bad. As if she’s done something wrong.
“Baby, why are you sorry?” I look between her and the stick. I can’t will myself to take it or to even believe it’s real. “You’re pregnant?” I ask her. She covers her mouth with her hand and nods.
A baby. A little life just like my Kat. Tears prick at the back of my eyes.
It’s the best damn thing I could have ever asked for.
And then it hits me.Jacob Scott.I looked into him after that … ‘meeting’ we had. My breathing picks up as my blood heats. I don’t have the nerve to ask her, but the words are on the tip of my tongue.
I’ll kill him.
“I’m pregnant,” Kat says and draws in a steadying breath, taking a few steps backward.
I almost ask her, but I can’t do it. Even if the baby isn’t mine, I don’t care. I’ll take care of both Kat and her child.
“A baby?” A swarm of emotions courses through me. “This is why you’re going to the doctor’s?”
“Yeah, a baby,” she says and chances a look up at me. Her long, dark lashes glisten with what’s left of the tears before she wipes them away.
“That’s wonderful,” I tell her and close the distance between us, reaching for her hands. She leans into me and I rub the pads of my thumbs against her knuckles. “Kat, why are you sorry about something so amazing? Don’t be sorry; I’m so happy.”
I can see her expression fall as she tries to stay strong.
“It doesn’t change what’s going on, but I just found out and I don’t know.”
“Don’t know what?” A numbness creeps up the back of my legs.
“How we’re going to handle all of this,” she says and starts to pull away from me.
“Kat, you’re mine,” I tell her.
“You were just in jail hours ago and we’re separated. How are you going to take care of your baby?”