Filed to story: Swallow Me Whole (Sadie & Ashton) Book Free
I stumble back, out of reach. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I’ll be here for the baby, and I’ll help you with whatever you need, but I need you to know something.”
Her eyes narrow, and gone is the scared, fragile lines of her face. “Don’t say it, Ashton. I don’t want to hear it. I can’t take the stress.”
And I can’t foster delusions, no matter how much she might want me to. Even though I held proof of her pregnancy in my hands, there’s still a small part of me that wonders if the baby is mine, especially when she looks at me the way she is now, with calculation in her gaze.
“I won’t lie to you, Corinne. I’m seeing someone.”
“You’re always seeing someone. That isn’t a newsflash.” A tremor in her voice betrays her nonchalant attitude, and I’m positive she detected the truth in my words.
I reiterate them anyway. “It’s serious this time.”
She props herself up on her elbows and shoots a pointed glance at her flat belly. “So is this.”
“I realize that.”
“Who is she?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“How the hell can you say it doesn’t matter? Our child needs a father. Not a baby daddy.”
With a sigh, I push on her shoulders until she’s reclining in bed again. “Get some rest. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”
She stares at me with her big, brown eyes threatening to spill over. “Are you leaving?”
“No, I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“I don’t want to do this alone.”
“You’re not alone. I’ll be in the next room.” I know it’s not what she meant, but before she can correct me, I escape into the dark shadows of her living room, and only then do I allow myself to breathe again.
So much for not taking the coward’s way out.
Sadie
I should have taken a sick day. That was the plan. Wake up in Ashton’s arms, kiss his gorgeous lips some more, go grab breakfast, then spend the day together discovering the newness of us. Instead, I’m sitting in my father’s office about to get another of his famous lectures.
The knot in my stomach tightens. Though I left Ashton at the hotel just last night, it feels longer. After I returned home, I tossed and turned for hours, unable to sleep as I was too busy imagining all kinds of scenarios.
Ashton and Corinne together, him touching her the way he touched me, telling her how gorgeous she is, whispering the same words he said to me. I’m green with jealousy, knowing that she has a connection to him that I don’t have.
A tie that binds.
Something forever linking them together.
And then I feel guilty for thinking such thoughts because I don’t even know if it’s true. Her emergency could have ended in tragedy, and the sliver of relief at that idea only adds to my tab of guilt.
“You look tired, sweetheart,” my father says.
I cross my legs and settle my hands in my lap. “I didn’t sleep much last night.”
The hard lines of his face soften—it’s the closest to sympathy I’ll ever see from my father. “I didn’t sleep well either. I realize our conversation about JJ didn’t go well yesterday, but I hope you’ve at least had some time to think things through.”
“There’s nothing to think through. My insomnia has nothing to do with you or Jake.”
“I think it has everything to do with him.” With a sigh, he shifts in his seat and steeples his fingers above the desk. “I know he hurt you.”
“He didn’t hurt me, Dad. He pissed me off.”
“I think his mistake hurt you, and I think you’re using Ashton to get back at him.”
I have to bite back a snicker. He’s so off base he’s not even on the same playing field. “Ashton has nothing to do with Jake.” I lean forward, entreating my father to understand where I’m coming from. “Jake did me a favor. I’d rather find out about his true colors now than later.”
My father hardens his jaw. “There’s no question he made a mistake.”
“Then why are you pushing this?”
He rubs his trim beard. “Every marriage will face hardships. He’s a good match with good connections. He’ll provide for you.”
I count to ten to keep from rolling my eyes. “This is the twenty-first century. I’m capable of taking care of myself.”
“I know you are, sweetheart. But who else is going to step into my shoes here at the firm after I’m gone?”
And suddenly, I understand. As an only child—and a girl at that—I’m a massive disappointment to him, especially since I broke his heart by refusing to go to law school. He wants me to marry Jake so he can take over someday. It’s all so clear now, and more disturbing than ever. My father cares more about his legacy than his own flesh and blood.
“You owe it to me to fix things with JJ. At least try, Sadie.”
I grip the arms of the chair. “How can you put this on me?”
“Your mother and I gave you the best of everything. The best opportunities, the best education. I don’t feel I’m asking too much in return.”
I jump to my feet. “So let me get this straight. Because you were a good parent to me, finically, I owe it to you to marry a cheating bastard of your choosing?”
The instant his nostrils flare, I know I’ve pissed him off, but he remains unmoving behind his desk, the illusion of his calm facade firmly intact. “All I’m asking is that you give him another chance.”
“I don’t love him!”
“Is this about Ashton? Do you fancy yourself in love with him?”
“That’s none of your goddamn business.” I flinch at the anger in my tone.
He stands on the other side of the desk, red in the face. “You might not live under my roof anymore, but I’m still your father, not to mention your employer. I won’t tolerate you speaking to me like that.”
I don’t think I’ve ever been so furious. The blood in my veins reaches the boiling point as it rushes through me. “I’m done with you meddling in my life.” Too many beats pass, heavy with indecision, but eventually, I utter the worlds I’ve wanted to say for months.
For years.
