Page 169 of Made in Love and Blood

“I couldn’t do it,” she snarled at him.

He knew exactly what she meant.

Fuck his whole life.

“You said it was my choice!”

Nico nodded behind his hands, but his whole body had gone numb. “And you couldn’t even be bothered to tell me that you didn’t take the second one?”

“You said—”

“I know what I said!” he roared back.

If people on the field and sidelines of the training camp hadn’t noticed their scene before, they certainly did after that.

Frankie’s tears came in droves, now, her chin trembling. “Don’t yell at me, Nico.”

That’s all he wanted to do. He’d really fucked up this time.

“How long did you know?” Carina asked. “How many weeks along are you?”

“I found out when we went to the gyno.”

Nico flinched, remembering the morning Carina interrupted them. “How many weeks?” he asked, repeating the only question she didn’t answer.

“They estimated eight to twelve, but that didn’t even make sense at the time. We weren’t even having sex that far back, so...I don’t know.”

“Oh, no, we do know,” Nico returned, trying to keep his tone level, “because the only time it could have happened was in Chicago. So how many weeks today?”

“Like twelve to fourteen. Depending on if you’re saying from conception or the last missed period, which didn’t even happen.”

“Jesus Christ, Frankie,” he breathed against the tips of his fingers.

“Okay, now we know,” Carina said quietly, the only calm one between the two teenagers, “and now we can handle it.”

Right. Handle it.

Nico had to handle it—at least, one part of it. That was on him to do as a man. In his soul, he knew it. And he couldn’t wait another minute to do it.

Spinning on his heel, he beelined it for the aisle between the seats, needing to leave. Behind him, Frankie called after him.

“Nico, wait! Where are you going?”

He didn’t answer. He couldn’t.

She made her choice. He had to make his.

22. — can’t take that...

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Staten Island, New York

Salvatore, Gallo Estate

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“There was what you wanted to do, and what you had to do,” Salvatore told Nico as he leaned against the front of the desk in his study. “Doing the right thing isn’t the easy option, a lot of the time.”