Chapter 15
The timer on my phone dinged. I pressed the screen to silence it.
I picked up the home pregnancy test.
Big fat positive plus sign.
The second one had two lines.
The third read PREGNANT.
“Oh, God,” I murmured.
The news had me sinking to the floor of the bathroom. I pulled my legs to my chest and rested my forehead on my knees.
I thought I’d escaped my husband. I thought I’d be able to leave the past where it belonged.
But a part of him lived on.
My life had taken a turn for the better. I’d met Savage and he’d opened up something inside of me that I didn’t even know existed.
I smiled, I laughed, I loved.
It would all go away—Savage would go away—when I told him I was pregnant.
A sob broke my lips.
I wasn’t sure how long I sat on the cold, tiled floor of the bathroom. Long enough for my tailbone to go numb.
Finally, I hoisted myself up. I gripped the counter and looked in the mirror. My skin was pale, and I looked . . . scared.
I didn’t want to be scared.
There was a pair of scissors in the kitchen, and I went to retrieve them before returning to the bathroom.
I looked in the mirror again as I combed out my long, waist-length hair. It hadn’t been cut in years.
With a deep breath, I started snipping.
I didn’t stop until strands of red covered the porcelain sink.
I’d cut off my past.
And I’d look to the future.
Savage’s mouth dropped open when I answered the door the next morning.
“Your hair . . .”
I touched my head, nervous about his reaction. My hair now fell to the middle of my breasts. “Is it okay? Do you hate it?”
“Hate it? I fucking love it. It was gorgeous before, but the cut suits you.” He stepped into the apartment and shut the door behind him. And then he cradled my cheeks in his palms. “You’re beautiful.”
Savage kissed my lips, clearly wanting to deepen it, but I placed my hand on his chest and gently pushed him back.
He frowned, his hands dropping. “What’s wrong?” He cocked his head to the side. “You’ve got shadows beneath your eyes.”
“So do you,” I pointed out.
“I didn’t sleep well without you next to me.”
“I didn’t sleep at all,” I murmured.
“What’s wrong, Evie?”
I took a deep breath. “Sit down, Savage.”
“I’ll stand,” he said tightly as he clenched his fists. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“I’m pregnant,” I blurted out.
He blinked. “Pregnant?”
“Pregnant,” I confirmed with a nod.
“I don’t understand . . . We used protection. Are you sure you can tell you’re pregnant so soon?”
“Savage,” I whispered, my gaze filled with worry as I looked at him.
“Oh . . . it’s his,” he stated in realization. “Your husband’s?”
I closed my eyes and nodded. “We’d been trying for a while, and I didn’t think . . . and then he died and I was so relieved. Only now, it’s . . .”
When he didn’t say anything, I forced myself to open my eyes and look at him.
“This is the worst possible timing,” I said, defeat coating my voice. “I just got happy. I just fell in love with life and with . . .”
I couldn’t finish the statement.
“Do you remember what I said to you? The first night we slept together?”
I nodded.
“Tell me then,” he said, his voice low. “Tell me what I said to you.”
“You said there was no going back. That I was yours.”
“And I meant it.”
“Savage, you can’t—this is too much, too soon. You don’t have to do this. I can do it on my own.”
“Why do it on your own when you have me?”
I buried my face in my hands and started to cry. He wrapped me in his arms and hugged me, resting his chin on my head.
When I quieted, he held me with one arm and used the other to pry my hands away from my face and forced me to look at him.
“I’m in love with you, Evie. I’m so damn in love with you I can’t see straight. When I’m not with you, I physically hurt. I’m in. I’m all in.”
“But it’s so early in our relationship,” I whispered.
“Doesn’t matter.” He notched his thumb and forefinger underneath my chin. “Say it, babe. Give me the words.”
My tongue snaked out to wet my dry lips. “I love you, Savage.”
“You trust me?”
I nodded.
“Then don’t be scared. I’ve got you.”
Savage took me to bed and held me while I slept. But when I woke, he was gone.
Frowning, I picked up my phone. I had one text from him.
Savage
had to run an errand. took your apartment keys. back soon.
I had a few hours before I had to be at work.
Worry cascaded down my spine.
Savage and I had declared our love for one another, but now I was waking up alone. My emotions—and hormones—were all over the place.
I dragged myself to the bathroom and into the shower. I’d forgotten I’d chopped my hair and was momentarily shocked when I shampooed it and it was more than a foot shorter.
When I got out of the shower, I was disappointed that Savage still hadn’t returned. I got dressed and combed out my hair to let it air dry.
I was in the middle of whisking eggs when I heard the key in the lock and Savage came in.
The knot of terror loosened immediately when I saw him and his smile.
“Hey, babe,” he greeted as he tossed my apartment keys onto the counter.
“Hi.”
He peered at me. “You were worried that I ran out on you.”
I shrugged and then nodded.
“Fuck, I’m sorry. I’d never—but I needed to do something.”
“What did you have to do?”
“I had to buy you a present,” he explained with a self-satisfied grin. “Can I show it to you?”
“Sure. Where is it?” I asked. “I don’t see any bags.”
“It’s too big for a bag. Come on.”
He went to get my jacket for me that hung in the closet, and I slipped into a pair of shoes. I grabbed the apartment keys, and he took my hand, closing the door behind us.
When we got out to the parking lot and stopped, I frowned. “I don’t understand.”
He gestured to the black SUV. “That’s your gift.”
“What?”
“I bought you—us—a car.”
My mouth dropped open in shock. “You bought a car? For us?”
“Yeah.” He grinned. “And I’m gonna teach you how to drive it.”
I burst into tears and pressed my forehead to his chest. He embraced me tightly. “Hey, it’s okay.”
“I know it’s okay,” I blubbered. “It’s just that no one’s ever done something so sweet for me before.”
“Can’t having you riding on a motorcycle while you’re pregnant. Gotta keep you and our baby safe.”
A fresh set of tears poured from my eyes. His words, so simple, so casual, told me everything I needed to know.
He pulled back ever so slightly. “My next order of business—feeding you.”
“I was making breakfast,” I murmured.
“I’ve been up for hours. I’m in the mood for a burger.”
“I don’t have any ground beef.”
He laughed and his arms squeezed me. “I meant, let me take you out. And then I’ll drive you to work.”
Savage released me and then hit the clicker to unlock the car. He opened the passenger side for me. I climbed in, loving the rich smell of new leather.
He closed the door and then went around to the driver’s side.
“We gotta get you to a doctor,” Savage said. “Just to check you out and make sure everything’s good.”
I wasn’t a fan of doctors.
“I can take you to see Doc.” Savage pulled out of the parking lot. “She runs the clinic, remember?”
“Oh. Right.”
“You’ll like her. She’s got a good bedside manner. Want me to call her?”
I nodded absently.
He reached over and took my hand in his. “I’ll take care of you, babe. I promise.”