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“I told her I’d adopt the baby,” she blurted.
“You did?”
“If she didn’t want it, and you didn’t want it, I wanted to raise it as my own.”
“Shannon … I don’t know what to say.”
“Do you want it?” she asked.
“It’s my …” He could barely say the words. “It’s my baby.”
“That’s not an answer.”
He stared into the ashes. “Of course I want it.”
She looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. “Is that how you actually feel, or are you saying it because you think it’s what I want to hear or what you’re supposed to say?”
“I mean, I’m kind of in shock right now. This is the last thing I was expecting.”
“I know.”
But from the moment he’d heard the words, he had felt a sudden and undeniable connection to this baby, a need to protect it at all costs.
“I want it,” he said confidently.
“Good.” She squeezed her arm tight around him then let go, resting her hands in her lap.
His eyes went to the remnants of the fire again. “I don’t know how I’m going to tell Dréa. This is a nightmare.”
“Just be honest with her about what happened. It was before you guys even met.”
“True, but I don’t think that will make her feel much better about the situation. I should’ve told her when we first got together. I told her about my past, just not about this.”
They were quiet for a few beats before Shannon spoke.
“Can I ask you something?”
He nodded.
“If there was no Dréa, do you think something would happen with you and Jamie?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“Because of all the reasons I told you before. We don’t have much in common. She doesn’t share our faith. And she’s not the kind of girl you settle down with. She’s the kind of girl—”
“You sleep with?” Shannon’s disapproval was obvious.
He shrugged his shoulders. “I mean, she’s the party girl, Shannon. You know this about her.”
“I know she has been in the past, but what if being a mom changes her?”
“I just don’t see a future with her. I’m marrying Dréa.”
“Because you met her and you just knew?”
“That’s right. Is that so hard to believe?” Why did he suddenly feel like he needed to defend his relationship?