Chapter twenty-six

After staying at Tia's, we took Sophie out for ice cream at one of our favorite hangouts as kids. Then we took Sophie to the park and swung on the swings, reminiscing about the happiest moments of our childhood.

When I returned to Donnie's house, I walked into a heated conversation. Charles's face was red like a tomato, Jaquie was sobbing with her face in her hands, and Donnie… looked defeated.

My heart plummeted when I took in the black and blue bruises dusting his face and swollen eye like someone used his face as a punching bag.

After putting Sophie down for a nap, Donnie takes my hand and leads me into his room. I sit on the edge of his unmade bed, my hands tucked underneath my thighs, watching him pace the room. He looks unhinged, like a rabid, wild animal trapped in a cage, begging to be let loose.

"Are you okay?" I ask in a soft tone.

"Just give me a minute." He grunts, holding his side.

I'm on my feet in seconds.

"You're in pain." I slowly stride toward him, trying not to poke the lion. I stand before him, not allowing him to move away from me. With my hands on each side of his face, he stares into my eyes.

"What happened?" I ask.

He lets out a breath. "I lost it."

"I can see that, but why?" He tries to turn away, but I gently hold him in place. He grabs my wrist and lowers it from his face. He raises my hand to his mouth and kisses my knuckles.

"You deserve so much better."

"Don't," I snap in annoyance.

"Don't what?"

"Don't give me your ‘I'm better off without you' bullshit," I spit, walking toward the window and giving him my back.

"I'm sorry." Donnie stands behind me with his hands on my hips, and I lean back, unable to resist.

"Me too."

"For what?" He turns my body halfway and looks at me with a confused expression.

"I'm sorry that you're hurting."

I lead him to sit on the end of the bed while I retrieve the first aid kit. He sits quietly as I clean his wounds and patch up his cuts.

"We got into an argument before you walked in," he says quietly.

"About us?"

He nods.

"So, you got upset, and thought going to the Pit was your only option to blow off some steam?" I ask, hoping he doesn't sense the disappointment in my tone.

"Yeah," he breathes out. His eyes never leave mine.

I want to shake some sense into him, but the other part of me wants to hold him. It breaks my heart to know our separation led him to a world of violence. As someone who lived it, I have a hard time understanding why he runs toward it.

"Let me be your light for once." My voice comes out soft.

Donnie closes his eyes as if it pains him to hear those words. And maybe it has since he's been fighting his demons alone for a long time.

"I can't." His words come out strained.

"Why?" My voice drops even lower.

"Because you've been through so much, Shorty. This thing with my parents—I don't want you to worry about any of it."

"Donnie, I'm pregnant with your baby. Anything that involves me, you, and the baby"—I point to my stomach—"I want to know. We are stronger as a team. You don't have to do this alone anymore. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. I don't want you to fight anymore."

He nods.

I gently cup his face with my hands, gazing into his eyes. "Next time you feel like losing your shit, you come to me. Next time you want a reminder of how much I need you, you come to me."

Donnie's eyes flash with pride when he senses the fierce determination in my voice.

"I come to you," he repeats with an affectional smile.

Ten minutes later…

"There." I slam the kit shut.

When I stand up, Donnie grabs the kit and tosses it aside, keeping his eyes on me. I watch in anticipation of his next move. He notices my chest heaving and takes that as an invitation to grab my waist, pulling me closer to his face.

I run my hands through his thick hair and gently yank his head back; he lets out a satisfied groan.

I smile.

Donnie's eyes move to my stomach, pulling the hem of my shirt up to my breasts. He places a tender kiss on my stomach. He drags his hands up my back, rubbing small strokes on my bare skin, causing my skin to erupt in goosebumps.

"You're having my baby." He proudly smiles.

As long as we have each other, we can overcome whatever obstacle gets in our way. Nothing can tear us apart.

I lean down and press my lips against his. He wastes no time to kiss me back, slow and deep. His hands travel down my body until his fingers dig into my ass, pulling me closer to him, forcing my hands to wrap around his neck.

He lies on his back, pulling me down with him. I let out a tiny squeal. He moves in closer, gently fisting my curls in one hand, and slowly angles his head, closing his eyes while his lips find mine. Parting my mouth, I welcome his hot minty toothpaste tongue tangling with mine. He growls in my mouth when I suck his lower lip. Missing his closeness when he breaks our kiss, we're both breathing hard, and he reclaims my lips and brutalizes my mouth, forcing his tongue past my lips once again. We kiss hard and fast, starving for one another.

He holds the side of my face with one hand while the other rests on my hip, tugging me closer to him. He lets out a hungry growl in my mouth, from pain or lust, or maybe both. He moves both his hands to frame my face, never breaking our kiss. The heat and intensity of his body pressed against my hardened nipples as our tongues collide with passion makes it hard to contain my emotions before I burst into flames.

