When Rivals Love (Bayshore Rivals 3)

“I’m just trying to help,” Matt tells me, and anger overwrites my fear momentarily.

“Like you were trying to help me the last time I saw you. When you threatened me?”

He shrugs like it’s no big deal at all, but his eyes hold his emotions inside. Like a glass house, Matt is the type of person that will crack, snap, shatter if you hit him enough times.

“I admit, I was drunk and out of line. I’ll try not to let it happen again.”

“You’ll try?” I snort. “Well, at least you are honest.”

“I try to be, but that doesn’t mean I don’t make mistakes. In all seriousness, you don’t know what your father is willing to do. You don’t know the lengths he’ll go to get what he wants. I’m your best choice right now. Actually, I’m your only choice.” Only then does the reality of this all hit me. I’m pregnant. I’m carrying a child inside me, and my father wants to kill it. Fear settles deep inside my bones, and I know I need to do everything I can to save the life inside of me, but marrying Matt can’t be the answer.

“You might be the lesser of two evils, but that doesn’t mean I will just marry you,” I whisper. “I’m in love with someone else.” A coldness fills the room, and dread clings to my bones. “If you really wanted to help me, you would give me your phone and let me make a call. You would help me get out of here.”

Matt blows out a frustrated breath, “And how would that benefit me? Didn’t you listen to anything I’ve said to you? Going against your father never ends well, that doesn’t exclude me. If I go against him, if I try and save you, he’ll retaliate, and I can’t afford that. He would—”

A knock on the door interrupts Matt mid-sentence, and we both turn toward it.

“We need a few more minutes,” I yell before the door can open.

“Okay, take your time,” my father’s muffled voice filters through the door, and even from here, I can hear the triumphant tone in his voice. He already assumes that he’s won. He thinks I’m agreeing to Matt’s proposal. The joke’s on him though. I’ll die before I do a single thing, he wants me to.

Instead, I know I’m going to have to convince Matt in whatever way I can.

“Matt, please help me. Really help me. Don’t let him do this. Don’t let them kill my baby, please…” I don’t care that I’m begging or how desperate I might sound. I’ll get on my knees if that’s what gets him to help me.

For the first time, I see real empathy reflecting back at me. He gets up from the chair and steps really close, taking my hand into his.

“I won’t let him kill the baby, okay.” He lowers his voice and leans into me. “I’ll tell him that I want you pregnant, but you have to agree to marry me now, even if it’s only to buy yourself time. I won’t be able to help you contact your boyfriends, and if they don’t show up on their own, then you might have to marry me, after all. I can’t go against your father.”

“Okay, thank you…” I can’t believe what I’m about to say next, but like he said, right now, he is my best bet. “Will you stay here with me. I don’t want to be alone with my parents.”

He nods and sits back down, just as someone knocks on the door once more.

“You can come in now,” I call out, and the door opens. My parents walk in, my father has a smug grin on his face, and it takes everything inside of me to bite my tongue.

“Did you two come to an agreement?” he asks even though I know for a fact that he already knows.

“I’ll marry Matt,” I grit out. That sinister grin on my father’s face only grows.

“And I’m okay with her having the baby,” Matt announces. “No one needs to know that I’m not the father.”

“Great,” my mom cheers and claps her hands together. “I’m so excited. The wedding is back on then.”

I force a smile and nod slightly, hoping with all my heart that the guys find me before it’s too late because if they don’t… I don’t even want to think of the mess that will come when all the pieces fall.

13

My parents left after our talk yesterday, and even though I felt fine after they pumped some fluids in me, the doc insisted on keeping me overnight for observation. Matt ended up staying with me in the hospital the whole night, sleeping on a pull out chair the nurse brought in. Part of me is glad that he is here, and I’m not alone with my father’s goons who are posted outside my door. But there is another part of me that has a hard time trusting Matt, considering the way he’s treated me in the past.