Page 88 of Wish You Would

“Are youpregnant?” His eyes widen. “You’ve got to be kidding me. We’ve been broken up for what… six months, and you’re already having a baby with some other guy?”

“I’m pregnant and I’m happy and I’ve moved on,” I tell him. “Now you need to move on too. This is over. To be honest, it was over the day I found you on my couch with that girl.”

“I can’t believe it.” Justin drags a hand through his dirty-blond hair. “I thought you just needed to cool down. I know I fucked up, but you always come around.”

Justin stares at me with wide, glassy eyes, and if I wasn’t still so hurt about how he treated me, I might feel sorry forhim. “I don’t know what world you live in to think I would ever get back together with you after what you did to me… and you know what you did, I don’t think I need to remind you.”

I feel Holden’s entire body stiffen next to me, as if he’s prepared to swing at Justin. He knows that I’m referring to the pictures Justin shared of me that I had sent him in confidence.

“Briar, that was—”

“Finish that sentence and see what happens,” Holden seethes. “I’m not sure how I’ve put up with this for as long as I have. You are an asshole who doesn’t deserve Briar. You never did. You mistreated her. You humiliated her. You are a shit excuse for a man, because a real man would never do what you did to her. You hurt her so badly that she got on a plane and moved here to get away fromyou. She is mine now and she will be until I take my last breath. So, you can go now, and don’t ever come back. We are done here. Get the fuck off my property.”

Justin stares at me for a second, but I don’t have anything else to say to him. I am just as done with this as Holden is. He finally turns and walks down the driveway.

Holden pulls me into his chest, and I melt against him. “Thank you, Holden.”

“You don’t need to thank me. It’s my job.” He runs his hand in long strokes up and down my back. “I will always protect you. I will never allow anyone to hurt you again.”

I exhale a heavy sigh, pushing the unsettling feeling of seeing Justin again out of my mind. Holden dips down, brushing his mouth over mine. When he draws back, he looks at me closely.

“I promise, Briar.”

I nod.

And I know that it’s true.

I can hearHolden in the shower, so I take my breakfast—scrambled eggs and toast, the only thing I feel like eating these days—to the couch. Picking up my phone, I see that I missed another call from my landlord. Sighing, I dial him back. I’ve been avoiding him for the past few days, but I know I can’t put it off forever.

“Hi Mitch,” I say when he answers on the second ring. “It’s Briar Moore, sorry I missed your call.”

“No problem. Just calling to let you know I have an update on the condo.”

“Okay,” I say nervously, realizing I’m not sure what I want him to tell me. On one hand, I’ve been waiting for months for the renovations on the place to be done. On the other, if they are done, that means I will be moving out of Holden’s place.

“The painters will be finishing up over the next few days and then I’ll have the contractor go in and install the new appliances. You should be good to move in at the end of next week. I’m sorry it’s taken a little longer than we expected.”

“That’s okay, Mitch. Thanks for the update, I appreciate it.”

“I thought you’d be happy to hear. If you’d like to come and take a look at it, I’ll be there tomorrow. Happy to show you around, otherwise I’ll call you next week with a move-in date.”

“I wouldn’t mind seeing it. I’ll stop by tomorrow.” With a tightness in my chest, I thank him and end the call. This should be good news.

I can move in.

The realization hits me like a ton of bricks.

I don’t want to leave.

I hate the thought of leaving this house. I hate the idea of being that far away from Holden, especially now that I am pregnant. I like knowing he’ll be walking in the door 10 minutes after me on weekdays. I like falling asleep in his bed wrapped up in his arms. I like his company, and the attention he shows me. I like the way he makes me feel happy and appreciated.

I know that Holden likes having me here, but I can’t ignore the fact that he still hasn’t asked me to stay. He lived on his own for a while, maybe he just wants to have his home back to himself. Maybe he’s not ready to embrace the chaos that surely comes with having a baby in the house—bouncy chairs and play mats and swings, bottles and bibs cluttering the kitchen counter. Holden has really stepped up to embrace this pregnancy and he’s clearly excited to become a dad, but it’s a big change, and I know he can be set in his ways.

As I toss my phone on the couch beside me, I realize Holden is behind me. He’s normally gone to work by now, but he skipped his early morning workout after keeping me up all night. It was incredible. You’d think I’d be exhausted after he gave me the greatest orgasm of my life last night. I woke up feeling euphoric. But the phone call I just had served to bring me back down to earth.

“Was that your landlord? What did he have to say?”

Forcing a smile, I tell him, “That was him. My place is going to be ready for me to move into next week. He said I could pop by tomorrow if I wanted to see it. Do you want to come with me?”

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