Page 136 of A Little Secret
The floor creaks behind me, and I turn around, finding Griffin’s broken gaze pinning me in place. Tearing his attention from me, he stares at the ground like he wants to bolt. Like he wants to respect me and my conversation with Drew. Like he knows he was just caught eavesdropping.
Instead of leaving like I expect, he steps through the thin gap between me and the door, his muscles rigid as he approaches Drew on the porch.
“Get off your fuckin’ knee,” he growls.
“Griffin, wait,” I murmur.
“This guy doesn’t deserve you, Fin.”
Drew scoffs. “Stay in your own fuckin’ lane, asshole.”
“Drew,” I seethe. “If you want to hear my answer, I highly suggest you shut your freaking mouth.”
Teeth grinding, he digs his fingers into the black box in his hand but stays quiet.
Satisfied, I turn back to Griffin. “Give me thirty seconds, okay? Trust me.”
His frigid gaze shifts to me, and he cocks his head, waiting. I wonder if he’s caught between respecting me and my decisions and throwing me over his shoulder, claiming me for his own.
It’s kind of adorable, I’m not going to lie. If my ex wasn’t three feet away from me, I’d throw my arms around Griffin’s neck and kiss him until next Tuesday, promising I’m his and only his. But, alas.
Moving closer to Drew, I crouch down beside him and close the little black velvet box in his hand. “You and I are over, Drew. We were over long before I found out I was pregnant, so you can let go of whatever guilt convinced you to buy a ring, get on a plane, and come to my house after the way we left things. I’m not holding a grudge, and I sure as hell don’t need you to propose out of guilt, especially since I now know what an actual loving relationship feels like, so can you please just…leave?”
“And the baby?” he demands.
“She’ll send you a postcard,” Griffin answers from behind me.
Tossing him a smirk over my shoulder, I give Drew my full attention. “We’ll get there when we get there.Ifyou’re even still interested in being part of their life once I actually give birth. But for now? There’s no use dragging shit out and playing the happy family when, if we’re being honest, it’s the last thing either of us wants. So, tell me the truth. Why are you really here?”
It’s a gamble. A painful and potentially humbling gamble. Making an assumption like this. Acknowledging that he doesn’t want me or the baby. Not really. Even if he is here. Even if he is down on one knee, begging me to take him back. He doesn’t want this. There’s no way he wants this. I can’t erase the memory of the look I saw in his eyes when I told him about the baby. The contempt. The anger.There’s no way all of those emotions would disappear. So, what is it? Why is he here?
“Answer me,” I push. “Why are you here, Drew?”
He closes his eyes, proving I’m more spot-on than either of us really wants me to be. “You want the truth?”
“I think I deserve it, don’t you?”
His Adam’s apple bobs. “I-if my parents find out I abandoned a kid, they’ll cut me off.”
“Cut you off?”
“You know how religious they are. If they found out I got you pregnant and didn’t marry you, they’d kill me. My schooling? My allowance? It would all be gone, Fin, and you know how much pressure they put on me, let alone if anyone finds out about…everything. I can’t live with myself. I can’t live with them. They’d never forgive me. Never give me another chance. I’d be fucked, Fin. You know I would be.”
With a slow nod, I suck my lips between my teeth.
I should’ve known greed would be the culprit. Greed and shame. Like those are honorable reasons for buying a ring and stepping up as a father. I can’t decide if I’m hurt or relieved. Both, I guess. Neither one changes the situation, though. Or the outcome.
Squeezing his bicep, I murmur, “I have good news, Drew.”
“What is it?” he pleads.
“You can walk away without feeling guilty. I don’t want to ruin your future any more than you want me to. I’m not going to come after you. I’m not going to tell your parents. Besides, everyone thinks the baby is Griffin’s, anyway.”
He frowns, his attention sliding to someone behind me. “Not everyone.”
Curious, I follow his gaze and look behind me. Griffin is on the doorstep with his hands tucked in his pockets.And behind him, at the base of the stairs, is my brother, his face twisted with rage.
“Why the fuck is Drew here?” Everett demands.