Page 26 of Wired Fear

And then suddenly, Sophie stiffened, obviously remembering. She wrenched out of his arms and crab-walked backward away from him. She cupped her cheeks with her hands, her eyes huge. “Oh, no. I’m pregnant!”

“Yes, you are.” Jake gazed at her, feeling dead inside. “We need to find out who the father is.”

Sophie’s full mouth tightened. Her amber-brown eyes heated. “So, you didn’t mean it when you said you’d be there for me no matter what.”

“I don’t know.” The words rolled out of his mouth to drop to the floor between them like stones. “I think some space to consider all options would be a good thing.”

“If you’re hinting that I would get rid of this baby because it’s inconvenient—that is not an ‘option’ I would consider.” Sophie’s eyes blazed.

“That’s not what I’m saying. It’s your body and all that.” Jake stood. He had to get away, considerhischoices, and try not to make the situation any worse while he did so. “We should find out who the father is and go from there. I really do need some space right now.” He snapped his fingers. “Tank! C’mon. We have our own place to go to.”

Tank just stared at Jake from beside Ginger in the bedroom doorway. Jake walked over and grabbed the big pit bull’s collar, hauling him toward the door. “You let me know how you want to go about the paternity test—I’m the first to admit I have no idea what to do next. I’ll see you at work in the morning.”

Jake dragged his reluctant dog out of the apartment and shut the door on the sight of Sophie’s stricken face.

Chapter Twenty

Sophie locked the door behind Jake, leaning against it, hearing his footsteps retreat on the walkway outside.

Despair rose like swamp water, welling up inside her. “Hello, depression. My old friend.”

But she couldn’t give in to that familiar deadening dark. Much as Sophie wanted to just lie down on the floor and wallow in self-pity, she couldn’t. She had another life to care for now, and she’d just fainted—probably because she hadn’t eaten for most of the day.

From here on out, self-neglect had to end. Her baby needed food, even if that was the last thing she was interested in right now.

Ginger whined, looking anxiously back and forth between the door and Sophie. “No. Tank is with Jake. I’ll fix you some dinner,” Sophie told the Lab. Her dog needed her, too.

Being needed helped her keep going.

The insight burst across her brain. From now on, she’d always be needed by someone very close to her. Was she up to the task? Could she be a better mother than hers had been? Surely, she could. She was no Pim Wat, filled with selfish, hidden agendas, using her depression as a smokescreen.

The smell of brown rice cooking penetrated Sophie’s nostrils as she opened the bag of dog kibble she’d brought from the motel. She breathed through her mouth to avoid the weird combination of the smell of cooking rice and dog food.Smells were definitely more intense.

She poured a pile of kibble onto one of the paper plates Jake had brought.

Ginger fed, Sophie proceeded to chop the vegetables for the stir-fry she had meant to cook for both her and Jake for dinner—the first time she’d fixed a meal for Jake in her living space. She had been planning to surprise him by actually doing something for him; Jake more than deserved it.

Tears stung Sophie’s eyes as she tossed the vegetables and beef into the hot oil of the big Teflon pan he’d bought her.

What would she do without Jake’s unstinting support, his help, his hugs?

She swallowed the lump in her throat. Selfish to wish he would just understand how the situation had happened, selfish to wish he’d meant what he said about supporting her. She’d always known he struggled with jealousy, with wounds inflicted by his faithless father. This had to be hurting him deeply.

And what about Alika? What should she do about finding out if he might be her child’s father? “What a can of worms,” Marcella’s voice said in her head.

Sophie’s appointment with Dr. Wilson was still days away, but she could talk to Marcella.Marcella would know what to do.

Sophie put in her Bluetooth and called her friend as she finished up the stir-fry.

“Hey girl! This is so weird. I was just getting ready to call you. Friend ESP or something.” Marcella’s cheerful voice made the lump in Sophie’s throat thicken.

She turned off the flame under the pan and cleared her throat. “Marcella. I’m in deep kimchee, as Lei would say.”

“Oh, no, what now?” No matter how many dangerous situations Sophie got into, Marcella’s response was always immediate, heartfelt compassion.

The tears filling Sophie’s eyes overflowed. “I’m pregnant.”

Dead silence.

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