“Stop it!” She jerked away and hurriedforward.
He grabbed her by the arm again and swung her around to face him. “Goddammit, we’re not donetalking!”
Anika tugged away. “Don’t pretend it doesn’t matter because I can see it inyourface.”
“I’m in shock. I’ve seen you with my daughter. I assumed…” His voice trailed off as he parsed his words, trying hard not to hurt her or make a verbalfauxpas.
“And I’ve seen you with your daughter.” Her voice came stronger. “And your little cousins. And listened to you talk about having siblings for Brielle. If you and I were together, I couldn’t give either ofyouthat.”
She marched toward the caragain.
“Stopmoving!”
She faced him, anger boiling up inside of her. This was so unfair. Why did he have to come back into her life? Why couldn’t he just leave heralone?
“Why? What are you going to say? That we’ll get through it and it doesn’t matter? For how long? How long before you regret your decision, resent me, and wish that my infertility wasn’t true? Before you long for another baby—your ownblood?”
He ran his fingers through his hair. “Yes, I said I want more kids, but you’re being very unfair and making assumptions about my thoughts and mywishes.”
“I’m not wrong. But I don’t blame you, Reed. Believe me, I understand. You wanted to know why Emerson broke up with me, and this is why. I don’t expect you to be any different. I want you to have that little girl and little boy you so desperately want. I’m just not the woman to give them to you. I’m messed up. I’m b-broken, and there’s no miracle drug in the works for me. I won’t magically get pregnant. It can’t happen. It won’t happen. Ever.” Her voicecracked.
“Sweetheart.”
He stepped toward her, but she pulled back as if he were aleper.
“Don’t.” She drew a trembling breath. “It’s better this way. Trust me. Two years from now, I don’t want you to long for more or think I’m not enough—that I wasn’t worth thesacrifice.”
“I would never think that. You’re everythingtome.”
“Goodnight,Reed.”
“Anika, wait.” His voice was hoarse, his face tortured, but she knew itwouldpass.
She quickly slipped into the car and lockedthedoor.
“Anika, wait! Don’tdriveoff.”
She started thevehicle.
Reed pounded on the window so hard she worried he’d smash the glass. Ignoring him, she concentrated on backing out and getting as far away aspossible.
“Open the door. Open the door. We’re not done talking!” Jogging along beside the car, he yanked the handle. “Anika!”
Next door, a light came on in the first floor of his neighbor’shouse.
Anika continued backing toward thestreet.
“Open the door! Don’t drive away from me. Don’tdriveaway!”
She reversed faster, and he ran after her, but she pulled out into the street. He stood at the end of the driveway, breathing heavily. He looked back at the house and then at her, his eyes begging her to stop. He couldn’t leave. Not with Brielle upstairs. She drove off, the sound of his yells muffled by the distance and rolled upwindows.
She pounded the steering wheel as tears filled her eyes. “Shit,shit,shit.”
She wished a lot of things. She wished Judge Evers had never recommended her firm to Reed. She wished he’d never walked through their doors. She wished she hadn’t been assigned to hisproject.
But more than anything, she wished she hadn’t fallen in love with him and fooled herself into having hope. Because now she had to spend the rest of her life knowing what she wasmissing.
