Dillon gave her a small nod. He would carry the world’s secrets on his back for her. Perhaps he was being foolish. Maybe his beast needed to vent some pent-up energy. He might ask Erik to take him along the next time he went out.
But the only woman Dillon could imagine in his bed was Isabella.
She sighed through her nose before pulling in a deep breath, like she was steadying herself. “Evangeline and Nellie know already, so you don’t have to worry about keeping it from them. I’m more worried about Gavin because this is his house. I’m scared to think of what’s going to happen when he finds out.”
Dillon took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb along her skin. She offered him a shaky smile.
“I’m pregnant,” she said.
His beast snarled. Not out of jealousy or betrayal or anything so bitter. The beast wanted to hover over her and protect her from the world. Leaving her side would be impossible now. He wouldn’t want to let the child’s father anywhere near Isabella or the baby.
“Are you…happy?”
Isabella’s smile widened, growing more confident. “I’m ecstatic. Over the moon, to be honest.”
Dillon didn’t know how to ask this. From what he understood, Isabella had just left her ex-boyfriend. Did that mean she would go back to him now that she was pregnant? Dillon didn’t know if he could handle watching her go. He barely knew her and yet he felt like she was a part of him now.
His beast needed to stop imprinting on women. Barely a day in her presence and Dillon had committed himself to her without her knowledge.
He pinched the bridge of his nose.
“You’re not happy,” she said, her voice dragged low by fear.
His eyes snapped open. “That’s not what I…My problem…”
Isabella leaned forward to peer at him. “Your eyes are blue and yellow again. Does that mean you’re talking to your dragon?”
No, it meant his beast was making demands that he could not fulfill. Dillon could not keep this woman as his own. She belonged to no one. Her life was hers to do whatever she wanted with it. She owed him nothing, not even friendship.
The thought broke his heart. He didn’t know how he’d let himself get so attached to her. His loneliness and exhaustion had gotten the better of him. It’d made him imagine a relationship that couldn’t happen.
Chapter Three
Isabella wondered what she’d done wrong when Dillon stood and left her alone. Perhaps telling him that she was going to have a baby had been a bad idea. She would have to hope now that he wouldn’t tell Gavin and get her kicked out.
She looked around at the boxes piled all around the room. If she unpacked them, she would only have to pack them again in a month or so. Grown men didn’t want her and a baby hanging around. She would have to find her own place.
The idea of leaving Dillon behind bothered her. His kindness had warmed her. Unexpected as it was, she found herself craving more. Now, she’d gone and chased him away with her news.
Now he would never come back. No man wanted to spend time with a woman who bore they physical evidence of another man’s touch. For the next nine months, anytime Dillon looked at her, he would only be able to think about Tommy.
The thought saddened her far more than she expected.
Instead of unpacking, she scooped Persimmon up and put her back in her cage. When the bunny was safely tucked away, Isabella got her phone and texted Evangeline.
What does it mean when their eyes change?
Isabella twisted her lips, wondering if that was enough for Evangeline to understand what she was asking.
Dillon helped me move my things inside and his eyes changed from blue to yellow. Did I do something wrong?
Her phone remained silent. Isabella chided herself for trying to ask questions while Evangeline was working. Her friend was super busy with her own business. It was silly to think that Evangeline would set everything aside to answer such a silly question.
Then the phone chimed, and Isabella’s heart thumped. Evangeline’s message appeared at the top of the screen, prompting her to tap it.
He’s so hot for you!
Isabella blood warmed beneath her cheeks. She was glad no one was around, because her face was probably an embarrassing shade of red. Her fingers trembled as she typed her response.
That’s silly! was all she could manage to say.
Evangeline’s only response was a string of eggplant emojis. Isabella clamped her hand over her mouth to smother her embarrassed laugh. She quickly locked her phone and shoved it under her pillow. To her, Dillon was a nice guy who wanted to help her out. She didn’t see what Evangeline was trying to project.
Dillon had run away the moment she’d told him that she was pregnant.
Realization hit her like a truck. He’d stuck around because he’d liked her, but when he learned that she was with another man’s child, he’d vanished. She swallowed back the pain of being dismissed. Evangeline had been right, but Isabella’s situation had ruined her chances.
“Great,” she muttered to herself.
Her laptop sat on the bed. She should have been writing, so she could make more money. Her fans were waiting for the next series and she was only halfway through it. Instead, Isabella busied herself by searching for her sheets and comforter.
She couldn’t bear the thought of writing happy relationships. While she was with Tommy, they’d been her escape. She’d written those stories with the idea that they were practically fairy tales. Then Casey had come and swept Evangeline off her feet, and Isabella knew the love in her books could actually exist.
Only, she couldn’t have it.
Soon, she would have the love of a child. Isabella told herself that would be all she ever needed, but the lie felt flat and bitter in her mouth. The hope for a full family with a mother and a father still lingered in her heart.
But who could she find that would want to care for another man’s child?
Chapter Four
Isabella wriggled her nail under the envelope flap and tore it open, certain the bill would be minimal. She hadn’t used her credit card in weeks, not since the last set of book covers for her business. That bill had been paid off already, so this one should have been all zeroes. Or maybe it was a letter from the credit company asking why she hadn’t purchased anything because they liked to make sure people were using their cards.
The paper she pulled out of the envelope had the familiar bill format. She unfolded it, and her stomach plummeted to the ground.
“I can’t pay this,” she whispered, tears burning her eyes.
Somehow, the bill had come to nearly a thousand dollars. She scrambled back inside and grabbed her purse, dumping it out to check her receipts. As she frantically flattened every crumpled receipt, they all said the same thing.
Cash.
She’d paid everything with the cash withdrawn from her savings account, just like she thought. The credit bill didn’t make any sense, but she checked her online orders, just in case a company accidentally double charged her. Again, she found nothing out of the ordinary.
So, why was her credit bill astronomical?
“Everything alright?” Dillon’s rumbling voice entered the room.
She looked up, certain tears were flooding her cheeks. Dillon’s lips parted and a look of panic widened his eyes as he fumbled forward.