AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The reminder doesn't really make me feel any better. I think it's going to be a long time before I forget that two men I've never met were planning to kidnap me.
Praying the officers outside have news about Roman, I hurry toward the door. Before I make it halfway across the room, the knock comes again, a little louder than before. Soft voices trickle through, but I can't make out anything they're saying.
I quickly undo all the door locks and yank it open.
"Have you heard fr–" My heart stops beating, the words dying on my lips when my gaze lands on Tahani. She's standing between the two officers, her hair pulled back in a ponytail with her bottom lip between her teeth. She's wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Wedged between Carter and Benson's big bodies, she looks like a little kid.
"Hi," she whispers, her worried hazel eyes meeting mine.
Roman must have gotten ahold of her to tell her where to find me.
A sob catches in my throat, choking me. Before I can say anything, my stomach rolls again, and I have to turn and run back into the room, my hand clamped over my mouth. I barely make it to the bathroom before I start dry heaving. Tears leak from my eyes, though I'm not sure if I'm crying or if my eyes are watering.
A little of both, probably.
I stay on my knees by the toilet for a long moment after the dry heaves stop, afraid to turn around and face Tahani. I've thought a thousand times about what I would say to her when I finally got to talk to her face-to-face, but now that she's here…now that I've survived the last twenty-four hours of hell…I don't even know where to begin.
I thought if she asked, I'd be brave enough to walk away from Roman if it meant their relationship survived. That I could sacrifice my future with him to keep his daughter in his life if that's what I had to do. But I don't think I can give her that if she demands it. I don't want to hurt her, but I can't let him go.
Even if I wasn't pregnant with his baby, I don't think I'd be able to give him up. Not after yesterday. Not after seeing him falling apart because he thought he lost me. Not for Tahani. Not for anyone. Maybe that makes me a terrible person because of what I've been through with my father, but it's the truth. I can't give him up.
"Are you okay?" she asks softly.
"Yeah," I whisper and wipe my eyes before reluctantly dragging myself to my feet.
She's standing right outside the bathroom door. The door to the room is closed, giving us privacy. I stare at her for a long, silent moment. She looks exactly the same as always, but her eyes are sad and uncertain. I hate knowing I'm part of the reason for that.
"Daddy called me," she whispers and then grimaces. "Well, he called Trent."
"Is he okay?" I reluctantly step out of the bathroom and move toward the bed.
"I think so." She takes a step toward me and then stops. "Trent wouldn't tell me much. He told me about the fire. About you being inside when it started. I had to come to see if you were okay."
"Oh."
"Are…are you okay?"
I open my mouth to lie and tell her yes, but the word won't come. I don't want to lie to her anymore. Not when lying to her is what got us into this mess in the first place. We should have been honest with her from the beginning instead of hiding our relationship from her. If this is the last time I see her, I want to know that I told her the truth about everything, even if it hurts.
"Not really, but I will be," I whisper. Tears fill my eyes again. I blink rapidly to keep them at bay. "I'm sorry I lied to you. I swear, I never meant to hurt you, Tahani. Neither did Roman."
"I know." She steps deeper into the room and then stops again.
"I'm so worried about him," I admit, sinking down onto the side of the bed. I hang my head, staring at the hardwood floor. "I don't know what he's going to do."
Tahani stands there for another minute before she walks over and sits down beside me. "Will…will you tell me what happened?"
I take a deep breath, exhale, and look over at her. She's watching me, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. "I will if you want me to, but you should know that Roman wants to be the one to tell you what's going on. He's wanted to tell you for a long time but didn't want you to worry about him."
"I've always worried about him," she mutters.
"I know."
She meets my gaze again and swallows. "I was never mad at you for being with him," she whispers. "I was hurt that you didn't tell me. You're my best friend and he's my dad, and you both lied to me."
"I'm sorry. I never wanted to lie to you, but I was so afraid you would hate me for being with him. You were my best friend. I didn't want you to hate me."
She shoots me a sad smile. "I don't hate you, Mila; I'm still your best friend. I'll always be your best friend. But I've never had to share him before, you know? It hurt my feelings that he told you about his job but wouldn't tell me. He still treats me like a kid, but he told you the truth. It sounds stupid, but I was jealous."
