The possibility of losing Gavin forever tore through Emily’s chest as she hunched over, her arms wrapped around her stomach that would soon bloom with life. A beautiful life that shared her blood, but may not share the blood of the man she couldn’t live without.
Breathe…
“Emily.” Lisa’s soft voice barely broke through her thoughts… her nightmare. Emily felt her sister’s caring touch on her neck. “Emily, look at me.”
Covering her mouth, tears pooled in Emily’s eyes as she shook her head. “It might not be Gavin’s,” she cried, trying to keep her voice to a whisper. “Oh my God, Lisa, it might not be his.”
Lisa leaned into Emily, cradling her the way their mother would when she was hurt. “I know, sweetie. I know.” Dangling over the edge of near insanity, Emily shook, her cries muffled against Lisa’s chest. “Listen to me, okay? I want you to lie down. I’ll tell Gavin you were tired and went to take a nap. It’ll hold him off until after we’re done eating dinner. You’ll have some time to think about what you’re going to say to him. All right?”
Lips trembling, Emily nodded. She swiped her hands through her hair, plucked a tissue from the container, and looked at her reflection. Her eyes, puffy and blackened with smeared mascara, would soon stare into the eyes of the man she loved so desperately. The man she may very well lose. After scrubbing her face with soap and water, she gave Lisa a hug and made her way to the guest room. Her heart dipped lower in her chest when she heard Gavin bark out a laugh as he accepted a few more jabs from Michael regarding the Knicks’ loss.
With the click of the door, her thoughts spiraled out of control. She was about to ruin him. How would she even begin to tell him the news that was about to change them forever? Words. Her mind felt stripped of the right words to say. Would he just up and leave her in California? Visions of his face the second he found out hit, plowing through Emily’s head. Bile burning like acid rain rose in her throat. In a haze of not only fear but a loneliness so dark, she sank onto the bed, pulling her knees against her chest. As she lay there, she tried to go over what she would say, how she would say it. But as the minutes ticked by, she was fast becoming aware no amount of right words would make any of it simple. Life was about to change. She didn’t have to lie there too long, praying Gavin would remain by her side when it did, because a moment later, the door creaked open and in walked the man who would forever steal the breath from her lungs. The man who, no matter what decision he made in the next few minutes, would forever own her heart.
Emily swallowed and sat up. She tried to keep the edge of despair from her voice. “You’re already finished eating?” She watched him pull the hideous Lakers sweatshirt over his head, leaving him in a white T-shirt and Dolce and Gabana jeans that hung just below the glorious V that sculpted his abs. He ran his hand through his messy black hair and stretched. She swallowed again as he made his way toward her, his contagious smile reminding her what she could potentially lose.
Sinking onto the bed, he gathered her in his arms and pulled her on top of his chest as he leaned against the headboard. “Michael was right. Though we leave in two days, staying in this house could turn me into a fat bastard.” Chuckling, he popped a kiss on her forehead. “I was full from the ten pounds of chips and dip I inhaled before your sister said dinner was ready, so I decided to skip. Besides, once I knew you were in here alone, I couldn’t resist.”
Emily gave a weak smile as her eyes soaked in his dimple, drowning in every inch of slight stubble on his chin. They followed the contour along each line and plane of his beautiful face, a face that’d kidnapped her heart and held it hostage from the second she saw it. A face that might soon be nothing more than a memory that’d touched her life for the briefest moment.
“Hey,” Gavin said, dipping his head, his eyes searching hers. “What’s the matter?”
And there it was. The question that would lead them both down a path that could break them. Their pieces scattering along a road that held so much hope. So much love and promise.
Breathe…
“I have to tell you something,” Emily whispered, her body as numb as it was when Gavin was gone.
A current of worry zipped through Gavin. He leaned up, straddling Emily’s legs over his waist. Cupping her cheeks, he searched her eyes again. “Talk to me, doll. What’s wrong?”
“I… I’m…” The words, wrong or right, caught in her throat as she tried to pull in a breath. Tried to get them to come out. This was it. She had to say them. Breathe… “Gavin, I’m pregnant.”
Relief, pounding like a crashing wave, washed over him. The woman he’d loved from the minute she stepped into his life, who he was sure he would have a family with, just told him he was going to be a father. Father. The word ricocheted through Gavin’s heart, the proud feeling behind that title reminding him of his own. This wasn’t bad news. Surely Emily was scared, as was Gavin, but she had no reason to be. He would do everything in his power to make sure she and their child were loved beyond any measure he could ever show. With excitement unlike anything he’d ever known flowing through him, Gavin brought Emily’s mouth to his. Kissing her hard, a cascade of moments to come filled his soul.
However, when she immediately pulled away, so did his excitement. The empty look in her eyes screamed out something that hadn’t crossed his thoughts. The choking feeling in his throat nearly consumed him as he waited for her to say something. Anything. He just prayed it wasn’t what he thought it was, because no matter how much he loved her—and God, he loved her—he’d never allow Emily to get rid of something that was a piece of them.