“This isn’t something you should have to go through alone.”
“There are single mothers everywhere. I’ll be fine.”
“You don’t have to—”
She cocks an eyebrow at me, waiting for me to continue. I can’t. I don’t know what she wants. Hell, I don’t know what I want in this situation. Opening my mouth before I’m certain could only cause more problems down the line, and we already have a deck of cards stacked against us.
“I think we should—”
The chirp of her cell phone halts my thoughts, and I’m grateful for the reprieve. I don’t have a clue what I was going to offer as a solution.
She keeps watching me, waiting, but I don’t give in. “Are you going to check that?”
Simone doesn’t have many friends, something of her own choosing I’ve discovered, and it all goes back to her inability to trust people’s genuineness. The sound of her phone sending the second text notification moves her into action.
She freezes after picking up the phone and looking down at the screen.
My blood turns to concrete in my veins. Is that fucker’s dad still messaging her?
“It’s the health portal from the hospital,” she mutters absently as she swipes the screen.
“What is it?” I ask when she sighs, her fingers working over the keyboard.
“I have to create a stupid account to log in.”
My hands are trembling, the seconds ticking by like time is standing still.
Her throat works on a swallow as an emotion I can’t quite decipher fills her delicate features.
“That was fast,” she whispers, her eyes refusing to meet mine.
And I know. She doesn’t even have to say a word. I know she’s looking at the test results from yesterday, and it didn’t go in my favor.
Chapter 20
Simone
Before I have time to process what I’m reading on my cell phone, it lights up with a call. Of course, Jinx would’ve gotten the same results. The doctor explained that the biological father would be notified of the results the same time as me.
“Miles,” I whisper when I hold the phone to my ear.
“Did you—”
“I just got them,” I interrupt, refusing to let my mind wander.
I don’t know what this will mean for everyone involved. Of course, Rocker was the best choice. At least his emotions are involved and there was always that chance for something to grow between us. My hands are shaking, making it nearly impossible to keep a grip on my phone.
Jinx will take care of the baby. I’ve never doubted that, but at the end of the day, I’m more than just a mother. I’m a woman who needs love and comfort, someone to share a life with, and that man was never going to be Jinx.
“Looks like we’re going to be in each other’s lives for the foreseeable future.”
He doesn’t sound annoyed as I had expected, and he called right away rather than needing to spend some time coming to terms with the results. That speaks loudly of this man.
My front door opens and closes, and guilt washes over me because in the craziness of it all, I forgot that I wasn’t alone in my apartment.
“Rocker just left,” I mutter, more to myself than anyone else.
“Did you tell him?”
“I think he knows.”
And waiting for those results was the only thing keeping him here with me. I spoke about being alone. I’ve practically begged for it on numerous occasions, but I’ve never felt the weight of it all until right now. It’s crushing, a heavy weight of despair.
“I need to go.”
“You planning on running after him?”
As always, his voice is calm and free of judgment, but the man has emotions. He doesn’t show them often, and that is what leaves me confused. I can’t figure out how he feels right now.
“He’s made his choice,” I respond instead of getting angry and telling him I refuse to chase after any man.
I won’t beg or plead. I won’t ask him to stay and stick it out with me even though I may want that. I can’t make a grown man feel a certain way.
“Simone.” The sound of my name right now makes my blood boil. “We need to talk.”
“About what?” I snap, my anger getting the best of me. “Your part doesn’t come for several more months. You’re the father not my man.”
“You’ve got it all wrong.” He’s placating me. I can easily hear it in his voice, but since he’s not here, he doesn’t get much say.
“It’s simple, Jinx—”
“What happened to Miles?”
“—we’re going to have a baby together, not a relationship. You’re