Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
Kincaid
I reread Tori’s text, and the last words blurred as I took them in.
I was standing in my mom’s small kitchen, waiting for her. She had gone to her bedroom to get her purse, and I was so emotionally discombobulated I didn’t even hear her come back in.
“Are you okay?” Her voice cut through my thoughts, and I spun around.
“Yeah.”
She tipped her head slightly. “What is it?”
I took a steadying breath. “We have a doctor’s appointment. Let’s go.”
My mother rolled her eyes but didn’t say more. She followed me outside. Once she was situated in my truck, I summarized Tori’s message. I’d already told her Tori was pregnant.
“Give her a chance,” she said without hesitation. “I know you’re hurt. But she’s been through a lot.”
“I know, but—”
“Kincaid.” Her voice sharpened. “You were a stubborn boy. You always were, and now you are sometimes a stubborn man. She looked over at me, her gaze steady. “I was in her shoes once. I didn’t expect to get pregnant. But I did.” She paused for a moment, her tone softer when she spoke again.
. “And, at that point, your father was already gone. It was before the era when cell phones were ubiquitous. I did try to find him, but it wasn’t easy.
Give Tori an opportunity to talk. I raised you.
You’re worth trusting. From what it sounds like, she knows that too.
But given what you told me about what happened in her family, well…
” She let out a breath. “That’s a doozy.
It’s really hurtful. Two people who should have been some of the most trustworthy people in her life blew her world to smithereens. ”
I stared at the windshield, my jaw tight. “Okay,” I said after a long silence. “I’ll talk to her.”
“I hope so. If she’s planning on having this baby, you’re going to have to figure this out.”
The mere thought of that nearly sent me spinning into a panic. A baby. Ours. And yet, despite that flash of panic, I still felt, well, stubborn and not quite ready to talk to her.
I didn’t know how to start. I was still so hurt at her instinctual lack of faith in me. It lingered under my skin like a bruise I couldn’t stop pressing. I finally replied to her text.
I just need a little more time.
That was all I said, and I knew it wasn’t enough.