Page 148 of On the Double

“Harper—”

“Mom always said I was worthless. I need to prove to myself that I can do this without any help. I need to know that her words won’t hold me down.”

“Then don’t let them.”

I pursed my lips. My decision was made, and I wouldn’t back out now. “I’ll call you when I find someplace to go.”

His face slipped into shock. “You don’t even have any place picked out?” He stopped himself just short of criticizing me. I knew it wasn’t the best plan, but luckily, I didn’t waste my money on stupid things. I knew that working a low-paying job wouldn’t afford me a lot of luxuries, so I saved my money every chance I got. And now I had a nicenest egg built up. It would see me through until I could find someplace to live and allow me to stay home for a few months after the baby was born.

“The house is paid off. It’s not like I’m putting you out.”

“I don’t care about you putting me out!” He cursed under his breath, backing away from me. “It’s you and me. We were supposed to do this together.”

“I’m supposed to do this with the father. It was never your responsibility.”

“But I don’t mind. It’s for you.”

I walked toward him and wrapped him in a hug. “I know you think you want to do this, but it’s not what I want for your life. You shouldn’t be tied to me because I got myself knocked up by a man who can’t and won’t do what’s necessary.” I squeezed him tight, thankful when he returned the gesture. Stepping back, I smiled at him. “I’m gonna be okay.”

“I know you will.”

And with that, I finished packing my bags. Oliver carried them out to his car for me, loading them in the trunk. When he handed me the keys, I reluctantly took them. I hadn’t been behind the wheel since the accident, and now I was driving off at dusk to get away before I had a chance to think things over and change my mind. This was the way it had to be.

I gave Oliver one last hug and promised to call him as soon as I was settled. But when I turned toward the car, a figure stepped out of the shadows.

“What are you doing here?”

38

EDU

I satin the darkness of my house, staring at a jacket Harper had left behind sometime over the last few months. When I walked through the door, I saw it hanging on the hook and tore it off. Now, it was laying across the arm of a chair, taunting me, reminding me that no matter what happened, she would always be in my life.

Because she was pregnant with my child.

Fucking hell, how had I let that happen? I lifted the half-empty glass of whiskey to my lips and downed the contents. I wasn’t much for drinking, not after what my father put me through. I still indulged, but I was always careful not to get out of control. Well, now that Harper was gone, did it really fucking matter?

Leaning forward, I grabbed the bottle and poured myself another drink. Just as I was tossing it back, the front door opened. I stupidly thought it might be Harper and got to my feet. But as Lock walked inside, something inside me died just a little.

“Come to yell at me?” I asked, grabbing the bottle from the table. I abandoned the pretense that I was only going to have a glass and instead, drank right from the bottle.

“I see you wasted no time getting drunk off your ass.”

“Well, when someone screws you over?—”

“She didn’t screw you over,” he snapped. “You didn’t even give her a chance to talk.”

“And say what?” I chuckled. “That she’s really sorry. That she didn’t mean for this to happen?” I took a swig of whiskey. “And then she’d expect me to welcome her into my home and take care of her and that bastard for the rest of her life.”

“That bastard,” Lock bit out, “is your kid.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Like she would spread her legs for anyone else but you,” he retorted.

I thought ofmaking love to her, as she called it. Was it all a lie? Could she have been with someone else? My head was telling me that anything was possible. But my heart…that fucker was aching for her. I rubbed my chest, wishing she was still here. I wanted to look at her one last time, to hold her and remember what it felt like to have a woman so willingly hand herself over to me.

But that shit was in the past.