Page 37 of Rescuing Tobias

“Do I need to fly over there and kick some butt?” Connor asked.

From the expression on his face, he was deadly serious, and she knew if she said yes, he’d do it in a heartbeat even if Tobias was a fellow Prey employee. Warmth spread through her and shelaughed, a real laugh. It reminded her that although this sucked, she was alive, she was relatively healthy and having a baby.

“Thanks for the offer, but no. He doesn’t want to be part of the baby’s life at all. Although he did offer to pay child support,” she told the couple as Becca hooked an arm through hers and guided her over to the couch in the living room.

“Do you think you should hire a lawyer?” Becca asked as they both sat down.

“No. I don’t think it’ll be necessary. He offered to sign away his parental rights, but honestly, I think it’ll just be easier to not put his name on the birth certificate.”

“If you don’t and he decides not to pay what he owes for his child’s expenses, then you’ll have a harder time taking him to court,” Connor said as he came to perch on the arm of the couch behind Becca. The way his arm so easily moved to circle her shoulders, and Becca leaned into him, caused an ache to start in her chest. That was something she wasn't going to ever have.

With great determination, Isabella shoved the feeling away. She had to focus on the positives and not the negatives. Besides, if she could survive seven months of hell, then she could make it through eight months of pregnancy, and then eighteen years of child raising on her own.

“Actually, I'd been thinking about not even accepting any money from him. When I sell my parents’ house, I can afford to buy something small close to you guys, and still have enough left over to get me through the first year or two. Then I can decide what I want to do for work. We haven’t really discussed the agency yet,” she said to Becca.

“We’ll have that discussion when you're ready. But you should take that money, Izzy. I don’t doubt for a second that you could handle this alone, but you shouldn’t have to shoulder the entire burden. Tobias helped make this baby, and even ifhe doesn’t want to raise it, he should contribute to its financial needs. It’s the absolute least he can do.”

“And that money isn’t really for you anyway, it’s for your child. I really want to go over there and kick his butt, but at least he knows that he has to provide for this baby. It really is the absolute bare minimum. Especially under these circumstances.”

“While I appreciate you looking out for me, I'm a big girl. And I wanted to have sex with Tobias, and he wouldn't have done it if I hadn't asked for it.” She laughed when Becca made a face, like Isabella wasn't the one who had to live in a house with a happily engaged-to-be-married couple with a healthy sex life. “Sorry, BFF, but it’s true. It was good sex, and I don’t regret it. I do wish things had turned out differently. I wanted him to be involved, even if we never got together romantically. But I can and will do this on my own.”

Which wasn't even really on her own when you counted in Becca and Connor, Becca’s parents and siblings, Connor’s siblings and their partners, and all the kids who would be raised alongside her own.

She could do this.

At least that’s how she felt right now. And when the doubts came as they would, she’d cling to the fact that she’d already survived hell and anything else was easy peasy.

Like Susanna had been telling her, break it down into small, easily manageable tasks and problems, then handle each one accordingly.

Besides, this was happening regardless of her worries.

She was having a baby, and beneath all the anxiety and wishes for Tobias’ involvement, she really was excited about it.

“I’m having a baby,” she said, the reality of the whole thing sinking in.

“I'm having a baby, too,” Becca said, her grin wide.

“We’re having babies,” they screeched together, and then burst into fits of giggles as Connor watched on, amusement dancing in his blue eyes.

So what if Tobias didn't want to be part of this, she could do it without him. Shewoulddo it without him.

CHAPTER 12

April 18th

3:41 P.M.

“I think we might have a problem.”

Tobias glanced up at the words spoken by the usually silent Josiah. Surprisingly, the man wasn't seated at his desk, he’d actually voluntarily crossed the room and was standing behind Tobias’ chair. While of course, Josiah was part of this team, and he participated in meetings when he had to, it wasn't unusual for him to stay at his desk and keep working on his own thing during those meetings, unless Raven requested he join in.

Today, Josiah wasn’t just begrudgingly participating in team activities, he was actually making the first move.

That couldn’t be good.

Even without Josiah’s proclamation, he would have known something was wrong the moment he saw his teammate engaging in regular human conversation.

“What kind of problem?” he asked as he spun his chair around to face the other man. If it wasn't for the fact that Josiah didn't allow anyone to get within a thousand emotional miles ofhim, then the two of them probably would have been friends. They had both served in special forces, they both worked out in the gym several hours a day, they both liked computers, and he was sure that if they got to know one another they’d have similar interests.

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