Page 90 of The Fool

“Bea?” Nate whispers, looking uncomfortable.

“Er, ok…just one dance though,” I finally reply when Emma gives me a hopeful look.

“Perfect,” Dean snaps with a grin on his face.

Minutes later and we are taking up our positions on the dancefloor where a slow number just so happens to start playing for this awkward situation. I eye Nate, who looks back at me, nodding his head to tell me he’s there if I need him. He gives me the courage to get whatever this is over with as soon as possible.

“Say whatever it is you need to say,” I whisper next to Dean’s ear, ignoring all the strange looks we’re now getting. “But don’t even think about asking me to run off with you again.”

“What happened to our baby, Beatrice?”

His words cause me to freeze on the spot while a sickness spreads throughout my body. He pulls back to look at me with a quirk of his brow and a questioning expression. I look about me, ensuring no one can hear this. Fortunately, only Nate seems to be watching, but with concern written all over his face.

“Not here,” I whisper inside of Dean’s ear.

“Then where? I’m not afraid to make a scene, Bea, are you?”

He looks at me with an expression that tells me he’s dead serious. I look around once more, realizing I need to keep Emma and my parents well out of this. With nothing else to go on, I walk up to Nate and Emma with a fake smile and an excuse to take Dean away from the dance floor.

“Hey, Em, I’ve just twisted my ankle,” I lie, which Nate more than knows I’m doing.

“Oh no, do you need your man back?” she giggles.

“No, you two carry on. After all, how many nights did you dream about dancing with Nate Carter all those years ago?”

“I’d be embarrassed, I really would, but it’s my wedding day so I don’t care,” she says as she pulls Nate back into dance. “Dean, go and get some ice for Bea’s ankle, will you?”

“Sure,” he says and begins walking away.

“Bea?” Nate questions, turning away from Emma so I might elaborate on what the hell is going on.

“I need you to keep her busy, please?” I practically beg. “I’ll be fine, I promise.”

“You have ten minutes tops,” he says before kissing me. “Then I’m coming for you.”

“Thank you,” I reply, then pretend to hobble off, which isn’t overly hard in these heels.

By the time I reach the turning circle in front of the hotel, my heart feels as though it’s caught in my throat. Seeing Dean pacing around with his hand covering his mouth, waiting for me to come and explain what happened to a pregnancy I didn’t think he knew about, only makes me want to throw up even more. My only saving grace is no one is about to see this, besides the odd barman, who all look far too busy to be taking any notice of us.

I slowly approach, the gravel underfoot giving away my presence, causing him to snap up straight and look at me with an expression I cannot read. I automatically wrap my arms around my ridiculous dress, then shiver as the cold suddenly hits me.

“You knew?” I ask quietly, not quite able to look him in the eye as I step toward his intimidating figure, his hands firmly placed on his hips.

“I found the test in your room; I’d been looking for a few photographs to use for a surprise I was making you for graduation,” he replies sheepishly. “It was the day…”

“What day?” I ask with a horrible feeling beginning to grow inside of me.

“Thatday, Bea,” he says at the same time as closing his eyes with a guilty expression.

“Wait, are you telling me you slept with Emma, in my bed, betraying me in the worst possible way, and made my life a living hell, because I fell pregnant? Withyourchild?!” I charge forward and shove at his slumped body, which only confirms what I just said. Angry tears line my lashes and I have to fight the urge to strangle him with my own two hands.

“I freaked out!” he gasps, grabbing hold of my wrists to try and plead his case. “I’d gotten into college, I wanted to see the world, to live life, and there was that one little pregnancy stick threatening to tear it all away from me. I convinced myself that you had done it on purpose, tried to trick me into being yours forever, that the years of shit had made you lose your confidence, to the point where you felt you needed to trap me with the one thing that would keep me connected to you forever.”

“Oh, my God!” I cry, feeling my head begin to sway with dizziness.

“Bea, do you not think I wasn’t targeted for choosing you?” he whimpers. “I was constantly being told that I could do better, that you would try and keep me by any means possible. I told them where to go, that you would never do such a thing, and then I found that stick…thatfuckingstick!”

“Oh, boo hoo!” I spit at him. “Must have been tough to be slumming it with little old me when you were constantly being told how great you were. Yeah, Dean, you had it so bad!”

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