Page 27 of Need You To Choose Me

“Yes, we’ll be fine.” She nods once, the determination written all over her face. It’s as if she made her decision, and therewasn’t anything swaying her mind. “I planned to raise this baby on my own anyway, so the fact that you live here doesn’t have to change anything. We can both continue with our lives as we did before.”

As we did…

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I grind my teeth together, and it takes everything in me to keep my cool.

Does she seriously think so little of me? Sure, we don’t really know each other all that well, but damn it. Did she seriously think I would walk around this town and pretend like I didn’t know her? Pretend like the kid she’s carrying isn’t mine? What does she think will happen if we run into each other in town or in a store? That I’d just ignore them and go on my merry way?

Hell to the no.

“No,” I say softly, but it’s like she doesn’t hear me at all because she simply continues.

“It’s honestly better this way. I think it would be—” Savannah stops mid-sentence, and I can see the moment my words register in her mind because her mouth falls open. “What did you say?”

“No.”

She blinks and takes a step back, her arm sliding to her stomach. “What do you mean, ‘no?’”

As if she wants to protect the baby.

Our baby.

From me.

Fuck. That.

“Just like I said, Blondie. No.” I take a step closer, and she retreats until her back touches her car. I let my palms brace against the warm metal, caging her in. “There will be no continuing with our lives as usual. No fucking pretending like you’re just my son’s teacher, no pretending that I don’t know every fucking inch of your body. This baby is as much mine as it is yours. So, no. I don’t agree with this bullshit. I don’t knowabout what kind of men you’ve dealt with in the past, but I’m not some asshole that walks away from his responsibilities.”

Savannah flinches slightly at my words.

What the?—

“Then what do you suggest?” she asks, lifting her chin up a notch, her voice strong, although I can see apprehension on her face.

I watched her a moment longer, trying to see if I’d imagined it, but she schooled her features well. Not that I’m surprised. I saw it that night we met. This woman has built walls as tight as Fort Knox around herself, but every now and then, traces of that softness hiding beneath them would show. I saw it that day, and I saw it again now. Just a glimpse, but it was there. And I wanted to see more. I wanted to get to know her better. I wanted to be there for her and for our baby.

“We should get married.”

The words fall off my tongue before I can think better of them.

It’s impulsive and crazy, but the moment they’re out in the open, I know it’s the right thing to do. The past was repeating itself, but while all I could feel back in college was immense pressure and uncertainty about marrying Reina, now things were different.

Iwas different.

I’ve come a long way from that eighteen-year-old boy from the suburbs of Baltimore. And Savannah wasn’t Reina, not even close. We’d figure this out. I know we would. It might take time, and there are the boys to consider, but?—

“Are you insane?” Savannah hisses, looking left and right as if she’s scared somebody might have heard me.

“What? It’s the perfect solution.”

“Perfect solution for whom?” She shakes her head. “No. I’m not yourresponsibility, Walker.”

Her palm connects to my chest, pushing me back as she grabs her suitcase and pulls it toward the house. When she gets to the steps, she grabs the handle.

“Sav—” I start to yell, just as there is a loudcrack.

Fuck.

She stumbles, the suitcase falling from her hand as she tries to reach for the railing and steady herself, but it’s useless.

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