Beautiful Sacrifice (The Maddox Brothers 3)

“I didn’t,” he said, amused. “But this … this is good. I’m liking this.”

I stood in the middle of the room, narrowing my eyes at him. “Then what were you talking about?”

He sighed. “I haven’t brought up the commute because … well … we were dealing with bigger things, and I was chickenshit.” He stood up, cupping my shoulders. “But I still want that, everything we talked about before. I can’t keep living apart. I want to at least be in the same city.”

I fell to the bed, holding my middle. “I thought you were ending it.”

He knelt in front of me. “Fuck no. After the weeks I’ve been killing myself, trying to make it up to you?”

I shot him a dubious look. “Killing yourself?”

He interlocked his fingers behind the small of my back, smiling. “I didn’t say it wasn’t enjoyable.”

He kissed my cheek, tender and sweet. I leaned into his lips, giggling.

The landline rang, and after a moment of confusion, Taylor hopped up and held the receiver to his ear. “Hello? Yeah, that’s me. Who?” When recognition lit his eyes, all the color drained from his face. “I’ll, um … I’ll be right down.” He hung up the phone.

“Everything all right?” I asked.

“The desk clerk said that a woman is waiting for me in the lounge. Alyssa Davies.”

I shrugged and shook my head, having no recollection of the name.

“It’s the woman I … from San Diego.”

“She’s here?” I asked, standing.

“I guess so,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Why?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know, baby.”

“You were tested,” I said, trying not to show the intense panic igniting inside of me.

“Yeah … no, that can’t be it. That’s not it.”

My heart pounded against my rib cage, making the vessels in my head throb and my fingers tremble.

Taylor’s worry vanished, and a contrived smile softened his face. “C’mon. We’ll find out together.”

I took his outreached hand and grabbed my purse before following Taylor into the hall. We took the elevator to the first floor, and then we found the lounge. Taylor didn’t let go of my hand as he paused when he saw a beautiful woman sitting alone at one of the booths along the wall.

He tugged me forward and sat down, scooting across the bench. I sat next to him, looking at the last woman I’d ever expected to meet face-to-face.

“I know you’re surprised to see me,” she said. “I apologize for not calling first.” She glanced at me, blinking and looking down at her folded hands on the table. “But what I have to say needed to be said in person.”

Taylor’s hand squeezed mine. I wasn’t sure he even knew he was doing it.

“Does she …” Alyssa trailed off.

Taylor nodded. “This is my girlfriend, Falyn. She knows who you are and what happened.”

“Well, she doesn’t know this,” Alyssa said, raising her eyebrows. She pulled a folded paper that looked like it had been wadded up a few times and pushed it across the table to Taylor.

He opened it, read it, and set it down in front of him. I waited, staring at the side of his face. His eyes had lost focus. He was so still that I wasn’t sure if he was still breathing.

I had a few ideas about what the paper said, none of them I wanted to be true.

“Pregnant?” Taylor said, swallowing.

All the air was knocked out of me, and my eyes instantly glossed over.

Alyssa sighed. “Fifteen weeks tomorrow. I scheduled an abortion for Thursday.”

“You … do you want me to go with you?” Taylor asked.

Alyssa breathed a laugh, unimpressed. “No. I canceled it.”

“So …” Taylor began. “You’re keeping it.”

“No.”

I rubbed my forehead and then looked down, trying not to scream. This wasn’t happening to us, to that baby.

“You’re giving it up?” Taylor asked.

“That depends,” Alyssa said, putting the paper back into her purse. Her cool demeanor was maddening. “I’m not in the position to raise it. Are you?”

Taylor touched his chest. “You’re asking me if I want to keep it.”

She folded her hands again. “I’m due December seventh. Shortly after, I have a rather large case that will begin court proceedings. I’m prepared to carry to term and then sign over rights, as I would with a typical adoption.”

She’s beautiful, confident, pregnant with Taylor’s baby, and a lawyer? Could she surpass me in any more ways?

“Stop,” I said. “You need to think about what you’re doing.”

She glared at me. “Excuse me. I respect that you’re here for Taylor, but I’m not asking for your opinion.”

“I understand that,” I said. “But I’ve been in your position. This is not a business transaction. It’s a baby.”

“You’ve—”

“Given up a child, yes. It’s not something that ever goes away. Just … I guess I’m hoping that you make sure it’s truly what you want before you decide.”

She blinked, for the first time seeing both of us, and then she trained her eyes on Taylor. “I’m leaving it up to you. If you choose to also relinquish your rights, I’ll begin the process of looking for candidates for the adoption. A few agencies in San Diego have been recommended to me.”

“If you want to keep the baby,” I said, “I know Taylor will help you.”

He nodded. He seemed a million miles away.

“I don’t need anyone’s help,” Alyssa said, “but I appreciate the offer.”

I stood up.

Taylor reached for me. “Where are you going?” he asked.

“Home.”

“Just … give me a second. I’ll drive you.”

My next words caught in my throat. “You should stay. You two have a lot to talk about.”

Taylor began to stand, but I touched his shoulder.

“This decision has nothing to do with me, Taylor. And it’s important.”

Taylor stared at me, taking deep breaths. “What do you mean, it has nothing to do with you?”