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He reaches out to grab my hand, and I don’t pull away, allowing his rough thumb to offer me this small comfort. My eyelids flutter closed for a few beats, focusing only on the warmth of his hand.
“Why are you here, Addison?” he asks. “Not that I’m not glad to see you, but it’s a surprise.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry.” I breathe slowly, opening my eyes and pulling away. I take a few steps backward until I’m up against the edge of the couch, and then I sit. “I know this isn’t what you wanted, me being here . . .”
“It’s not like that,” he replies sadly.
“No, please. Just let me talk.”
He nods, sticking his hands into his pockets and looking at me with genuine care.
“I’m sorry I went to your work. I just didn’t know how to get a hold of you. All I could remember was Prescott Enterprises.” I wipe my sweaty palms against my jeans. “I’m sorry.”
“Please stop apologizing,” he says, kneeling in front of me. He grabs my face in his hands and kisses my forehead. When he pulls away, he rests his hands on my knees. “What the hell is going on, baby?”
“I’m pregnant.”
The words come out staccato as they catch in my throat. I focus on the thick swallow that jars his Adam’s apple while his hands tighten on my knees.
I can see the moment that it hits him, because it hits him hard. He falls back onto his ass, his intake of breath so sharp that it echoes through the room and pierces my ears.
There’s probably a better way to handle this, and I’m probably fucking it up royally. I’m momentarily saddened that this will be the story I’ll have to tell our child someday. Not that their parents hoped and prayed for them, but instead, that the news knocked both of us on our asses.
“Holy fuck,” he says, covering his dropped jaw. “Okay.” He nods slightly, dragging out his words. “Okay.”
I jump to my feet. His reaction has my skin crawling.
“I was on birth control, like I told you. And I swear it’s yours. Ethan and I hadn’t had sex in a really long time.”
“Addison,” Chase’s voice booms as he slowly rises to his feet. “For everyone’s sake, it’s probably best if you don’t talk about sleeping with other men from here on out.”
“Right.” I clear my throat. “Yeah, that’s fair.”
“You’ve been to the doctor?” He’s pacing back and forth in front of me, but stops to see me nod. “Okay. That’s good.” More pacing. “So you’re a few months along, then?”
“Yeah, twelve weeks.” My eyes follow the path he burns in the rug. Back and forth. Rub face. Deep sigh. Back and forth.
He doesn’t seem angry, just contemplative, which doesn’t leave me much to go off of. I mean, this isn’t the first time a woman has told him this news, right, so maybe it comes as less of a shock the second time around?
That’s when it hits me. Finally.
This isn’t the first time a woman has told him she’s pregnant.
I’ve been so wrapped up in my own drama that I haven’t even stopped to wonder about Willow’s mom, where she is, or the current status of her relationship with Chase.
“Where’s Willow’s mom?” I ask abruptly.
“Can we sit?” he asks, causing a new wave of adrenaline to shoot throughout my body. He’s frowning, which makes me frown too.
“Please just answer the question, Chase.”.
“Emily,” he says. “Willow’s mom’s name is Emily. We grew up together.”
I nod, urging him to continue. My hands twist and pull on the purse strap across my chest.
“She’s my wife,” he says on a whisper.
I hitch in a breath, my head spinning and the room closing in on me. The air’s stifling, like all of the oxygen has been sucked out of the space and I’m fighting for my last breaths.
