Page 135 of A Little Secret
What. The. Hell?
I haven’t heard from this man since he told me to have an abortion. Now, here he is on my front fucking porch?
Hands shaking, I reach for the handle and twist it, opening the door. Yup. I definitely wasn’t hallucinating. Drew, in all his preppy freaking glory, is on my doorstep with a dozen red roses. Like he wants to apologize. Like he has any right to apologize. Like he has any potential chance to be with me again.
Honestly, if I wasn’t so shocked, I’d find the entire thing laughable. Instead, I can’t convince my vocal cords to work properly. I feel like a fish out of water. Like my tongue is ten times its usual size, and my eyes might pop out of my head if I stare too long at the mess in front of me.
“W-what are you doing here?” I whisper.
“I came to…” Drew squeezes the back of his neck. “Talk.”
“Talk.” A crazed laugh bubbles out of me. Yeah, I’m not surprised anymore. I’m freaking pissed. Like seriously. Is this real life right now? “I’m sorry, I must’ve misheard you. Did you say you want totalk?”
“Finley, I?—”
“You don’t get to talk,” I decide. Propping my hand on my hip, I glare at the last person I’d ever want on my front porch. “Yeah. I like that. You don’t get to talk. Sorry.”
Drew pulls back. “Excuse me?”
“I said you don’t get to talk. Not after I drove across the country and found you cuddled up next to Mollie?—”
“I never touched?—”
“It doesn’t matter!” I screech. “That’s the crazy part about all of this. It doesn’t. It literally doesn’t matter. I don’t care what you do. I don’t love you. You don’t love me. We’re over.”
“Finley, you’re pregnant?—”
“Am I?” I spit. “You told me to get rid of it, remember?” I march over the threshold, moving closer to him. “Who says I didn’t?”
He pales. “Did you?”
“It. Doesn’t. Matter.” I jab my finger into his chest. “Get off my porch.Now.”
“Finley,” he pleads.
“You know what’s funny?” I ask. “This?” I wave my hand at him. “This used to do it for me. The way you said my name. The designer clothes. The way you were so driven and so obsessed with your future that you somehow convinced me it would be mine, too, and I felt lucky.” I laugh. “I felt lucky to be part of it. Until you decided that not only was our baby not a good enough reason to shift said future, but you also decided you didn’t want a future with me, period.”
“Idecided?” he scoffs. “Since when did you let me decide anything, Finley? You’re bossy and controlling and?—”
“I don’t need to have this conversation with you.” I turn on my heel and head inside my house, rage licking though my veins as I come to terms with the fact that this asshole had the audacity to knock on my door after everything we’ve been through. Gripping the edge of the door, I start to slam it when Drew slaps his hand against the solid piece of wood, stopping me.
“See, that’s where you’re wrong,” he murmurs. “Because whether or not we’re together anymore, the kid is mine.”
“You don’t want him,” I remind him.
“It doesn’t matter what I want. He’s my responsibility. I can’t just…”
“Walk away?” I finish for him. “No, I think you can. Actually, I think you’re pretty good at it, so really, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem for you. Just turn around. Get back in your rental car. And leave me alone. See? Simple. Now, if you’ll excuse me?—”
“What happens when he asks about me? When he wants to know who I am or if I hate broccoli as much as he does? Huh? What then?”
My chest aches, and my eyes well with tears as his words wash over me, painting a picture so fucking heartbreaking I could crumble right here. Right now. Because I can’t lie to myself. I’ve thought about it. What he or she will look like. If people will notice the differences. If they’ll question Griffin’s involvement in the baby-making process. If my baby will question whether or not Griffin’s their father. The last thought makes me sick to my stomach. Makes me want to double over and retch all over the icy concrete. I’d give anything to make it real. To gift mybaby Griffin’s genes, keeping them as far away from Drew as possible. But that’s the problem. It’s too late. All of this is.
“Finley, I’m here because I want another chance with you,” Drew continues. “I’m here because I handled everything so fuckin’ badly the first time. I’m here because I want the family we dreamed about. You. Me. And the baby. And I know the timeline doesn’t fit what we’d planned, and I know I should’ve responded differently, but I’m here now. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”
He pulls a little black box out and falls to one knee, making my eyes bug out of my head as he opens it. Inside is a round, glittering diamond on a thin silver band.
It’s beautiful. It is. And it makes my heart break even more.