Page 81 of Tragic (Lark Cove 3)

She blew out a long breath and dropped her gaze to her lap but didn’t speak.

My stomach plummeted in the silence. She must be here to talk about our relationship. Maybe she wanted more, or maybe she was going to end it. Either way, my defensive instincts roared to life.

If she wanted to end us, I was going to do it first. And if she wanted a commitment, I was shutting that down immediately.

I refused to put myself in a position where I could lose everything again. Where another person had the power to destroy me. Piper was approaching that line already and it was time to push her back.

“We should talk about us.”

Her chin lifted

. “Huh?”

“Us. We should talk about us.” I took the glasses off my head and tossed them over to a table. “That’s what you’re here for, right? I mean, I’ve been thinking about it too. We’ve drifted too far from casual. It’s been fun, but maybe the best thing would be for us to spend some time apart. Get some distance.”

The bullshit spewed out of my mouth so fast I shocked myself.

Piper blinked a couple of times, her mouth slightly agape.

“I’d like to stay friends, if you’re good with it. But I don’t want to make you uncom—”

She held up a hand. “Please, stop talking.”

I shut up.

“Could you sit down?”

I grabbed the old office stool that I wheeled around the shop and sat next to her side.

“I didn’t come here to talk about our relationship.” She swallowed hard. “I need to tell you something.” Her chest rose as she inhaled, then caved as her breath came out in a whoosh. “I’m pregnant.”

My muscles went limp. Every single one of them, and I fell off my stool, my ass slamming onto the concrete floor.

“Kaine!” Piper shot out of her chair, rushing over to me. “Are you okay?”

I shook off the paralyzing shock and let Piper help me up onto unsteady legs, then onto the stool again. It took a few moments for my brain to come unscrambled. “You’re pregnant?”

She nodded. “I went to the doctor this morning.”

“I thought you couldn’t get pregnant.”

“Neither did I,” she whispered.

“It’s mine?”

She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just ask me that question.”

I huffed. She was pregnant. With my baby. A rush of panic hit, chasing away the remaining shock. I shot off my stool, sending it flying sideways. “What the fuck, Piper!”

“Don’t you yell at me.”

I ran a hand over my beard, pacing back and forth. “How did this happen?”

“Adam lied to me about my fertility test results. I had some problems, but so did he. That was why we couldn’t get pregnant. Because of him. I didn’t know.”

“You didn’t know?” I scoffed. “You expect me to believe that?”

“It’s the truth.”