Page 70 of Fighting Fate

“Maybe that poor girl is better off without you. Regardless, that baby certainly is.”

“There isn’t going to be a baby!’

The silence that follows is unbearable. It makes me want to scream the walls to dust. But it’s not until her face morphs from pissed to disappointed…disgusted…nothing. Mom’s staring at me blankly. That same fucking expression Willow had on her face when I walked out of her place. My bones threaten to crumple at the sight, my entire being pulling and clawing at itself.

“Shame on you,” she whispers.

“Mom…”

“No, Rory.” She lets out a breath, stepping away as I go to her. “You know better. I taught you better than to abandon a girl when she needs you most. I thought I did, anyway, but…”

“But?”

“You’re right. You’re not a kid—you’re a thirty-six-year-old man. Do you remember what Dad used to say?”

Fuck.She’s going in for the kill. I can feel it, and my gut is already twisting in anticipation of it.

“When a real man starts something, they see it through to the end. Regardless of the outcome.” She smiles wistfully. “Your ‘not right now’ is going to be the biggest regret of your life if you don’t stop to look at the bigger picture.”

“I am looking at the bigger picture.”

“No, you’re looking at the here and now and making decisions based on the past. You’re basing your entire happiness on what might happen. But it most probably won’t. What happened to your dad was a freak incident. A tragedy that you are allowing to dictate your life.”

“It was one hit, Mom, and anyone can take that hit at any time.”

“You don’t want a kid right now because of that possibility, but what if this is your only chance to have a beautiful baby with someone you love? Rory, you need to realise that right now is going to determine all your tomorrows.” Sad eyes flit down to her hand as she twists the rings on her finger. “Ask yourself, this time next year, when you’re retired, and the cage isn’t where you live your life, what do you want? And what regrets will you be able to live with?”