“Not exactly.” She bit her lips.
What does that mean? He moved to stand in front of her. “Why didn’t you answer my calls?”
She shook her head more times than was necessary. “I couldn’t talk. But I’m okay.”
“You don’t look okay.” Christ! Shut the fuck up with the compliments.
“Thanks?” She glared at him.
“No. That’s not”—He squeezed the bridge of his nose—“I can see the shadows under your eyes. You haven’t even responded to my messages.”
Tears welled in her eyes as she thrust out her hand. Inside it, she held a white plastic stick. He squinted, trying to make sense of what it was.
Is that? No. What?
“Are you pregnant?” His brows headed for the wild blue yonder.
She sniffed, nodding as tears rolled down her cheeks.
Fuck. He took a step backwards, fingers diving into his hair as if doing that could hold him upright while his insides collapsed to the straw-covered dirt.
Hooooly shit.
He pulled his palms down to grip the back of his neck and visualized their plans vaporizing to dust.
She wanted to study. They both did. How were they going to do that now?
They’d need their own home.
Papà would be furious.
Would he kick me out?
What if I lose my job?
How was he going to support them?
How were they going to raise a child?
His heart galloped out of control as the rest of him turned to ice. A cold sweat broke out across his skin. The two useless sacs of air in his ribcage refused to work.
So much for using condoms. . .
But she was on the pill. . .
He stood there for God knew how long attempting to reconcile the fact that he was going to be a father. His mind whirred to a halt as a tiny piece of joy sparked to life.
Holy shit. I’m going to be a papà!
All those plans were still within reach, the timeline just needed a bit of rearranging. Anton had no idea how much time had passes while he frantically reorganized their lives in his head. When he was finally back in the land of the living, Lory had disappeared, and the sun had moved an awful long way across the sky.
Oh, Jesus. He’d scared her away. No.
He pulled out his phone, bringing up her number.
“Hey, this is Lory! You know what to do . . .”
Beep.
Message bank. Damn it.
“Lory. Where are you? We need to talk about this.”
His hands shook as adrenaline assaulted his system. He needed to calm the fuck down or he wouldn’t even be able to walk, let alone drive.
He hit redial.
No answer.
The call cut off as his phone buzzed with an incoming call from Clay.
“Clay.”
“Do you know what’s goin’ on with Lory? She took off to the airport.”
“The airport?”
“Yeah. Boston. Is Grey up to more bullshit? Because I swear, I will have his balls if he so much as touches a hair on her head.”
Anton clenched the phone a little tighter as he ground his teeth. She’d gone running back to Grey. With Anton’s baby in her belly.
His arm dropped to his side as an avalanche of emotions gathered momentum.
Damn if that wasn’t a sword straight through the heart.
Boston
Lorelei
Lory dragged her feet to the exit of Boston Logan, the crowd around her making her feel like a snail. Everybody in such a rush, probably desperate to get home for Christmas. And here she was, desperate to get away.
The sliding doors opened, letting in a gust of frigid North Atlantic air. She halted her steps. “Jesus H. Christ, it’s freezing!”
“Move.” A woman barged past, tossing a curse over her shoulder as a farewell.
Bless your heart, honey. “Sorry.” Standing off to the side, Lory fished in her pockets for her gloves. “I’d better not get frostbite.” She grabbed the lapels of her coat and pulled them together before breaching the doorway.
The queue to get a cab stretched for yards. Taking out the water bottle the flight attendant had given her, she tentatively sipped its contents. Her hand felt around for the cheese and crackers she’d stashed but didn’t retrieve the prize. The way her stomach was twisting, she wasn’t game to try anything solid anyways.
This was the worst idea ever. Why am I here?
The answer hit her like a sour grape.
She’d always done this.
Any time she’d been in trouble or needed soothing, she went straight to Greyson. He’d been her best friend, her protector. He would lead; she’d follow. He was safe. Easy. He treated her like something precious to be kept in a display case. Y’all can look, but you can’t touch.
Toni didn’t do that. He encouraged her to try new experiences and expand her horizons. He put her on edge in a good way. She flicked through her catalogue of time with the Agrioli men, a realization derailing her train of thought.
Had she always run to Greyson?
He would probably disagree. In truth, he’d sorted out the logistics of her problems and not wanted to delve into the emotional side. While Toni had been supportive in every way. She might’ve always run to Greyson, knowing that Toni was always two steps away ready to catch her before she fell. And that was why, as she’d gotten older, she’d kept Toni at a safe distance. He was a risk her heart couldn’t take. Until now.
But somehow, she didn’t think he’d had becoming a parent in mind.
Well, if anything, she’d get her closure with Greyson. He was going to be the uncle to their baby after all.
When she finally arrived, the house was in darkness. He works in a restaurant. Why
