Chapter Five #2
After a moment, he lifted his head and eased his hold around her middle, but didn’t release her.
“What are you going to do?”
She laughed, a dry, humorless laugh that made his heart ache for her.
“Do? I have no freaking clue. I was so stunned I nearly married a man I don’t love while pregnant with another man’s child.” She leaned forward.
Hex didn’t know if she needed to move or if she wanted to get away from him. It didn’t matter, he released her, but kept an eye on her as she got up and began to pace back and forth past the foot of the bed. He worried that she was going to exhaust herself, but kept his mouth shut.
Sometimes she needed to burn off the energy, the nerves, or he knew she’d never sleep.
She made several passes past the bed, remaining silent.
He wanted to ask what she was thinking, what was going through her head, but he let her be.
She would share when she was ready. He just needed to be patient.
While he waited, he pulled out his phone and sent a couple of messages.
He told Cypher to check out one Michael Anderson.
To find everything there was to find on him.
There was something off about the man. He’d been dating Elle for over a year, and he had been the one to insist on no sex?
In Hex’s mind, either he was gay or he had a woman on the side.
The first, Hex didn’t give a shit about, the second was proof he didn’t deserve Elle.
Hex was about to speak up, to at least give her something to think about, even if she didn’t answer him, when a knock sounded on the door.
“You expecting someone else?”
Elle nodded. “I ordered a pizza,” she said, heading for her purse.
“I got it.” Hex swung his legs off the bed and went to the door.
“I need to pay for it,” she sounded hurried.
“I said I got it.” He reached for his wallet as he checked the peep hole, then opened the door when he spotted the kid who couldn’t be more than nineteen or twenty in a pizza shop uniform.
“How much?” Hex asked, pulling enough cash from his wallet to cover the amount the kid gave him and a generous tip.
He handed over the cash and took the pie, thanking the kid before turning to face Elle, closing the door with his heel as he moved.
He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he opened the door and smelled the pizza.
The scent of the pepperoni teased his senses and made his stomach rumble.
“Come on, you’ll feel better after you eat.” He set the box on the small desk near the window and flipped it open.
“We don’t have any plates or flatware,” she said as she approached.
He looked at her, lifting one brow.
“What were you planning to do before I got here?”
“I was just going to eat out of the box. But I can’t do that now.”
“Why not?” He knew he was scowling but she was making no sense.
“Because I’m not alone,” Elle said as if it was obvious.
“Sugar. I’ve seen all of you. I’ve tasted all of you. I can stand to see you eat pizza with your hands.”
She stared at him wide-eyed for a moment. He didn’t know if she didn’t believe him or what was going on in her head. He suspected most of what was going on inside there had little do with pizza and more about everything else that had happened today.
He hated seeing her like this. He ripped off the top of the box, lifted a slice, and slid the make shift plate under it, then handed it to her.
“Ta da! A plate. Now sit. Eat.” He tilted his head toward the bed.
Elle took the plate, but didn’t go to the bed to eat, instead she set the box top with her food on the desk beside the rest of the box, grabbed the wheeled chair provided for the desk and sat.
Hex waited until she’d taken her first bite, then spoke.
“You mind if I have some?”
She shook her head, hurried to swallow, then held on hand in front of her mouth while she spoke.
“Not at all. Go ahead. There’s no way I can eat all this.” She took another bite.
Hex lifted a slice from the box and took a bite, not worrying about a plate or anything else.
“How long you planning on hiding out here?” he asked once she’d finished her first slice and pulled a second onto her cardboard plate.
“I’m not hiding. I just need some time to think.”
“And you can’t think at home?”
She shook her head. “I told you, Michael has a key to my apartment. And at home, Mama can find me.” She let her head hang for a moment. “Oh. God. What have I done?”
Hex dropped one hand to her back and rubbed in small circles.
“If my opinion matters, you did the right thing.” He set his half-eaten slice of pizza back in the box, grabbed one from the stack of napkins that had come with the food and cleaned off his hands as he hunkered down onto his heels so they were eye to eye.
“I know it’s scary, but the right thing isn’t always the easiest. You know that.
I for one, am glad you couldn’t go through with it.
” He reached up and cupped her cheeks in both of his hands, holding her gently but firmly as he met her gaze.
“I won’t force you to do anything, but I want this chance with you, Elle.
I want to have this baby, to raise it together.
I want an us. But I want you happy, Elle.
I want you happy more than I want anything else.
So, whatever you decide, I’ll back you. I’ll be here for you no matter what, sugar.
You just need to tell me what you want.” He stared into her face, trying to figure out what she was thinking, hope that she would choose him flaring in his chest.