Page 23 of Rescuer
His fingers itched to run through her hair, even as heat simmered in his veins.
“I can’t be a father, Mia! You know that! I need to go to college, to make something of my life. I can’t do that if I’m raising a kid. I’m only sixteen!”
Her face grew even paler.
The tears dried, and her lips trembled, but the rest of her froze, like an ice princess. “I thought you said we could do anything if we loved each other.”
“But we’re too young!” He swung away from her. He needed space. When he looked back over his shoulder, she was watching him, her hands pressed against her flat stomach.
His baby.
“Jackson.” Distrust shivered in her tone. “I didn’t expect to see you.”
How could he have mistaken that young girl for Mia? Mia’s hair hung in a thick braid over her shoulder. He recalled the rich color, like dark chocolate, and the soft feel of it. Her brown eyes, once so warm when she looked at him, froze him in place. She wore a simple sleeveless dress, the hem brushing her knees. No jewelry except for delicate hoop earrings.
She had never needed accessories to amplify her natural beauty.
Twelve years ago, he’d thought Mia was the prettiest girl in the school. Now, she robbed him of his breath.
Even though he bore part of the blame, what she’d done was almost impossible to forgive. He’d try, because God wanted him to. But seeing her brought back all the anger and bitterness he’d thought he’d left in the past.
“If it weren’t for Dylan, I wouldn’t be here.”
A flicker of uncertainty danced across her face. “Dylan? He didn’t come to his IEP meeting.”
She bit her lip, as if she regretted saying that much.
She swiped an errant curl behind her ear with slim fingers.
The fact that she could still fascinate him burned. This was the woman who had aborted their child. Maybe if I hadn’t been such a jerk, she wouldn’t have felt that was her only option. Her parents wouldn’t have supported her.
But she knew Dylan and might be able to offer some clues.
“I know things ended badly for us in high school. But I need to find my brother. I thought you might know where he is.”
“Why would I know?”
“Because you’re his teacher. And you know all of his friends. Don’t teachers hear things?”
She shook her head. “I haven’t heard anything. It’s summer. I won’t see any of them until next week.”
He blinked. He hadn’t considered that. This had been a waste of time. Sighing, he began to turn away from her. The less time they spent together, the better.
“Jackson.”
Reluctantly, he pivoted slowly to face her again. “Yeah?”
“Why’d you do it?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I trusted you. I never expected you to be cruel.”
Cruel? “Mia, I know I got angry. But I don’t think I was that mean. I was shocked!”
She huffed. “Please. You made me feel so cheap. I couldn’t hold my head up anymore. I know you didn’t want our baby.”
He tensed. “I was young when I said that. You didn’t give me a chance to get used to the idea!”
“Give you a chance? I told you, you rejected me, and the next thing I know, the whole school is talking about me. I was forced off the cheerleading team! Because I was a ‘bad influence.’” She made air quotes.
The breath left him. “Wait. You don’t think I had something to do with the rumors?”
