Yeah – that was the side effect of falling in love with my best friend.
The last week was pure agony. Maddox was always on my mind. I worried tirelessly for him. Every day, about twenty times, I’d almost give in. The urge to run back to him was strong.
Sometimes, I’d call him late at night, when I knew he was sleeping and wouldn’t pick up his phone. I’d hide my caller ID and let the call go to voicemail. Just so I could hear his deep, baritone voice.
I did it once. I did twice.
And then it became a habit.
I couldn’t sleep without hearing his voice.
This obsessive need for Maddox grew every day. How could I say goodbye to him when my heart was still so desperately trying to hold on to him?
I faced Bianca, and the moment my eyes fell on her, I felt a sharp pang in my chest. Damn, that hurt. Her belly was swollen and bigger than the last time I had seen her. I could even see the swell over her baggy sweater. She cupped her pregnant belly, and I fought back a flinch.
This was the reminder I didn’t want. Maddox was going to be a… dad. But not the father of my kids. The heat rose to my face, and my heart catapulted in my chest. The first wave that hit me was anger. Then envy. Resentment. Finally, it was longing. A surge of emotions brewed inside of me, threatening to spill over. For the first time, since I found out Bianca was pregnant with Maddox’s child, I felt an overwhelming sense of… jealousy.
I crossed my arms over my chest. As if to barricade my heart against her presence and her words. The last thing I wanted to do tonight was talk to my ex’s baby mama.
“I didn’t expect you to seek me out on your own,” I said, a bitter smile on my face. It seemed I couldn’t control my emotions lately.
“I’m sorry,” she spilled out, looking quite flustered.
I cocked an eyebrow. “Are you scared of me, Bianca?”
She swallowed and looked around the empty restaurant, nervously. It was only the two of us in the dining area. The other two employees were in the back, cleaning up for the night. “No. Yes. Maybe. You’re a… little intimidating. Sometimes. Especially right now.”
“Just say what you have to say. I don’t have time to play games. And please, don’t give me that I’m innocent bullshit look. Save that for someone who’ll fall for it.”
Bianca started rubbing her swollen stomach, as if to soothe the baby. I had to remind myself that she was pregnant, and I had to rein in my psychotic side.
“I didn’t want to come between you and Maddox. That wasn’t my intention,” she murmured, biting on her lips.
But she did. Except, I couldn’t fault her, really.
I rolled my eyes, looking indifferent. But every cell inside me was raging, hurting, breaking. “Why didn’t you tell Maddox when you found out you were pregnant? Why wait until you were six months along?”
“I was… worried and scared. I didn’t know…”
“But you had to tell him the moment our relationship became public,” I seethed.
“No,” she stuttered. What a fucking liar. “I talked to Maddox. I told him you guys didn’t have to break up. We can make it work…”
I raised my hand, halting her words. “I don’t need you to speak to Maddox for me. Maddox and I have been friends, way longer than you’ve known him. I know him better than anyone else, and he knows me better than he knows himself. If we want to figure this out, we will. We don’t need you to play mediator.”
Bianca nodded, looking teary eyed.
“Anything else?”
Her gaze flitted past my head, and she avoided looking at my face. She chewed on her lip, before whispering, “Maddox and his parents are going back to Manhattan. Brad wants to be in the comfort of his own home.”
What…?
Oh my God.
I stumbled back against the table, my knees growing weak. He was leaving. Maddox was leaving, and I didn’t know…
My lips parted with a silent cry, and my fists clenched.
Bianca put the last nail in the coffin when she confessed her next secret. “He asked me to come with him. He said… he wanted to be there for the rest of my pregnancy and when I give birth.”
“What about… his exams?”
“He dropped out for the rest of the academic year.”
My emotions throttled me, and barb wires twisted around my lungs. I