Page 63 of Harmony Island Gazette
“We should talk,” I said, ignoring the elephant that had wandered in and was now sitting squarely in the middle of the room.
Kevin’s eyebrows were raised when I finally met his gaze. He paused before he nodded. “Yeah, I think we should.” He glanced at his watch. “We have about ten minutes before the food will get here. Let’s go sit in the living room.”
He led and I followed as he walked from the foyer to the living room. He collapsed on an armchair that was perpendicular to the couch. He tipped his head back and closed his eyes, his chest visibly rising and falling with each breath.
Not sure where I should sit, I moved to the seat on the couch closest to him. I couldn’t relax. The tension in the room was high, and I could feel it with every fiber of my being.
Such a stark contrast to how I felt with Boone. He made me feel at home, relaxed. I didn’t have to fear when he was around. I missed that.
I could cut through the silence that surrounded us with a knife. I glanced around, wondering what to say. I wasn’t sure how to say that I wanted a divorce. Or how to say that I was pregnant. My tongue felt like lead in my mouth. Even though I wanted to speak, it was as if I’d forgotten how. Nothing seemed to be registering with my mouth.
“How are things at the stor?—”
“I’m pregnant.”
Kevin stopped mid-sentence as he stared at me. I heard the words, but it took me a moment to realize thatIhad said them.
As if I needed to make sure that he heard them, I parted my lips and spoke them again. “I’m pregnant.” There. It was out in the open now. He knew. I knew. My parents knew. There was no one else I needed to worry about. Everyone who needed to know about the pregnancy now knew.
The silence was sticky between us. Like the humidity on a hot summer’s evening. Kevin kept staring at me like he was trying to process what I’d said. Which was understandable. I had a near freakout in the bathroom when I found out, with Boone there to witness it.
“Is this a joke?” Kevin finally asked.
There was a bite to his tone that sent a shiver down my spine, but I brushed it off as shock instead of the anger that normally caused his sudden shifts.
“No,” I whispered, offering him a smile with the hopes that it would help him calm down.
It didn’t seem to work. Rage flashed in his gaze as he sat up straighter. Fear crept over me as I watched him stare down at me.
“Is this a ploy? A way to get me to stay with you?” His voice had gotten louder now.
This was a mistake. Coming here had been a mistake.
“Kevin, listen, I’m not lying to you.” I raised my hands in a show of surrender, hoping that he would see I wasn’t trying to rope him into anything.
“Who told you?” He narrowed his eyes as he jutted his forefinger in my direction.
“No one told me anything.” I pulled back until the couch pressed into my back. I needed to get further away from him to protect myself and the baby. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He lunged forward. I yelped and brought my arms and legs in to protect myself. I expected a blow, but instead, he stood and started pacing.
My heart was pounding so hard, I could hear it in my ears. But seeing him put distance between us caused my adrenaline to dissipate, which left me shaking. I was grateful that he was on the other side of the room now.
“You have to know. Why else would you say you’re pregnant?” Kevin was talking to himself now as he moved back and forth.
I wanted to jump in and reiterate that I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I knew better. When Kevin was upset, the best thing I could do was remain out of sight, out of mind.
“Someone had to have seen me coming out of his office.” He stopped and turned to face me. His gaze was dark as he pinned me with it. “You knew I filed for divorce.”
I blinked as I processed his words. He was divorcingme? “Kevin, I had no idea. I just saw a divorce lawyer myself.” I raised my hands once more to let him know that I was telling the truth.
His gaze didn’t soften. If anything, it hardened even more. It was a look that I’d grown accustomed to. A look that said if I didn’t do something, and quick, I was going to become the recipient of his anger.
“You planned this all along. The lies. You just want my money. You want to tie me to you.” He stalked toward me. “You whore.”
I pulled myself as far back on the couch as I could. “I don’t want your money.”
He shook his head. “You’re lying. You know the courts will side with a poor pregnant woman.”
