Page 57 of Heartbeats & Highways

Finally, I hoisted myself up. I gripped the counter and looked in the mirror. My skin was pale, and I looked . . . scared.

I didn’t want to be scared.

There was a pair of scissors in the kitchen, and I went to retrieve them before returning to the bathroom.

I looked in the mirror again as I combed out my long, waist-length hair. It hadn’t been cut in years.

With a deep breath, I started snipping.

I didn’t stop until strands of red covered the porcelain sink.

I’d cut off my past.

And I’d look to the future.

Savage’s mouth dropped open when I answered the door the next morning.

“Your hair . . .”

I touched my head, nervous about his reaction. My hair now fell to the middle of my breasts. “Is it okay? Do you hate it?”

“Hate it? I fucking love it. It was gorgeous before, but the cut suits you.” He stepped into the apartment and shut the door behind him. And then he cradled my cheeks in his palms. “You’re beautiful.”

Savage kissed my lips, clearly wanting to deepen it, but I placed my hand on his chest and gently pushed him back.

He frowned, his hands dropping. “What’s wrong?” He cocked his head to the side. “You’ve got shadows beneath your eyes.”

“So do you,” I pointed out.

“I didn’t sleep well without you next to me.”

“I didn’t sleep at all,” I murmured.

“What’s wrong, Evie?”

I took a deep breath. “Sit down, Savage.”

“I’ll stand,” he said tightly as he clenched his fists. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“I’m pregnant,” I blurted out.

He blinked. “Pregnant?”

“Pregnant,” I confirmed with a nod.

“I don’t understand . . . We used protection. Are you sure you can tell you’re pregnant so soon?”

“Savage,” I whispered, my gaze filled with worry as I looked at him.

“Oh . . . it’s his,” he stated in realization. “Your husband’s?”

I closed my eyes and nodded. “We’d been trying for a while, and I didn’t think . . . and then he died and I was so relieved. Only now, it’s . . .”

When he didn’t say anything, I forced myself to open my eyes and look at him.

“This is the worst possible timing,” I said, defeat coating my voice. “I just got happy. I just fell in love with life and with . . .”

I couldn’t finish the statement.

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