Page 57 of Let Me Love You
Kate’s been tense since her doctor’s appointment. I don’t know why, but I’m not a fool. I can see it. Feel it. Taste it. The distance. The way she’s distracted. Like she’s somewhere else, even when we’re in the same room.
It scares the shit out of me.
Even now, with the morning light kissing her skin, I don’t think she’s noticed me. Too busy lost in her thoughts. She’s sitting on the front porch step, staring absently in front of her with a mug of coffee pressed to her lips. Her hair is braided down her back, and she’s wearing the same clothes she slept in.Myclothes.
I think she likes it out here. The birds chirping in the trees. The soft breeze.
“Gonna have to buy you a rocking chair or porch swing,” I tell her.
She turns toward me and smiles. It doesn’t reach her eyes. Making room beside her, she scoots to her right and pats the space with her hand. “The step works just fine.”
“Why settle forfinewhen you could have something better?” I walk toward her and sit down, stretching my legs out in front of us. The concrete steps are warm from the morning sun, and I bask in the light, enjoying the comfortable silence. “You gonna tell me what’s going on?”
Her eyes widen above the brim of her mug, and she clears her throat. “What?”
“I’m not stupid, Kate. Something’s bothering you.”
“Mack.” She says my name like it’s a plea.
“Is something wrong with your medication? Did your neurologist suggest we switch things up again? What’s wrong?”
“My medication is fine.”
“Then, why have you been acting like this?”
“Like what?”
“So…” I shake my head. “Detached. Is it because I’ll be traveling? Is it nerves from starting the new internship? Talk to me.”
She presses the mug to her lips, takes a small sip, and pulls them between her teeth. “It’s everything,” she finally mutters. “Ashlyn and Colt. The internship. You traveling.”
“Is that all?” I push.
Her thumb rubs against the front of her mug. The words,World’s Greatest Dadare scrawled across the front in thick, blocky letters. Miley and Hazel gave it to me for Father’s day when they were little. The contents inside grab my attention. It’s lighter than coffee. Clearer than her usual creamer-filled morning treat.
I steal the mug from her and take a sip, pulling it away and letting the tea seep into my taste buds. My brow cocks. “Ginger?”
“Yeah.”
“Since when do you drink ginger tea?”
She shrugs but takes the cup back, sipping once more.
“Kate, what’s going on?” I demand. “Do you need a night off? A break from everything?”
A shuddered laugh pierces her numb facade, and she shakes her head, turning back to the forest in front of us. “I wish I could take a break from everything.”
“Then, let’s do it. Let me take you out. Let me help give you a breather.”
“Mack, I’m pregnant.”
My muscles turn into steel, convinced I’ve heard her wrong. “What?”
She doesn’t look at me. Doesn’t acknowledge me. But there’s a slight tremble in her hands as she brings the cup to her lips again. She’s scared.
Fuck, she’s scared.
I take the mug from her grasp, set it on the porch behind us, and force her to look at me. Glassy eyes meet mine as I rub my thumb along her cheek. “Are you scared because you don’t want a baby, or are you scared because of how I’ll react?”