One to Save (One to Hold 6)

“Mom.” My voice is sharp, and I hope she can tell how serious I am. “You have to trust me this time. Just like you had to trust me with Sloan.”

She looks down at the table. I take the chair across from her and hold my mug in both hands. The warmth of it soothes me, even if I don’t feel like drinking it. I don’t trust my stomach yet.

When she speaks again, her voice is quiet. “I’ve also never seen you so in love with a man.” Her eyes are full of concern even as her words gut me. “Maybe give it time. I’m here to help you any way I can—with Dex, with the cottage. Do you need to stay with me a few days?”

My first instinct is to say no, until I consider the week ahead. One important milestone is coming, and I’m not sure I can get through it alone. “If you can help me with Dex’s birthday. I want him to have a happy first birthday.”

“Of course!” she answers quickly.

My insides clench at what I have to say next. I feel my stomach again on the verge of losing its contents, which at this point is nothing.

“After that...” I pause to steady my breathing. “If you can help me cancel the wedding plans.” She makes a little noise of shock, and my grip tightens on

my mug. “If it’s too much, I can ask Elaine—”

“No! I just... What if we just say the plans are on hold?” The flicker of hope in her voice spears the pain in my heart. I want to crawl into a dark place and never come out. I want to turn back time and never have met Derek Alexander. I want to scream and throw things, and...

I hear Dex in the other room. Only, I’d never give up my little boy. If all of this means I have him, it’s worth it.

Steadying myself, I shake my head. “The wedding is off. I can’t marry him.”

“Darling, I’m afraid you’re being too hasty. You’ve been hurt—badly, I can see that. At the same time, you and Derek have something so special—”

I can’t listen to any more of this. She’s killing me little by little and she doesn’t even know how or why. I can’t tell her the extent of his deception or how deep it goes without risking police involvement.

Holding out my hand, I grasp hers. “Let’s focus on Dex right now. Help me get through his birthday. We can deal with the rest after.”

She’s satisfied, and I’m exhausted. I leave my full mug on the table and head back to my bedroom. I only barely hear her say she’ll take Dex for the day before I push through the blankets. I curl into a ball surrounded by the scent of warmth and woods that used to soothe me. The scent of a man I trusted with everything, and who couldn’t trust me with anything. It’s a scent I used to crave when we were apart. Now it only breaks my heart.

Chapter 6: Safe House

Derek

Pacing the small hotel room, I pour two fingers of scotch in a glass and call Patrick. I should be at the cottage. I should be sitting in my chair with Dex in front of me playing with his damn trains. Melissa should be sitting beside me with her laptop or ordering takeout. I should be with my family, dammit.

Melissa and I have been a foregone conclusion so long, I can’t get my mind around what’s happening. It’s almost comical to think of me being trapped out of our house with her on the other side of the door telling me to go away. I’d laugh if I weren’t so fucking ready to kill somebody.

My phone buzzes, and I snatch it up without even looking.

“Hey, man. I just heard.” Patrick’s voice is a mixture of concern and his usual swagger. “What can I do?”

“You’ve fucking done enough,” I growl before taking a long drink of scotch.

“What the fuck does that mean?”

My eyes squint and I shake my head. “Nothing. It doesn’t mean anything. I’m just... I’m fucking pissed as hell. I don’t know why Melissa’s doing this.”

“It’s what I told you before. Women don’t like being left out of the loop.”

I’m ready to strangle him, considering the whole Don’t tell her approach was his fucking idea. “This is way past a simple tantrum, Patrick. Melissa doesn’t make dramatic gestures. This is serious.”

He’s quiet a moment, thinking. “What are you saying? You think she means it?”

“Fuck yeah, she means it.” My fists clench, and I have to count to ten before I slam the tumbler against the wall. Trashing my hotel room won’t help me. “What I don’t know is if she’ll forgive me this time.”

“Melissa loves you. That is a fact.”

“Sloan hurt her too badly. I fucked up when I didn’t tell her about Star. I wanted to have more information before giving her the whole story, but she won’t listen to that now.”