Unfinished Ex (Calloway Brothers, #2)(58)

He closes his eyes for a beat. I can feel his heart race. He huffs out a breath, then rubs his brow.

“Calista is pregnant.”

My whole world implodes with those three words. Calista. His ex. Nice, stable, available Calista. My hands fall from his chest. And now I’m the one pacing. He touches my shoulder tentatively as if he thinks I’ll turn and deck him.

“I swear we used protection every time. You have to believe me.”

“I believe you,” I say, my voice cracking.

“I’m still processing this myself. She only told me late last night. I don’t really know what to say.”

Emotion clogs my throat. I motion to the bathroom. “Give me a minute.” Once behind closed doors, I let the waterworks flow, turning on the faucet to cover my sobs. Tears burn as they roll across the scrapes on my cheek. I close the lid to the toilet and sit, rubbing my pendant. How could this even happen? Everything was going so well. We were happy. And it was going to work this time.

It’s your own fault.

I wad up some toilet paper and blot my eyes.

“Nicky?”

“Be right out!”

I splash water on my face, hoping to reduce the redness under my eyes. I stare in the mirror knowing karma is a bitter pill to swallow.

When I return to the living room, he’s on the couch. He immediately stands. I head for the door.

He follows. “You’re leaving?”

“You should be with her.” I pause, because saying those words were almost the hardest words I’ve ever said to him.

“No.”

“Jaxon, she obviously loves you. I knew it at the reunion. And she’s carrying your child, and she’s here. You’re both teachers. It makes sense. She can give you everything you ever wanted.”

Now he’s the one holding back tears. “Don’t you get it, Nic? You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”

Hearing those words breaks me, and I slump against the wall, my back sliding down until my butt hits the floor. My hands cover my face.

He sits next to me and forces me to lace my fingers with his. “My feelings haven’t changed. I still want you. I want us. However I can have us. This just… complicates things.”

“She hates me. This will only make it worse. And surely she wants you to marry her.”

“She doesn’t. She’s dating Eric, remember?”

I lift my head and lock eyes with him. “And he’s okay with this?”

“She hadn’t exactly told him about the baby yet, so I don’t know.”

“Jaxon, there are very few men who will want a woman who’s pregnant with someone else’s child. If he breaks up with her, she’ll want you back. Maybe even if he doesn’t break up with her.”

“That’s not going to happen. Even if he breaks things off, it won’t change the fact that I don’t want to be with her. Even if you weren’t here, if the last month hadn’t happened, I still wouldn’t want to be with her.”

“But you’re going to be there for the baby. You wouldn’t have it any other way.”

He nods.

“How far along is she?”

“She’s not sure. She took the test yesterday. Hasn’t been to the doctor yet.”

“But she’s sure it’s yours and not the other guy’s?”

“They’ve only been sleeping together a few weeks. So, yeah, it has to be mine.” He grips my hand tighter. “We haven’t talked logistics. I’m still wrapping my head around it. I have no idea what she wants or expects. But I know what I want. I want to be involved in my kid’s life. I want to support him or her and be there when it matters. But Nic, I can do that and have you. These past few days have shown me that nothing could be worse than not being with you. Don’t run away again. Give us the chance we deserve. We can do this, babe.” He puts a finger under my chin and lifts it, making me look at him. “Can’t we?”

Holding my pendant, a sadness I’ve never known washes over me. He’s going to get the child he always wanted. With her. Jealously courses through my veins as my past decisions come back to haunt me. But I’ve no one to blame but myself. Not him. Not Calista. Only me.

I put my head on his shoulder and nod.





Chapter Twenty-three



Jaxon




“Thanks for agreeing to stop here before hitting the doctor’s office.”

Heisman bolts around the front door when I open it, sidestepping me to get to Calista.

“This will only take a few minutes,” I say. “My dog walker had a conflict this afternoon, and I didn’t want to leave him inside for too long considering I have to go back to practice after your appointment.”

She walks into the living room. “It’s no problem.”

“Get a soda or a glass of water while I take him out back.”

“I’m fine here,” she says, sitting on the couch.

It’s strange having Calista in my house again. And although there’s a good reason, I still feel like it’s also a betrayal of sorts. Would Nicky have an issue with it? We haven’t talked about it. Any of it.

We decided that until we had more information, we wouldn’t make assumptions or plans. We wouldn’t talk about the future that we’d just recently promised. We stayed in our pajamas all day Sunday and binge-watched an old Netflix series. We tiptoed around each other, each not knowing what to say or how to act.