She looks straight into my eyes. “I’m pregnant.”
The pain in my chest is instant. Just the thought of her with another man is enough to make me want to kill someone. I take a deep breath. And then another one. I want to ask her if it’s Craig’s. It was always obvious by the way he was always there and trying to control her that he still wanted Katie. But she wouldn’t have cheated on you, dummy. Fuck, we never talked about being exclusive or anything. It had to be before me. My mind is whirling, but none of it matters... I can’t let her go, not again.
I clench the railing of the bed with both hands. “Are you and Craig getting back together?” I feel I have to ask even though I know the answer. There’s no way I’m going to let her go back to her cheating ex. I may have fucked up, but I’d never cheat on her. But I still need to know what she’s thinking.
Her forehead creases in disgust, and she almost spits the words at me. “No, we’re not getting back together.”
I sigh. Okay, I can do this. I love Katie, I love Lane. I can raise another man’s child. I can do anything as long as I’m with Katie. “Okay.”
She lifts her eyebrows. “Okay? What does okay mean?”
I shrug. “It means okay. You’re pregnant and you’re not getting back with the father. I don’t care whose baby it is. I’ll love him or her as my own, Katie, I promise I will.”
She huffs and crosses her arms over her chest. She’s mad. Probably madder than I’ve ever seen her. “What exactly are you thinking, Treyton Cree?”
Fuck. Yep, she’s mad since she’s using my whole name. “What do you mean what do I think?”
She points to her stomach. “You think this is Craig’s?”
I gulp and nod.
She rolls her eyes. “Well, that tells me exactly what you think of me. I’m not a slut. I don’t sleep around.”
I reach for her, and she jerks away. I hold my hands up. “I don’t think you are. We haven’t been together that long. You were married to him. It doesn’t matter. Whose baby is it?”
Her eyes get even bigger. “It’s yours... you big dummy. Craig and I haven’t slept together in over a year. There’s no one else. You’re the only man I’ve slept with.”
I point to myself. “Mine... but I can’t.”
She shakes her head. “You said it yourself, Trey. There’s a zero point one percent chance. Well, you may need to play the lottery or something because it’s yours. This baby is yours.”
I take a few steps back and fall back into the chair. “I can’t... it can’t...”
Her gaze softens. “It is, Trey. I promise it is yours. We stopped using condoms, and I didn’t think I needed birth control. I guess I did.”
“They said...”
She holds her hand out to me. I get up and stumble toward her. My legs feel like Jell-O. When I get close to the bed, she holds my one hand between both of hers. “I promise you that I have not been with anyone else, and honestly, it makes me mad that you think that about me, but I understand these are special circumstances. I’ll have whatever test to prove it to you.” She holds one hand up. “As long as it’s safe for the baby.”
I search her face. I have so many emotions right now, I can’t even grasp on to one thought without having another. “You don’t have to do a test. You’re mine, Katie. I love you. and I love Lane and our baby.” I reach forward and cup her face with my hand. “Why are you in the hospital? Are you and the baby okay?”
“I’ve been stressed lately, and I haven’t been eating and passed out. But we’re fine. We’re both fine.” She looks into my eyes. “Lane and I have missed you.”
“I’m never leaving you again. I’m so sorry I hurt you.”
I lean down to kiss her, but she stops me. “I love you, Trey.”
“Fuck honey, I love you. I’m going to spend the rest of our lives proving it to you.”
And then I kiss her, vowing to myself that I’m going to make everything right. She’ll never hurt again.
13
Treyton
A few months later
“So I’m going to have a little brother?” Lane asks, looking between Katie and me. It’s easy to see the worry and unsurety on the little boy’s face. I wish I could say the last few months have been a cake walk, but they haven’t been. Craig definitely had issues with how fast Katie and I have moved in our relationship and tried to put his two cents in at every turn. I’ve remained respectful because he is Lane’s dad, but there’s no way I’m going to let him come between Katie and me.
And now it seems there’s another issue. “I thought you were excited about being a big brother.”
He shrugs his shoulders and goes back to drawing. It seems since the time we worked on the tattoos on his cast, he’s found a love for art.
There’s a movement behind Lane, and I see Katie leaning against the kitchen doorway. Her belly is round, and she has her hand over it protectively. Fuck, she’s even more beautiful now. I smile at her before getting back to my discussion with Lane, sensing that there’s definitely something bothering him.
“Look at me, Lane. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
He blows out a deep breath but doesn’t look up. He continues to draw as he asks softly, “Are you going to send me to live with my dad?”
Katie gasps and starts to move toward us, but I hold my hand up and shake my head to stop her. She does, but I can see the pain on her face, worried about her son.
“Look at me, Lane.”
He does, and his big eyes that are so much like Katie’s stare up at me worriedly. “Why would you think that?”
He blinks. “My dad said once you and mom had a kid of your own you wouldn’t want me around.”
My fists clench on the table, and automatically I want to go and pummel Katie’s ex-husband. What a douchebag. Why would you tell a five-year-old something like that?
“I know he’s your dad and you need to spend time with him, but do you know that when you go over there, I miss having you around?”
With the pencil still in his hand, he clasps his hands together. “I know Mom does.”
I give him a soft smile. “I do too. I like hanging out with you, and I know he’s always going to be your dad, but I want you to know that no matter what, no matter how many kids your mom and I have, you will always be my first son. I love you just as much as I’m going to love your little brother. Nothing’s going to change that.”
“So I’ll always get to live with you and Mom? You won’t send me away?”
I put my hand on his shoulder and squeeze. “Son, I will always share you with your dad, but I will never let anyone take you away from me and your mom. You’re our son too.”
He stares up at me, obviously taking in everything I’m saying before he finally nods his head. “Okay.”
“Okay? So you’re going to be okay being a big brother?”
He gets a smirk on his face. “Can I pick out the name?” He starts to laugh, and it’s the same laugh he does when I know he’s going to try to do something he shouldn’t. I can just imagine the names he’s going to come up with.