Page 39 of Unpredictable

“What are you doing?” Keaton sits up with me.

“I just want to go home.”

“Then we’ll go home.” Sage grabs my hand, leading me from the room and to my future.

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Chapter Eleven

Sterling

Islide down the wall next to my front door and onto the floor as soon as Victoria calmly leaves. With shaking hands, I rub my face and pull my hair.

She’s pregnant. She’s having my baby.

I may be distrusting of most people, but one thing I know for sure without a doubt is that, if Victoria is in fact pregnant and she says it’s mine, then it’s mine. Our whole lives we’ve watched those around us lie, and I know she wouldn’t do that to me. She’s one of the most honest women I’ve ever known.

Get up. Check the test.

I push to my feet, a little unsteady, and make my way down the hall and on auto pilot find my way into my master bathroom. I glare at the test on the counter as if it’s done something to wrong me.

It’s only proving what V said. I snatch the test off the counter and look down at the little screen.

Pregnant.

“Oh fuck,” I whisper.

With the test still in hand, I stumble towards the toilet and purge everything I had consumed today. Once I’m done dry heaving, I lie back onto the floor and stare at the ceiling.

Pregnant.

I’m going to be a father.

Will I mess this up?

She said you could walk away.

“Never. I will never walk away from my child,” I yell.

One breath in, one breath out. I repeat the process five more times, trying to calm myself.

Where is V?

Is she okay?

Is the baby okay?

My thoughts get the better of me, and I pull my phone out of my pocket.

Me: Hey, where are you? You okay?

I watch the message go fromSendingto delivered and wait for it to turn toRead, but it doesn’t come.

Thoughts about how I thought my life was going to go versus how it will be now shift through my mind like a movie. I never wanted to settle down. Love, marriage, and two point five kids were never on my radar. I planned on being the stereotypical bachelor who works too much.

Not anymore.

Now all I see is making Victoria laugh and pinning her to the bed as I take her from behind. Letting her sleep when the baby wakes up at 2:00 a.m. Baby coos and bottles.

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