Page 77 of Between the Stars

He shakes his head and sidesteps me. “You’re making a mistake.”

“No.” I sigh. “Marrying you would have been a mistake.”

I know what happens next. I’m going to leave here and his father will sell off my parents’ company. But I can’t live my life for them. I have a baby to think about, and I will never let this child feel like they have to make a sacrifice for me. That’s why I walk out of Griffin Hemington’s life.

CHAPTER33

Where now?

ABBI

With Jace you never know.

Jace watchesthe rain hitting the windshield but doesn’t say anything as we sit inside the car. I hate the silence and the fear knotting inside me. What does this mean? What’s he thinking? Is he scared? Does he regret what he did?

I stare at him, but he doesn’t lift his gaze from the rain beading on the glass.

“Now what?” I ask, trying to gauge his mood.

He draws in a breath. “I need gas. I’m almost on E.”

I sigh and stare out at the windshield like he is, the rain picking up. I watch the fat drops pool into others and slide down the glass. “Be serious.”

“I am.” He points to the gauge. “It’s on E.”

“I mean with us,” I whisper.

“Apparently we go home to our doublewide.” Jace snorts, starting the car. It rumbles to life as mine is just beginning. The only way Jace let me walk into that condo alone was to have my phone on, him on the other line so he’d know if Griff hurt me.

I look over at him, drops of rain collecting on the window behind him. Touching my hand to the back of his neck, the heat radiates from him. “He said singlewide.”

Jace’s shoulders shake as he rolls his eyes, laughter on his lips. “Way to knock me down.”

I glance at the flashing E sign on the dash. “Did you drive straight here?”

He tilts his head, seeming entertained by my question. “I certainly didn’t take many detours.”

“Which is why you need gas?”

“Exactly.”

I run my fingers through his wet hair. “Should we stop somewhere for the night? It’s a fourteen-hour drive.”

After a pass of silence, Jace shrugs, biting his lip as I palm his jaw. “I don’t know. Are you tired?”

I drop my hand. “I am. I haven’t been sleeping much.”

“Have you had morning sickness?”

“A little. Okay. A lot.” I laugh, remembering all the mornings I’ve stayed in bed longer then needed because I was afraid I’d throw up.

He looks at me, a new hesitation in his posture. It’s as if he’s unsure. His shoulders roll forward. “Does he know?”

“I didn’t tell him.”

“He didn’t ask?” He eyes me skeptically. “Abbi your tits are huge.”

“And off limits.” I cup them tenderly as if I’m testing the ripeness of an avocado I’m afraid is going to burst in my hands. “They hurt so bad.”

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