Page 85 of Love Is Ale You Need

Over the lake, the moon rises higher as the last of the daylight disappears into the inky darkness. Crickets break the silence as their chirps sound around us. I fiddle with a loose thread on the blanket, working up the courage to ask Trey about his past, since he has yet to offer anything willingly.

“So, what happened?” My heart thunders in my chest, preparing myself for his answer. “Why don’t you do relationships? And why didn’t you want kids?”

Trey exhales a deep breath. “Well, it started when a teeny tiny egg started floating down. All the sperm just zipped by while I chill—”

“Really?” I playfully backhand his stomach.

“Okay. Fine.” He softly laughs. “I was doing what a sperm does and shot straight into the egg.”

I scrunch my nose and glare at him.

“Alright. Alright. Fast forward six years. I’m a strapping young lad minding my business on the schoolyard playground, and Quinn Anderson pulls me under the slide and tells me to kiss her.”

“And you did?”

“Of course! It was Quinn Anderson. Plus, she shared her cookie with me.” He shrugs.

“Oh God. Please tell me cookie is actually a cookie and not cookie…” I motion my hand over my crotch.

“I was five years old. Who do you think I am? Of course, it was a cookie. They were the best peanut butter M&M cookies I’ve ever had.” Trey stares wistfully off into the distance.

“So that’s it?”

Trey shakes his head and narrows his eyes at me. “No. Because what really broke my heart was less than five minutes later, I caught her kissing Travis McNeil next to the merry-go-round.”

I raise an eyebrow. “I’m sorry Quinn broke your heart. But that was a long time ago and I think it’s best if you move on. I’m going to give you five seconds to grieve your loss, then I’m going to tell you to get over it. Nicely of course. One. Two. Three.”

He sits up straighter, resting against the side of the cabin. “I’ll have you know, I didn’t kiss another girl until I turned ten.”

I rest my hand on his and squeeze. “You poor thing. But again, maybe it’s time to move on.”

Trey stares up past the trees and into the black sky. The breeze rolls through, rustling the leaves. Unsure if the conversation is over or not, I sit patiently, but then Trey breaks the silence.

“During my senior year of college, I started dating a girl. Everything was perfect between us, or that’s what it seemed. After graduation, I immediately got hired at The Blue Stone Group, which is pretty impressive right out of college. The money flowed in.” He blows out a breath. “Looking back now, that’s the moment our relationship flipped from good to red flags. At first, I’d find a few of her things at my place, which wasn’t an issue until more and more stuff accumulated. Out of nowhere, she began demanding to know where I was, what I was doing, and who I was with. It got to be too much. When I went to break it off with her, she said she was pregnant.”

My heart stops. This must be the woman who lied about being pregnant. I brush my thumb over his hand, encouraging him to continue.

“I was excited. Nervous. Scared. The entire spectrum of emotions ran through me. Between repaying my student loans, I now had a baby to care for. During that time, she told me everything she needed for her and the baby. As each day passed, she continuously asked for more and more. Eventually she asked me to keep the receipts and then told me to only shop at certain stores. She was constantly in my ear, telling me a good dad would do this or buy her that. If I couldn’t take care of her, I’d never be able to care for our child. When I didn’t buy her something she asked for, she’d tell me how terrible of a parent I’d be.”

“That is horrible.” My heart shatters for Trey. No one should have to endure that kind of manipulation. I squeeze the top of his hand, offering whatever comfort I can.

“Unfortunately, that’s not all.” He glances down as he flips his hand so our palms touch. With slow movements, he runs his fingers up and down mine. “A couple of times she’d come home with ultrasound photos. When I asked her why she didn’t tell me so I could go, she claimed she forgot, or she had to reschedule last minute, and she didn’t want to bother me at work. By the time it got to when you’d expect someone to show, she never did. She said the doctor told her that can happen and it’s nothing to worry about. I had no reason not to believe her. Then I hit a wall. I was mentally and physically exhausted from everything. Since I couldn’t afford everything myself anymore, I went to my parents about it, and they knocked some sense into me. They demanded that I go to the next doctor appointment because they believed she was lying. When I confronted her about it, she accused me of not believing her and not wanting to take care of her or the baby. That I was selfish. She said a lot of hurtful things. Again, my parents stepped in, threatening legal action if she was not pregnant like she claimed. The threat of a lawsuit must have spooked her because after that she came clean. She lied about everything, then left town.”

My jaw falls open. “Oh my god, Trey. That’s terrible.” I rest my head on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

He nods. “It’s been years since I’ve talked about it. Mostly because I’ve never had to bring it up. I locked it up deep inside and never wanted to let it escape. She ruined the experience for me. After that, it was easier to convince myself that I never wanted kids.”

He wraps one arm around my shoulder, tugging me to his chest, and rests his other hand on my belly. “But with you, everything feels different. From the first time we had an actual conversation at Porter’s.”

“When you tried to save me from the guy hitting on me?”

“I knew you could hold your own. I was there for moral support.”

I giggle and snuggle deeper into his chest.

“Since that moment, there was something that made me want to get to know you more. You’re strong and feisty. You don’t take shit from anyone, including me. That’s what I love about you.”

Every muscle in my body goes rigid. Holy shit. Did he just say what I think he said? He loves me. Everything in me wants to say those three words back. They’re only a breath away, but I can’t. He notices my stiffness and squeezes me tighter as if he’s afraid I might get up and walk away. But I have no intention of leaving.

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