Fuck. I needed to get to her.
And I needed to get to her now.
Chapter Fifteen
I dialed her number and waited. Each ring was grating on my nerves. Like it was taunting me. Like it knew something I didn’t.
“Where are you? At your place?” It was the first thing out of my mouth.
“Yeah.”
“Stay there. I’m coming over.” I threw my clutch into reverse and floored it out of the parking lot then kicked it into gear.
I wasn’t going to take no for an answer, not when it came to Rose. She was having my baby and she didn’t even tell me. Hell, half the town already fucking knew if Brandon knew, that idiot obviously couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
I hit the gas and switched gears again and again until I was in fifth, my muscle car roaring and hollering down the road.
It wasn’t the only one that felt like screaming, but I couldn’t. I had to control myself. I wasn’t about to create a situation that would cause her stress.
Or the baby.
But I wasn’t going to just accept this shit either. I was pissed as hell and she was going to know about it.
I turned into her driveway and slammed the car into park. I threw up my e-brake and hopped out of the car. I wasn’t anywhere near drunk. One drink wouldn’t do a damn thing to me, but I felt keyed up.
I wanted to fix it all with her. I wanted to yell at her, apologize to her, and make love to her all at the same time.
All those emotions pushed and pulled at me tying me up in knots as I strode across the driveway and up to the door. I didn’t knock, didn’t ring any damn bell, I just pulled it open and found her standing there, mouth agape.
I grabbed her and pulled her into me hard. I slammed her body against mine and kissed her.
She was mine, god dammit, and I wasn’t going to give that up. Not for anything.
“What-“ she said after a moment, but I quieted her with another kiss.
“I don’t want to ‘talk,’ Rose. Not about what you want to talk about. I’m not going to be the one to walk away from this. Away from everything that we’re building together. I know it started out as nothing more than a stupid wager, but dammit, I want you Rose. I always have.” I said my piece and then I stepped away. “I’m an asshole, and I’ve done stupid fucking things in my life. I won’t deny it. But you aren’t one of them. Not by a long shot.”
She kissed me this time, her lips interrupting my desperate attempts at justifying why we should be together.
“This has nothing to do with any of that, Wyatt. It’s not that. I’m pregnant.”
“I know,” I said slowly, deliberately. “Brandon told me.”
“Jess-”
“Don’t blame her it is only natural for her to tell the man she’s going to marry. Only natural for her to not want to keep secrets from him.” I said. But she’d kept secrets from me. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.
It hurt like hell and the anger rose up in my heart. I wanted to be the one she ran to, the one she told her deepest secrets. Not Jess. Me.
“I wanted to, I really did. I just…”
“You couldn’t.” I knew she didn’t trust me. But I couldn’t understand why.
“It’s not like that,” she said as she looked up into my eyes. My emotions must’ve been written all over my face. “I just didn’t want to give you any reason to leave me. And I wasn’t sure. I wanted to make sure before I said anything.”
“Why in the hell would I think that I would leave you?” I asked.
“I saw you kiss her,” she said.
“What are you talking about?”
“Five years ago, when I left. I saw you kiss her. I know that we weren’t exclusive, but it killed me. I didn’t think I could ever trust you again. But I wanted to.”
“Kissed who?” I asked. It had been so damn long I couldn’t freaking remember. Strings of girls before and after Rose, and they all ran together. Fuck. Who was it? I suddenly remembered. “Oh, you mean Marci. She didn’t get kissed, she kissed me. I pushed her off me. I told her it wasn’t going to happen. You didn’t see that?” I asked.
She’d been after me for a long time. I’d been stupid enough to give her what she was looking for, and it was a mistake. She’d practically haunted me since trying to get me to sleep with her again. It wasn’t going to happen. It was a stupid mistake.
But Rose didn’t know any of this. She just knew that I was kissing another woman.
It all made sense now. “Why didn’t you ask me?”
“I was so angry. I was so hurt. I didn’t think. I just acted. I should’ve said something. Should’ve asked.”