Page 89 of Her Filthy Grump
“That’s ridiculous.” He shakes his head. “I can’t believe you think so little of me.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” I throw my hands in the air as my bottom lip quivers.No. I’m not crying over him.“Your ex is pregnant.”
His eyes widen. “How do you know that?”
I clutch my chest. A part of me had held out hope it wasn’t true. It feels like my whole world is unraveling before my eyes. Thank God I’m moving in with Harbor. There’s no way I could live next to this man. A man I thought I knew. A man who was everything I’d waited for. Gentle. Kind. Perfect. Too perfect to be true.
“I’ve got to go.” I twist on my heel and stumble on the step. My arms flail, and thoughts of crashing onto the sidewalk fill my vision. The world starts to go dark.No-o-o.
Kameron grasps my upper arms and drags me to his chest. “Be careful, Doll. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Doll. I inhale his scent and whimper, which shifts into a sob and a torrent of tears. I can’t do this. I can’t. I can’t breathe. I can’t live without him. I can’t survive. I can’t–anything. What am I going to do?
His chest is hot to the touch against my face as my tears slide down his flesh. I double up my fist and punch him in the stomach. Then, I lean back and ease out of his arms. “Let go.”
He steps back and opens his hands, leaving them at waist level. “Let me speak, and then you can go.”
“Okay.” I nod. This is it. My eyes soak him in. I won’t ever see him again.The baby. What am I going to do? I can’t keep the baby a secret. I’ve got to tell him.I lick my lips. “I need to say something first.”
“No.” He shakes his head. “I need to get this off my chest.” He waits before he speaks. Waiting for my permission.
Damn it. Why isn’t he as perfect as he seems? “Go ahead.” I wrap my arms around my chest–anything to protect me from further heartache.
“I was wrong not to tell you about Roman’s message. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I’ve never considered leaving K.C. for good.” He shoves his hands into his pockets, and his biceps twitch in response to his movements.
“But the thought of leaving you rocked me to the core, so I started looking for a place to buy. Then, he texted and said he was coming the next day. I thought I had more time. I ended up having to rent this place.” He jerks his head toward the house behind him.
“What?” My mouth drops open. Is he serious? He was looking for a place to buy. Here? “Where’s Jenny?”
“I don’t fucking know. The place was available to rent, and I leased it for three months until I could find a place to buy. I wanted to surprise you by picking something that symbolized the future I wanted for us.”
“Us?”
“Yes. If there is an us.” His shoulders sag. “At this point, I’m guessing that’s out. I don’t know what I’m doing, and I appear to be fucking it up royally if you think I’m screwing someone else.”
I wrinkle my nose and give him a weak smile. Maybe I read this all wrong. Maybe I’m the screw up.“Go on.”
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Kameron
“I’m not seeing anyone else. I don’t want to see anyone else.” I yank my hand out of my pocket, but before I can touch her, I step back and rub my eyes and forehead. “Layla, I love you. That hasn’t changed. It’s not going to change because we had a fight.”
“You left.” The hurt in her eyes nearly breaks me, but I can’t walk away. My dad was right. When you want something, you fight for it.
“I went back to Kansas City for a few days.” I shrug. “I’m not going to lie. A part of it was to lick my wounds, but it was more than that. I had a long talk with my dad. I see things differently now. My parent’s relationship wasn’t exactly how I envisioned it.” Someone honks a horn down the road.
“Yeah?” She leans her hip on the railing and rubs the paint with her thumb.
“I’ve been taking care of people since I was twelve years old. Hell, even before that. I was probably born taking care of people. And I might not have had this awesome role model of marriage that you did, but I’m willing to give everything I have to make us work.”
She smiles, and then her expression falls. “What about Tabitha?”
“I don’t care anything about her. She made her big production last night to tell me she was getting married and having a baby.”
“With you?”
“No.” I step forward, hedging my bets on whether she’s going to punch me again. I’m betting on no. “She’s engaged to a real prick, and they’re having a baby. I never thought the baby was mine. We haven’t had sex in over eight months, and I’ve never had sex with a woman without protection.”