Page 26 of Worth the Risk

To my surprise, Zoey’s smile slipped away, and she pulled her hand away from me. Her shoulders hunched, and her eyebrows pulled together.

“Don’t do that, Ford.” Her voice was so sad that I felt like my heart was being squeezed by a fist. “Keep focusing on the baby, but don’t make it about us. We’re not together, but we can be good parents anyway. You can be involved with the pregnancy and the birth, and we’ll figure out custody after the baby is born.”

Something desperate and overwhelming moved through my body. I couldn’t let this happen, couldn’t allow Zoey to shut me out of her life. I needed her. I loved her, and I hated myself for never saying it before I ruined things.

I had to make this right.

Panic driving my actions, I didn’t allow myself to think about what I was doing as I slid from my chair and onto one knee beside the table. I grabbed her hand again and looked into her wide eyes.

“It doesn’t have to be like that, Zo. We can have it all. Will you marry me?”

Chapter Nine: Zoey

“Are you out of your damn mind?” I jerked back in my seat, pulling my hand free of Ford’s grip with a gasp.

Did that really just happen? Did Ford just propose to me?

He was frozen in place, still on one knee on the concrete, and he looked just as shocked as I felt. Whether that was because of my reaction or his own insane decision to propose, I didn’t know. And I wasn’t going to stick around to find out.

Everyone in the outdoor bar and pool area was staring at us, most of them giving me judgmental, disapproving looks. As if I was a monster for rejecting Ford’s proposal.

If only they knew that this was the unplanned action of a man who was freaking out because I refused to forgive him. Would they look at me differently if they knew he’d dumped me out of nowhere last week? That he broke my heart first?

It didn’t matter.

I shoved my chair back and sprang to my feet. As I turned away from him, my entire body felt cold, and it had nothing to do with the temperature out here in the sunshine. My teeth were gritted together as I hurried away, the world blurring around me as I headed in the direction of my bungalow.

It was the tears stinging my eyes.

Why did he have to do this? It was hard enough to deal with the fact that he ended our relationship for the sake of his career, and every interaction we had since then prodded at my wounded heart.

But to propose to me now?

God, it hurts.

Because not so long ago, I believed that we’d eventually get to that point. I saw a future with him, despite the fact that we’d never planned one, despite the secretive nature of our relationship. I dreamed of a real proposal. One that was planned—with a ring in his hand—and not something he was doing simply because I was pregnant.

“Zoey, wait!”

I knew he’d follow me, but my heart plummeted anyway. I didn’t want to talk to him anymore, not right now.

But then, he was in front of me, his face a gut-wrenching mix of yearning and regret and fear.

“I’m sorry. That wasn’t… I didn’t think that through.”

My laugh was loud and devoid of all warmth. “No shit.”

He reached out for me, but I took a step back.

“That proposal was an insult,” I said, barely recognizing my own venom-filled voice. “I deserve better. I deserve a man who’s proud to be with me instead of hiding me.”

“I know.” He dragged his hand down his face, looking destroyed. I wanted to be petty, to find satisfaction in his suffering because he’d hurt me. But to my dismay, my heart clenched with guilt. No matter what, I still cared about him, and I didn’t want to cause him pain. “And I know that apologizing isn’t enough. What can I do to make things right?”

If only I had an answer for that. I’d love to be able to make both of us happy. But it wasn’t that simple.

“I don’t think we can go back to the way things were. Now… I need some space. Just leave me alone, Ford.”

His face went pale and, for a moment, I thought he might refuse. But he shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded.