When I Was Yours(94)

She’s staring at me, her eyes look a little glassy. Then, she glances around the store. Her eyes come back to me, and then out of nowhere, she bursts into tears.

“Hey.” I go straight over to her, taking her in my arms. “What’s wrong? Is this too much?”

“No. It’s amazing. It’s all amazing. Perfect. You’re perfect.” She pulls back, wiping her face with her hands. “Everything is just so perfect. And I didn’t get you anything because I didn’t know you were going to buy me something so huge. And I have something to tell you, and I’m scared that I’m going to ruin everything.”

My heart pauses. “Ruin everything? How?” My voice is tight. I can’t help it. After everything I’ve been through with Evie, it would be strange if I wasn’t tense right now.

She stares at my face. Her lips tremble, and she presses them together.

I know she does that when she’s holding something in, something she’s afraid to tell me.

My heart starts back up, beating in double time. “Evie, just f*cking tell me because you’re really scaring me right now.”

“I’m pregnant.”

Everything stops for me. I can’t breathe. I can’t think. All I can hear are those words.

Her words.

“I’m pregnant.”

Evie’s pregnant. She is carrying my baby inside of her.

“I missed my period,” she starts to babble. “I was too afraid to take a home test, so I went to the doctor yesterday, and they took blood to do a test. I didn’t expect to hear for a few days, so I was forcing myself not to think about it, but they just called right before you got home, and they confirmed it. You had this surprise, and I didn’t want to spoil it for you. Fuck, I’m spoiling it.” Her voice shaking, she pushes her hands through her hair, stepping back. “We’re divorced, and we’ve only been back together for a year, so I understand if this is too much too soon, and I can—”

“Don’t finish that sentence.” I take her face in my hands.

Tears are swimming in her eyes, and I can feel tears filling my own. I know that might make me a *, but right now, I don’t care.

“Nothing has ever been too much too soon with you.” I brush my thumbs over her cheeks, tracing her tears. “You’re really pregnant?” My voice is suddenly hoarse.

Blinking, she gives a tentative, watery smile. “Yes, I’m really pregnant.”

I kiss her, hard. Then, I pull her into my arms, hugging her tight.

“Can’t breathe.” She laughs, softly.

I release my hold on her. Stepping back a touch, I press my hand to her stomach.

“My baby is really in there?” I can hardly believe it.

She nods her head, gently. “Yeah, it’s really in there.”

I drop to my knees in front of her. My face level with her stomach, I hold my hands on her hips, speaking to her belly…speaking to our baby…my baby, “Hey, if you can hear me in there, I’m making you a promise right now. I promise to be the best daddy ever. I promise to be there for every single moment in your life. Your first word. First step. I will be at every school play, every baseball game—”

“What if it’s a girl?” Evie brushes her hand through my hair.

I glance up at her. “Then, I’ll drive her to every ballet class and be there for every single show she does.” Looking back to her stomach, I press my lips to it. “Whatever you are, whoever you choose to be, whatever you want to do…just know that I’ll be there. And there will never be one second of your life that you don’t know that I love you.”

I hear a sob come from Evie, causing me to look up at her again.

She comes down to her knees, facing me. Tears are soaking her cheeks. “God, I love you, Adam Gunner.”

“And I love you, Evie Taylor. I’ve loved you since I was eighteen years old, I will love you till the day I die, and I’ll keep on loving you after that.”

Sliding my hands around her neck, I undo the clasp on her necklace and hold her wedding ring between my thumb and finger. “I think it’s time for me to put this back on your finger. What do you say?”

She reaches out and removes my own chain from around my neck, holding my wedding ring in the palm of her hand. She looks at me, smiles and says, “I say, yes.”





I’m half-asleep while writing this. This is what I get for doing it at the deadline, so I’m going to keep this really brief and just say a big thank you to all the usual suspects—my husband, Craig, and my children, Riley and Isabella.

Trishy, Sali, Christine, Jovana, and Naj—You are all amazing in your own unique, beautiful ways. I heart you all to the moon and back.

Of course, thank you to my agent, Lauren, who continues to put up with me constantly changing my mind without a word of complaint.

Also, a huge thank you goes to all the bloggers who tirelessly help to promote and get the word out about my books.

And lastly, my readers—Thank you for continuing on this amazing journey with me.

See? I told you it would be brief. ;) Until next time…





SAMANTHA TOWLE is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She began her first novel in 2008 while on maternity leave. She completed the manuscript five months later and hasn’t stopped writing since.