Page 99 of Summer Nights

"And Ivy, please know that I never meant to hurt you." His voice was filled with grief.

"You hurt me when you didn't talk to me about this, when you kept it a secret from me." The pain in my chest throbbed in time with the beat of my heart.

"I'm so sorry," Cooper said softly.

"I am too." Because for once in my life, I'd let myself hope for more. For a relationship with a man. I trusted him, and he let me down. He went behind my back. The betrayal cut deep.

There was something about him knowing the truth about my father that welled up in my chest, making it difficult to breathe. He’d heard firsthand what my father thought about me. It was bad enough that I knew the truth, but for Cooper to hear it from the source?

I got into my SUV, not sure where I was going to go. My condo hadn't sold yet, so I could go there. It was the best solution because I didn't want to talk to anyone about this. And as I drove, I couldn't quiet the nagging voice in my head that said I hadn't tried to sell the condo. I'd wanted a safety net because I knew something like this would happen.

No matter how much I wanted to believe in Cooper, there was always a part of me that prepared for the inevitable breakup. I always took care of myself, and I couldn't even be upset about it because I needed the condo right now.

I parked in my designated spot and took the stairs to the third floor. It was slow going, but I didn't have any plans to leave today.

I'd burrow into my bed and not come out until I felt better. I could order groceries to be delivered so I didn't need to walk the stairs again. I could order nursery furniture, but I didn't know how to assemble it. I wasn't sure how I was going to navigate the stairs with a baby and a stroller in tow.

This condo wasn't the ideal location for a single mom and a baby. But I didn't have to solve that problem tonight. I just needed to forget about everything that Cooper said: the fact that he went behind my back, that he talked to my dad, and that he knew my deepest shame.

Sleep was the only option. I kicked off my flip-flops and crawled into bed. It was dark and cool, and no one could bother me here. The only problem was that for the first time in my pregnancy, I couldn't fall asleep.

My mind kept replaying my conversation with Cooper. The betrayal. The knowledge that he'd done something without telling me. Something that had the power to destroy me.

I tossed and turned, unable to even cry myself to sleep. I finally ordered groceries to be delivered, and when the knock on the door came, I was happy to have something to eat.

I opened the door to sign when I saw Elena holding the plastic bags. "Delivery."

"What are you doing here?" I grumbled.

"It looks like you need help." She carried the bags into the condo and placed them on the counter. She started to unpack the groceries. As she pulled out one box of cut-up watermelon after another, she said, "Are you craving watermelon?"

"Something like that." I had a love-hate relationship with it because I craved the sugary sweetness, but it made me pee even more.

I opened the first box and popped one cube into my mouth.

Elena raised a brow. "What are you doing here?"

I scowled at her. "This is my condo."

She gave me a knowing look. "You were supposed to sell it when you moved in with Cooper."

I shrugged. "I couldn't sell it."

She gave me a look. "How hard did you try?"

"This complex is older and not near the beach," I said, plucking another cube of watermelon out of its package and throwing it into my mouth. "It wasn't a good investment."

"Uh-huh. So you didn't hang onto this place so that you have a place to go when Cooper met your expectations?"

"What are you even talking about?" I asked in a tone that suggested she was crazy.

"You knew he'd disappoint you, and you wanted an escape route."

"I'm pregnant and exhausted all the time. It was too much work to get this place ready to sell."

"You do that for a living, and Cooper would have helped you if you'd asked."

"He did enough." My sentence had a double meaning. He did a lot for me, but he went behind my back. It felt childish, but I couldn't help it. I wasn't feeling particularly generous right now. "How did you know to come here?"

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