Aubrey then told me that Chance was there, and he was upset and mad at them, which was the last thing that I wanted. She made me promise that the two of us would go for a girls’ day of fun to get to know each other better.
Once we hung up I felt somewhat lighter, but then there is still the story of Ava’s biological father that I need to tell Chance. That scares me because what if he thinks bad of me. That’s why I was here when he got home. Thankfully I had a key, so I didn’t have to wait outside.
I was so emotionally exhausted I fell asleep before he got home. I remember waking when I felt him wrap his arm around me. He told me we would talk this morning.
I roll over and snuggle against his chest. His skin smells like his body wash and warmth, if that’s even a smell, but I feel like it is. “Morning,” Chance says against the top of my head.
“Good morning.” I kiss him right over his heart and nuzzle under his chin.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he says and hugs me tightly to him. “I went to my parents after you left.”
“I know.” Chance pulls back and looks at me. “Your mom called me last night.”
He nods. “I wondered what she was doing when she disappeared.”
After telling him about the conversation Aubrey and I had, I reach up and rub my fingers against his stubbly cheek.
Chance shakes his head. “You know I’d never intentionally hurt you, but we’re going to hurt each other; it’s inevitable. I want you to know this—you could hurt me too, but as long as we’re open and honest with each other I think we can get through anything.”
I lean forward and press my forehead into his chest. “I’m ready to tell you about Ava’s dad.”
Chapter Twenty-three
Laken
I pace the length of Chance’s apartment while I wait for him to get done in the bathroom. I imagine, over and over, that he'll walk away once he learns the truth.
The butterflies in my stomach flap their wings wildly, and the desire to vomit hits me hard. I place my hand on my stomach, trying to stave off the feeling. As soon as the bathroom door opens, Chance steps out in basketball shorts and no shirt, and my stomach does a little dip.
Fuck, why is he so hot? I want to skip the talk and lick every inch of his tattoo. Ugh, now is not the time to lust over my boyfriend.
He places his hands on my shoulders. “You look ill. We don’t have to do this.”
“Ahem … no, you deserve to know everything. I need you to understand why I feel that you deserve someone better than me.”
Chance leads me over to the sofa. He sits on one end and I sit on the other, facing him. I play with the ends of my hair and take a deep breath. “Growing up I was always quiet and pretty shy.” He nods. “I met Brandon when I was fifteen. At first, I admit I had a little crush on him, but he started paying attention to me. I was so happy.”
I pick at my thumbnail. “I started spending time with him after school, and we started texting back and forth.” I take a deep breath. “I was so stupid. I should’ve known what was happening wasn’t right, but I was blinded by what I thought was love.”
My eyes burn, but it’s best to just say it. “Brandon. Brandon was my English teacher.”
Chance’s body locks up, and his jaw clenches. I need to finish this and get it all out. “He told me I couldn’t tell anyone that we were talking, and I promised I wouldn’t. I stayed after school almost every day to spend time with him. He said he was falling for me, but if people knew about us, he could lose everything. It was right after my sixteenth birthday when he kissed me for the first time. I was “helping him” grade papers on a Friday; his office was separate from his class. He was telling me about the death of his dad and how it affected him. He’d started crying and… Shit, I was so stupid. I tried to comfort him, and the next thing I knew we were kissing.
“Over the next several weeks we kissed and did some light touching, but one night he texted and asked me to send him a sexy picture. I took off everything but my panties and sent pictures to him. It didn’t take long before he messaged me, asking me to meet him at a Motel 6 a half hour away. I told my parents I was going to a sleepover. When I got there… Well, I won’t go into detail, but I gave him my virginity.”
I shake my head. “He told me he was in love with me, and he wanted us to be together. Any chance I got I was sneaking away to be with him. I lied to everyone about him, but I didn’t want him to lose his job because of me. I found out I was pregnant about four months after we began sleeping together.”
I scrub my hands over my face. “I was so scared, but I was happy because I thought he wanted us to be together. Our baby was conceived out of love, or that’s what I thought. The day I told him about Ava, he screamed at me and accused me of getting pregnant on purpose. He told me he was married, and he couldn’t believe that I was so stupid to think what we had was real. He told me I was a stupid little girl, and if I was smart I’d get an abortion.
“That night I went home and told my parents about the
