Page 52 of Slayin Villain
I stepped forward.“I needed to say something.Not about Villain.About me.”
Her brow lifted.“Alright then.Say it.”
“You know.I’m pregnant.Could be Rome’s,” I admitted.“But it might be Villain’s.I won’t know until I know.”
She nodded slowly, wet eyes darkening.
My throat went dry.
“I’m not here to claim him,” I whispered.“I was stupid.Thought playing pretend would keep me from feeling something real.Thought using Villain to make Rome jealous wouldn’t leave marks.But fuck, that’s a fuckin’ lie, too.I knew it would hurt you.I thought, hell, if he didn’t care, why should I.”
Rachel gritted her teeth.She looked like she wanted to kill me.“You thought how can Villain love someone like me, right?”
I teared up myself.“Maybe.But actually, I was jealous.That he wanted you when no one wanted me.Truth is, I thought maybe I was better than you.But I’m not.”
“And now?”Rachel asked, running a hand under her weeping eye.
“Now, I’m confused.”I leaned against the wall across from her, arms folded.“I’m not here to fight you.I’m not even sure I want him.”
Her voice cracked just a little.“Then what do you want?”
“I want to raise a kid who knows what love looks like.I want a man who chooses me when no one’s watching.I want peace.Fuckin’ quiet peace.”
Rachel’s hand went to her stomach like she was protecting something fragile.“Me too.”
I looked at her.Really looked.She was fierce and beautiful, with her curves and tattoos and fire-engine hair.But under that?She was just a woman like me.Scared.Strong.Torn.
“I don’t think he knows how to choose,” she said.
“Then we have to stop letting him think he can have us both,” I replied.
She stared at me, something shifting behind her eyes.“You serious?”
I nodded.“Dead.”
We stood there like some kind of broken mirror.Different shapes.Same pain.
“I’m not walking away,” she said.“Not unless it’s the right thing.”
“Me neither,” I said.“But I’m not raising a baby in limbo while he fucks his way through confusion.”
Rachel tilted her head.“Then I guess we’re agreed.”
“Yeah.”
Just then, the heavy door to church slammed somewhere in the clubhouse.Voices echoed, Villain’s among them.My pulse kicked up.
I turned to walk away, but Rachel called after me.“Ember.”
I looked back.
“Thank you.For not making this uglier than it already is.”
I nodded.“We’ve both got enough ugly to deal with.”
I didn’t go far.Just far enough to find Villain and Rome standing in the gravel lot near the fire pit.The flames had long since died out, but the heat remained.
“I’m done,” I said loud enough to catch both their attention.