He slightly pulls away, licking my lips while our mouths part. I release a purring moan.

"I want you so bad," he growls, a pained breath through his teeth.

He pulls away from my lips, leaving me hot and heavy and yearning for his touch. I look down and see raw pleasure in his expression. He makes me feel wanted and beautiful.

But then reality sets in.

Damnit.

I pull away from the kiss to look at him. "Okay, I don't think we should go there." I start to climb off his hard body, but he holds me in place.

"Why? I like you here." He gives me a dimpled smile.

"I know you do." I smirk and move my hips against his hard dick.

"Shorty," he growls, tightening his hands over my hips.

I laugh and lean forward and peck his lips. "If you remember, this"—I grab his hand and place it on my stomach—"is how this happened."

His deep chuckle vibrating in his chest sends electricity up my spine. "All right." He smacks my ass. "Get off me, woman."

I giggle when he rolls me onto my back until he hovers over me. We stare at each other, getting lost in one another. And just like that, all the pain and loss disappear, and all that is left is us.

"I'm going to the bathroom, and then we can meet Ash and Tia at Francisco's." He gives me one last kiss before he disappears.

I stay in the same position, both hands on my sides, staring at the ceiling. So, this is what love feels like? For the longest time, I always wanted to know what it would be like to be loved by Donnie.

And now I do.

When Donnie returns from the bathroom, I jump off the bed and brush past him.

"My turn." He smacks my ass.

After I pee—the longest piss of my life—I wash my hands and touch up my curls.

"Babe! Your phone's going off," Donnie shouts.

"Okay," I call back.

After one more glance in the mirror, I open the door and pause.

"Why are you calling her?" I can see the fury written all over his face.

He's about to lose it because I know exactly who's on the other line.

During my time with Donnie, I have picked up on a few signs that trigger his need to pound a guy's face in until it is nothing but mush. And the only way to calm him down and bring him back to me is my touch.

Slowly, I walk further into the room and place my hand on his chest.

"Hang up," I tell him quietly.

Slowly, the anger dissipates when he hangs up the phone.

"Why was Christian calling you?" He swallows, clutching my phone in his grip. If he doesn't let go, he's going to owe me a new one.

"I don't know, and I don't care," I respond in a flat tone.

"He called you before?" His eyebrows furrowed.

I nod, keeping my hands on his chest, which feels like a brick wall.

He tips his head back and lets out a frustrated breath. I feel him pulling away, so I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him.

I hear his heartbeat slow down when he wraps his arms around me.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Donnie asks softly.

"Nothing to talk about. He's locked up."

"Do you ever wonder why he did what he did?"

That's the million-dollar question.

"Not anymore," I say honestly.

I'll probably never know. Christian became a different person the summer before our senior year. It was like his body was taken over. He always seemed like he was high on cocaine.

My phone rings, and Donnie's body tenses. I look up to see his eyes shut and he breathes in and out. I gently pull away, but he doesn't let go.

"Donnie, it's probably Tia." I reach for his hand and gently take the phone from him.

When I look at the screen, I smile.

"See? It's Tia."

He exhales and opens his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I love you."

"I love you so much."

We pull apart, with me already missing his closeness, and I put Tia on speakerphone.

"Hey, Tia."

"Don't Tia me!" she snaps. "Do you know what happened today?"

"No, wha—"

She interrupts me.

"This motherf—your boy's brother kidnapped me at school and threw me in his car! I mean, what the fuck?"

Donnie and I try to suppress our giggling, but end up bursting into laughter.

"Bitch, you better not be laughing!"

"I'm sorry, but what is the big deal?" I ask, still laughing. I'm not surprised Ash would do something so drastic just to get Tia to act crazy, but also to make her smile again after everything that happened.

"The big deal is that—"

"Hey, Curly Sue," Ash says over the line.

"Hi, Ash."

"Your girl here is just pissed because I took her while she was taking a shit."

"I was NOT taking a shit! Give me my goddamn phone!" Tia screams in the background. I hear a shuffling sound.

Ash's boisterous laugh rings through my ears.

"I wish those two would just fuck already," Donnie mutters.

"Sadie!" Tia says when she finally gets her phone back. "He shows up at my school and follows me into the bathroom—"

"She's mad because I saw the little mole on her sweet ass." Ash laughs.

Donnie groans as if that was TMI.

"Sadie!" Tia hisses. "I was taking a piss, and he stood over the stall. Who the fuck does that?"

"Tia, we'll meet you at Francisco's," I laugh, holding my stomach, and hang up on her.

"Those two really need to get their heads out of their asses," Donnie says, taking my hand and leading me out of the room.

He's not wrong.