Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 59120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
I don’t know what to do right now.
I really don’t.
Travis
The neon glow of the backstage bar slants across the metal countertop as I pour another shot of cheap bourbon. I knock it back, the burn settling in my chest.
“Violet’s pregnant,” I say, voice rough.
Harley, who is leaning against the bar with a shot in his hand, pauses and his brows shoot up. “Well fuck, brother. You two don’t waste any time. It’s a good thing, right?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. I didn’t handle it real well.”
Harley taps ash from his cigarette into an empty glass. “Maybe it’s what you two need.”
I snort, taking another shot. “I was a dick to her. Poor girl looked like hell when I saw her last.”
“You were blindsided,” Harley says, voice low. “We don’t always react how we should. She’ll forgive you. She always does.”
I stare at the floor. “I don’t know if I can be a dad again. I just got clean, man.”
Harley nods, exhaling smoke. “You’ll be fine. Hell, you’ve got even more reason to stay that way now. You already have a kid, man, what’s another one?”
I shoot him a look. “We just got into a good place, and even then, it’s still rocky at times...”
“That’s what this is really about,” Harley interrupts. “You’re scared she’ll walk out again, and this time it’ll kill you.”
“She has a baby in her, that is going to change everything. I don’t know if I could handle her leaving, and taking my child, too. It was hard enough losing her...”
He steps closer. “I don’t think she’s going anywhere. You broke her heart before—yeah—but she still believes in you. She’s crazy about you, Travis.”
I trace a line in the condensation on my bottle. “Yeah but being a mother makes them see things differently.”
“Maybe, but she made the choice to stay, to be with you. She’s tougher now, and she’s sure. You two have been through shit most couples never see.”
I run a hand through my hair. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”
Harley smirks. “Of course I fucking am. Now get your ass back home and make this right.”
I snort, leaning back. “Trust you to give it straight.”
He claps me on the shoulder. “Sometimes you need a kick in the ass more than a drink. Go home, man. Give that girl the answer she needs—a promise you’ll stick around.”
I push to my feet. “Later, brother.”
Another grin. “Later, champ.”
Violet
The house is silent except for the hum of the microwave. I heat a frozen dinner I’ll probably never eat. I haven’t messaged him, haven’t chased him up, because I know he needs time. That doesn’t mean I haven’t spent the night overthinking and crying, trying to wrap my own head around it. I eat one bite of food, then groan and toss it, heading to bed. There is no point in even trying tonight, my brain isn’t going to let me do anything.
Somehow, I manage to fall into a deep sleep. It’s around midnight when I feel the mattress dip beside me. Travis’ arm snakes around me, heavy, reassuring. I freeze until he slips a hand under my shirt and palms my belly.
“Is there really a baby in there?”
I swallow the lump in my throat.
He came back.
“That’s what the doctor said.”
“My little bean,” he murmurs.
I blink. “Bean?”
He hums quietly. “Yeah.”
Tears sting my eyes as I roll toward him. “You came back.”
“I was out of line, kid. I shouldn’t have let you walk out thinking that I don’t want this.”
“I understand why you did,” I admit, my voice small. “We have been through a lot, and things aren’t exactly stable. It’s a big thing to happen, and I know that you are feeling the weight of it all.”
He traces a finger over my belly. “It’s not just that. I lost you once, Mischief, the idea of losing you again, with a baby, is fucking soul crushing.”
He thinks I would leave again, and take the baby?
My heart breaks.
“I won’t do that to you again. You are my heart. I can’t give it to you again because you’ve always had it. What happened between us is what helped us get here. But things are different now. I made a choice to be with you and I’m sticking to it.”
“I know,” he murmurs. “Fuck, I’m sorry I let you walk away.”
My voice wobbles. “So, does that mean you’re okay with the baby? Because I need you to be okay.”
He rolls me onto my back and props himself on an elbow, staring down at me. “I was floored, yeah. But I’m okay. We’ve done hard things before, this should be a walk in the park.”
“Really?” My chest tightens with hope.
“Really,” he whispers, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “I’m already a dad.”
“I worry it’s too soon.”
“Mischief, we’ve been two halves of the same whole since we were kids. There’s never a wrong time for us.”