I ignored everything he just said because I instantly lost all trust in him. Every damn bit of it.
“Even worse, you said nothing to me about it. Nothing, Tate. I never would’ve known what you did if she hadn’t gotten pregnant.”
His nostrils flared and he finally had the audacity to look guilty. “You’re right, I wouldn’t have said a word because I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. But it did and now I can’t take it back. I can only try to fix it.”
“I know how to fix it,” I ground out.
“I…” Tate shook his head. “I can’t do that and it’s too late for that, anyway. She made sure of it. She also sprung the news with my parents sitting at the table. She told them she was keeping it a secret because she wanted to surprise me as a graduation present.”
Graduation present?
“She knew for the last few months and waited to tell me in front of my parents. She knows they love her and that they’d pressure us to get married. She even told her parents before me.”
On purpose, no doubt. Conniving bitch. “Tate, you can still support your kid and not be married to the mother you don’t love.” It happened every day. Plenty of people co-parent successfully.
“Roe…”
He still hadn’t explained how this happened. Only that he’d been “confused” and it had been a “mistake.” “Did she trick you? What did she say to convince you to have sex without protection?”
“She didn’t have to convince me.”
My jaw hit the floor. “You did it willingly?”
He blew out a breath. He was holding back on the details. There had to be a reason. There was something so off with this.
“Can we sit down so I can—”
“No, Tate. We’re not sitting down and having a cozy chat about it. I want to know details on this so-called mistake. Like… When did this happen?”
“Winter break.”
My brain rewound.
He had gone home for Christmas to spend some time with his family. I had done the same to spend time with my mother and my brother’s family for the holidays.
Even though it had been two years, Tate still hadn’t come out to his family. They still had no idea we were together.
Two damn years later.
The whole reason why he was finally going to tell them tomorrow!
This was what I got for being patient and understanding. I got fucked up the ass in more ways than one.
“But you don’t even live near each other,” I forced up my throat. “How were you together on winter break?”
He needed to start talking and he needed to do it now. The patience I had for the past two years was quickly crumbling. And I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to get it back.
His expression turned grim. Just like my damn future. Our future. “My parents invited her and her parents over New Year’s. As you know, my parents always loved her. They were upset that I broke up with her. Over the holidays, our parents were trying to be matchmakers and get us back together. I was completely blindsided, Roe. They surprised me.”
Another fucking secret. “You said nothing to me about it.”
“I didn’t want to upset you. It wasn’t important. I figured they could matchmake all they wanted but no matter what, I was always coming home to you. I love you, Roe.”
“But somehow your dick ended up in Dahlia.”
He didn’t want to tell me the details. Why? Why did he keep putting it off?
He closed his eyes and swayed slightly, the knuckles on his fingers gripping his messenger bag had turned white. When he opened those blue eyes I loved so much, I saw the defeat in them.
For a second I felt sorry for whatever he was about to say. I felt sorry for him being in the situation. Then I quickly realized whatever happened to him had turned me into a victim, too. And he hadn’t warned me or protected me.
He actually thought I’d never find out about what happened between him and Dahlia.
“It was New Year’s Eve and I got drunk. She slipped into my room. I didn’t…” He shook his head. “I didn’t mean for it to happen, Roe, but it did. I woke up the next morning and found her in my bed. I was pissed and kicked her out. I wanted to forget the whole thing… I hoped to forget the whole thing.”
Karma was shrieking with laughter right now.
“Forget? Just like you forgot to tell me?”
Here I’d been anxiously waiting for him to come home and he was off having a lunch and planning a damn wedding with his parents and Dahlia’s family.
What the fuck!
“Are you sure she’s pregnant? She’s not tricking you?”
“She showed me a sonogram picture.”
“It could be fake.”
“She’s already showing.”
“She could be getting fat.”
“Ronan…”
“You don’t know if it’s yours.” I was grasping at any straw I could. This couldn’t be my life right now.