So Wrong (Heart of Hope 3)

“No, I’d never—”

“Funny, I don’t believe you. Is that what this was all about? You wanted to trick me?”

“Dylan, it was your idea to get married, not mine.”

“You wanted me to fuck you. I did fuck you.” I’d thought she was so sweet and innocent. Had I missed the signs that she was manipulative like Veronica?

“You used a condom the night I told you I wanted you.”

“And the honeymoon?”

“You started that.”

Fuck, she was right, but maybe I’d just let my dick lead me where she wanted him to go.

“I was going to tell you, but I wanted to be sure with the sonogram—”

“Bullshit. If you had a test, you knew. Why would you keep that from me? I trusted you—” I hated how vulnerable and desperate those last words sounded.

“You said you didn’t want to love or have more kids.”

“So you were going to keep this from me? Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

“I wasn’t going to hide it.”

All this time, I’d thought her attitude towards me had to do with how I’d treated her. But maybe she got what she wanted and was now done with me. “Maybe you were acting so cold and distant so I wouldn’t notice. Or maybe you were going to bail on me and have the child on your own, never telling me. You probably don’t think I deserve to know.”

“Dylan, no.”

I could hear in her voice that she was crying, but I fought to not be swayed. I’d been swayed by tears before.

“What did you want, Tessa?”

She was quiet for a moment. “In an ideal world, you’d love me like I love you and, we––you, me, Maisie and this baby––would be a family. But I knew that wouldn’t ever happen, and I just needed time to wrap my head around the reality.”

“You don’t love me,” I scoffed. Did she really think I’d buy that?

“I do, Dylan. I’ve loved you for so long.”

“I don’t believe you. If you loved me, you wouldn’t have kept this from me.”

“I’ll come home and we can talk—”

“No. I’m done. You stay at your parents. But don’t think that this means I won’t fight for my unborn child. You know me well enough to know that nothing will keep me from my child.” Not wanting to hear more excuses or lies, I hung up.

“Fuck!” I yelled. How had my world so quickly gone to shit?

23

Tessa

Thank God I was in my childhood bedroom when Dylan called. I’d hate to have that conversation within earshot of my parents. Or for them to see me so upset.

My first thought when I realized Dylan was calling was that maybe he missed me. I noted the number on my caller ID was from the landline, so then I figured he just had a question. Maybe there was a message and he wanted to know how to get it. In the year since I’d suggested the phone, he’d never checked messages.

As it turned out, he did know how to get messages, and he’d gotten one I never expected him to hear. Why had the doctor’s office called that number and not mine? I’d given the landline number as a backup.

I sank to my bed the moment I realized he knew my secret. He sounded so angry. Of course he would be. He should be. I’d kept something from him, and considering everything he was going through with Veronica, I couldn’t blame him for feeling betrayed and fearful about losing his child.