Page 68 of Fall Love

“I’m over it. I’m really, truly over it. They’re better together anyway,” he mumbles into my skin. “I’m only sorry I didn’t tell you.”

Tell me? I’m the least of his concerns when it comes to them.

And he’s still too calm. So, I’ll be angry on his behalf. How dare she not love Tate? How dare they do what they did to him? Get engaged to each other.

I cling to his arm wrapped around my chest, realizing I’m holding onto him as tightly as he’s holding onto me, not chasing after them, and that burrows deep beneath my chest.

“She didn’t want children,” I say, lowering my voice, like it’s a secret. Another betrayal toward Tate.

“It doesn’t matter,” he murmurs into my neck again, then rubs his hand up and over my belly. Like he’s reassuring me that our baby is the one he wants.

“They didn’t know I was pregnant,” I say softly. I’d question if he was ashamed for some reason if I didn’t know Tate better.

“Jake knew,” he tries to reassure me, keeping his lips against the side of my throat. “My entire family knows, actually.”

I twist my neck and pull back to look at him. “Your parents?”

Oh, God, what must his parents think of this situation? What would they think of me?

He smiles timidly. “My mom has been dying to meet you.”

I swallow thickly at the thought. I’ve never met the parents before.

“I’ve been holding her off because I thought you and I needed more time.”

“Time?” I parrot, like I don’t understand the concept.

“To get reacquainted. To get to know each other better. To get comfortable with all this.” He tugs me tighter into his chest, like it explains everything.

“I’ve had almost nine full months to get used to this,” I grumble.

Tate smiles and presses a kiss to my ear. “I meant us.”

Is there us? What are we doing? We’re spending a lot of time together. And he’s giving me orgasms so I can go into labor. He’ll only be here until I have the baby because he wants to be present for her birth. He won’t stick around after that. He isn’t going to stay.

And the thought of him leaving sets my heart revving up again.

I twist out of his arms, and he lets me turn to face him. “I still want to throw something.”

He chuckles and wraps his arms around me again, drawing me back into his chest. He smells like wood shavings and clove and sunshine.

“Come watch me throw axes,” he mutters into the top of my head. “I want my girls there.”

His girls. Little Wrench and me. For now.

I nod against him, slowly pulling back out of his arms, before I grow too comfortable in them.

This is how I like it, right? He’ll leave soon enough. Then I’ll be back to just me. Well, me plus one.

Yet, a sour sensation returns to my belly as we spin toward the axe-throwing competition.

CHAPTER 25

[Tate]

Warning flags billow around Neve. She pulled out of my arms a second time, but I curl my arm around her shoulders. She’s stiff underneath my touch, but I’m afraid to let her go. Once we reach the designated axe-throwing competition, I’m afraid, she’ll disappear.

The shock of seeing Jake and Lisa certainly has me ruffled.