Page 79 of Let You Love Me

“Do you think if you’d never had Sophie, you and her father would still be together?” he asks, cutting the silence.

I stiffen for a moment, worried he can see straight through me before I force myself to relax. I might not have history with Teagan but as crazy as it sounds, I trust him, even if I can’t tell him the specifics about the father.

“I don’t know,” I answer honestly.

Would Chance have wanted me if I hadn’t gotten pregnant? Would we still be together?

It’s a question I never allowed myself to ponder because the answer is irrelevant.

Teagan’s throat bobs, his gaze searching the water as he absorbs the honesty behind my answer.

“But I don’t think so,” I add.

Chance’s first love was football. Looking back, I’m not sure he had room in his heart for anything else. Including me.

“It doesn’t matter, anyway,” I say.

“How so?” He glances at me, his expression earnest as he waits for my answer.

I shrug. “Because when I found out I was pregnant, he showed me who he really was. And I don’t want to be with someone who doesn’t want Sophie, too. We’re a package deal.”

“The best of packages,” he says, and I smile down at my cup as he continues. “Whoever he is, he’s an idiot. He has no idea what he’s missing out on.”

But he does.

He just doesn’t care.

“Oh, I don’t know,” I say. “I mean, there are times when I resent him for leaving me when I needed him most, but I also can’t fully blame him, either. We were so young. He was scared, not ready to be a father, and I made the decision to keep Soph. He never really had a choice. I can’t blame him for not wanting to change his whole future to suit me.”

Teagan quirks a brow. “I hope you’re kidding. He’s a fucking tool for leaving you, Lane. I don’t give a shit if he was scared or not. You step up. It takes two people to make a baby, and the second he laid his hands on you, he knew what he was getting into. He should at least be here for you in some capacity. Hell, even if it’s only monetarily.”

I don’t know if this is his way of asking if he’s paying me some sort of child support, but I balk at the idea. Even if Chance gets drafted to the NFL, which I know he will, I don’t want his money. It’s all or nothing with me.

“Maybe I want to do this on my own.”

“You’re stubborn.” Teagan frowns.

“And maybe a little selfish, too. If he doesn’t want me, then I don’t want him. And with him uninvolved, even financially, I don’t have to share Sophie. She’s all mine, and that’s the way I want to keep it.”

Teagan rolls his eyes. “Nice try, but there’s not a selfish bone in your body, Lane Turner.”

I take a large swallow of my wine, wondering how Teagan can so easily take what I say and turn it into a compliment.

“You know so much about me, and I feel like I know very little about you. Tell me more about your family. I know you’re close . . .” I say, steering the conversation away from me.

He nods, and if he recognizes the deflection for what it is, he doesn’t say so. “I had a typical childhood, I guess. Probably pretty similar to yours, from the sounds of it. My parents are pretty great. They’ve been married for a long time, and both run their own businesses, yet somehow managed to be there for all of us and make it all work. My mom runs a catering business that she started when we were in diapers. She’s pretty determined in that way, starting something she loved from the ground up, with sheer will and determination. You remind me of her in that way; strong and unyielding. You’ll stop at nothing to reach your goals and build the life you want. And you won’t apologize for it, either. Kind of like this,” he says, glancing around him. “Not many people our age would see through the dreary exterior of this place to the gem beneath, but you do. And even if they did, they sure as hell wouldn’t put in the work to get what they want.”

I clear my throat, once again redirecting. “You said you have three sisters?”

He laughs. “Yeah. My father and I have been outnumbered for quite a few years now.”

That makes me smile, and I nudge him with my arm. “It probably explains why you’re so good with women.”

His teeth flash in the moonlight. “You think I’m good with women?”

I roll my eyes. “You know you are.”

His gaze drops to my mouth, the blue turning liquid.

---