Chapter 44

I followHannah into the house then up the stairs to the guest room. Memories of us together here twine through my mind.

Hannah takes my hand, and I have the distinct urge to put my arms around her, to kiss her and claim her as mine. She doesn’t flinch away from me after what she saw me do. She seems completely comfortable, and I am so relieved, I can’t fucking speak.

“Sit.” She guides me to the edge of the bed and sits me down on the white comforter.

Hannah stands in front of me, wearing a cute flowery dress that hugs her curves, cups her breasts, and exposes her tan cleavage. Pink roses on white cotton. Her hair falls around her shoulders, and she’s wearing no makeup, her eyes fixed on mine.

“Carter,” she says. “I am going to stay in Heatstroke for a while.”

I want to punch the fucking air and scream for joy.

“Not only do I have stuff to do at the library,” she says, and swallows, “but there’s… uh, there’s other stuff I have to deal with.” She bites the corner of her lip.

“What’s wrong?”

“Carter, there’s something you need to know,” she says. “And before I say anything, I want you to hear me clearly. I don’t need you to be involved, if you don’t want to be. I don’t expect you to be my boyfriend or husband or whatever else. So just… Just bear that in mind.”

“Princess.”

She puts up that palm again. “Please. Let me just—” She puffs out her cheeks and exhales. “I’m pregnant.”

My jaw drops, and my vision tunnels on her then returns to normal.

Pregnant?

Pregnant.

Pregnant?

“What?”

“I’m pregnant and you’re the father,” she says, and then she brushes her hand over the back of her head. “And it’s super unexpected, I get that. I only found out on the day that… That the guy came over and he?—”

I rise from the edge of the bed. “You were pregnant when he— You.” My breaths come in gusts. My gaze flickers from her to the door. I want to find him and fucking kill him. My Hannah, my baby. My baby?

“Carter, please.” Hannah’s hands press against my forearms, and my vision snaps to the present, to her. She tries to force me to sit down. “I need to finish what I was saying.”

But I can’t think straight. She was pregnant when he attacked her. And I wasn’t there.

Except this time I was. I saved her. I saved them both, and I?—

“I don’t expect you to want to be with me,” she says, rambling fucking nonsense, because there is no way I’m letting her go now. “I want you to know that I’m not leaving yet, due to, you know, I have to figure out what I’m going to do next. I can’t go cavorting around the friggin’ country when I’m pregnant. This baby is going to need a home, and I’ve always wanted to be a mom, and I’m not going to let this opportunity go, so I’m keeping this baby, and if you think that I’m not going to do that then you’re out of your mind, Carter, because I want to?—”

“Princess, be quiet.”

“What? Why?”

“Because I love you.”

Her eyes go round, and she sucks in breath. “What did you?—?”

“I love you, Hannah.” I take her hands in mine, bring one to my lips and kiss the back of it, then move to the other. “I know that everything I’ve said up until this moment has told you the opposite.”

“You said you weren’t ready to love anyone. You don’t have a heart.”

“Yes.”

She peers up at me, so painfully beautiful. “I don’t want you to say this because of the baby, Carter. I don’t want us to pretend everything is okay and this is normal when it’s not. It’s not normal that it happened this way.”

“How is it not normal?” I ask. “What do you think normal is, Princess? Normal is what we make it and fuck what anyone else thinks.”

Tears spring to her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispers. “Thank you, and Carter, I love you too, but we have to be realistic about this.” She glances down and off to one side.

“You don’t believe me.”

She doesn’t answer me.

“You don’t believe that I love you or that I’m ready, do you?” I ask.

“I want to be with you,” she says. “I want us to try, but I need us to take it slow. With you it’s been… It’s like a whirlwind. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted, and it’s all right there in front of me, and it is terrifying, Carter, because you can break me apart so easily.”

“I would never break you,” I say. “I’ll break anyone who touches you.”

“Yeah, I know.” She manages a laugh.

And I live for it. I love the way she smiles. “But if you need to take it slow, then we’ll take it slow, Princess. I want you to understand that I will do anything for you. And I will prove to you how much I want you, and this baby, and our future together.”

I hug her to me and kiss her softly, cupping a hand to her cheek. “I will do whatever it takes, Hannah.”