Page 63 of I Wanna Be Your Lager

“What’s wrong?” His eyes soften with concern as he runs his hand over my shoulder and down my arm. His touch is gentle and soft and more than I deserve right now.

I exhale the air from my cheeks. “I don’t know if you want to sit for this.” I motion at the couch. “Maybe stand. I don’t know.”

“Eve. What’s wrong?” He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me toward him, but I spin out of his grasp. His hand falls to his side, and his brows pinch together.

I wrap my arms around myself. “I need to tell you something, and I don’t know how to tell you, so I’m just going to say it.” My heart is a jackhammer in my chest, each beat a drum against my ribs as my palms grow slick with sweat.

“Eve. What is it?” His forehead wrinkles.

Slowly, I lift my chin and meet his gaze. “I’m pregnant.”

THIRTY-ONE

A UNITED FRONT

Lach

I can’t move. Fifty-ton concrete blocks are strapped to my feet. She’s pregnant. I’m going to be a dad. Diaper changes. Late-night feedings. This isn’t something I ever expected to happen. It certainly wasn’t planned. Oddly enough, I don’t have the urge to flee. I’m more excited than apprehensive, maybe because it’s with Eve.

“Shit, that came out wrong.”

Eve’s voice yanks me back to reality.

“You’re not the father.”

All the previous hope and excitement plummets off a cliff. I rear back, needing space between us.

Her eyes widen in terror. “Oh god, I’m ruining this.” She pauses, pressing her lips together. “I’m pregnant. And I got pregnant before I met you. It’s my ex-boyfriend’s.”

Fuck. She said words, but I’m still fully digesting them. “The married boss?”

She nods slowly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

She’s pregnant with her ex’s baby. What does that mean for us? “Are you getting back together with him?”

“Hell no. There is no chance Pax and I will ever be a thing again. I haven’t even told him yet.” Her gaze drops to the floor, and she wrings her fingers together. “I know this isn’t what you signed up for. Hell, it isn’t what I signed up for.” Slowly, her chin lifts, and her eyes connect with mine. “But there’s nothing I can do about it. I know this is a lot, and this baby isn’t your responsibility, so I want to give you an out. A clean break. No judgment.”

Do I abandon the woman who’s become my anchor, the only person who truly sees me, or do I stay and give her everything she needs, knowing I need her just as desperately? The silence of the decision weighs heavily. It’s obvious there’s only one choice. I grab her hand, running my fingers over her soft ones. Tears well in the corners of her bright hazel eyes as she looks up, meeting my gaze. I raise my other hand and cup her cheek. A lone tear tracks down her cheek, and I brush it away with my thumb.

“What if… I don’t want an out?” Her eyes drift closed, and she leans into my palm. “I’m not going anywhere. I need you just as much as the baby needs you. My life would be nothing without you in it. It has been nothing without you.”

Tears roll down her cheeks like an open faucet, and I wipe them away with my fingers. “I need you too, Lach. I need you so much,” she whispers, her voice trembling with desperation. She throws her arms around my neck and buries her head against my chest.

I wrap one arm around her waist and the other around her shoulder. My fingertips brush over her silky strands. “We got this, Sunflower. We got this.” I press a kiss to the top of her head and just hold her in my arms, giving her all the comfort because I finally found my place in the world. With a finger under her chin, I force her to meet my gaze. “I want to be with you, no matter the circumstances.”

Her mouth curves into a smile, her body shaking with quiet hiccups as she dries her tears. “What did I do to deserve you?”

“I could ask the same.” My palms rest against her cheeks. She releases a deep exhale, and her shoulders drop. I thought we were in a good spot. How many more truth bombs does she have left to drop?

“Alright, so not only do we have to tell Jake we’re seeing each other, but I also have to tell him I’m pregnant with my ex-boyfriend’s baby. Should we dump it on him all at once? Or sprinkle it on him in tiny doses? Technically, it would be two sprinkles.”

If I would have just told Jake about me and Eve, we would only be in half this situation.

“I’m really thinking this should be a tag-team effort now. A united front.”

I nod. “I agree. You got my back. I got yours.”

“Always. The next question is when? Because there will come a time when I won’t be able to conceal anything under a baggy t-shirt.” She rests a hand on her flat belly.

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