Love's Suicide (Love's Suicide #1)(59)

“What?” He seemed confused.

“My daughter. My husband isn’t the father, Brooks, you are.”





Chapter 28


I could see the flash of pain and despair across his face. “Come again?”

I was sobbing uncontrollably, knowing that he was going to hate me even worse. “She’s yours.”

“Why would you say that to me? We spent one night together in a hotel room.”

I wiped my eyes with the tissue. “Because I hadn’t been with Branch since before I had my last cycle. My doctor, who gave me the exact date of conception, also verified it. She’s yours, Brooks.”

I reached into my purse and pulled out my new cell phone that was full of photos of B. “See for yourself.”

Brooks yanked my phone out of my hand and looked at the first picture. He sat down in his chair, but never took his eyes off of the screen.

“Her name is Brooklyn Micheala Valentine. I named her after you.”

He sat my phone down and covered his face with his hands. “Kat, I think you need to leave. Please, just f*cking go. Get out of here!”

When he finally looked at me I could tell that he was conflicted. “Don’t you want to hear about her?”

His eyes were red and filled with tears. “How could you keep this from me and our family? God, how could you do this to me? She’s got to be two by now. You’re telling me that I’ve had a child for two years and never known? You were pregnant for nine months and never thought to get in touch with me? I would have taken care of you. I would have wanted to know and you should be ashamed for not telling me.”

I fell to my knees, unable to express my sincere apologies to him. There was nothing that I could say to make it better. I knew that if this day ever came, it would crush him. Why I thought it was alright to hide it from him was beyond me.

I couldn’t answer.

He tossed my phone on the floor in front of me. “Get out of my face, before I say something I’ll regret.”

I ran out of the building completely shattered. For what it was worth, Brooks knew the truth. He was alive and out of danger. Even if he never wanted to talk to me again, at least I could be at peace knowing that.



I don’t remember my drive to pick up B. Sarah asked a million questions, trying to find out what was going on. Finally, I knew I had to tell someone. “It’s Brooks. He’s alive.”

She looked at me. “Say what?”

“He’s alive. He was reassigned. That’s why I never heard from him. He came here to be with me and found out I was married.”

Sarah put her hand over her mouth. “Oh my God. Is that where you went today? Did you go and see him?”

I nodded and cried harder “Yes. I’m sorry for lying to you. I couldn’t risk Bobby finding out.”

Sarah put her hands on her hips. “What are you going to do, Katy? Are you going to leave Bobby and rip that little girl right out from under him?”

I don’t know why I was angry at Sarah’s question. She’s seen what Bobby and I had gone through. She of all people knew how much he loved B. Brooks was a stranger who seemed to be a threat. “No. Even if that’s what I wanted, Brooks doesn’t. He said he can’t even look at me.”

I couldn’t talk because I was freaking out.

Sarah wrapped her arms around me. “You didn’t tell him about B did you?”

I pulled away and couldn’t answer her. The truth was written all over my face. Her mouth dropped and she gasped. “Tell me you didn’t, Katy.”

“I had to. He deserved to know.”

Sarah was angry with me. She wasn’t hiding it either. “So now you’re goin’ to go home and tell Bobby, aren’t you?”

I threw up my arms. “I don’t have choice. I know Brooks and he’s not going to ignore the fact that she’s his. He deserves to know her. I am the one that kept the truth from him.”

“Katy, I don’t think you’re realizing the impact that this has on all of us. What are you going to do if he wants to take her from you? Have you even considered that he has a right to do that? He’s listed as her father on that birth certificate, so you need to be prepared for what comes next. I’ve seen mothers lose their children. You won’t be able to handle it, not after everything you’ve done for that child on your own.”

I shook my head. “He wouldn’t do that to me. You don’t know him. Brooks would never hurt me. He’s not capable of it. No matter how mad he is, he’s always protected me.”

She shook her head. “You’re living in a dream world. You aren’t children. People change.”

The idea of Brooks hurting me worse was horrifying. I couldn’t fathom something like that happening. For the second time in one day I’d been accused of acting like I was an adolescent. “He’s been my best friend since I was born. I think I know him a little better than you.”

Sarah wasn’t being my friend, no matter how hard I tried to convince her. “You should probably tell Bobby tonight. Something like this can’t be ignored. You of all people should know what withholding the truth can do to someone.”

Her flippant comment stabbed me right in the heart. Apparently, I was the worst living person on the planet.