Unbreak My Heart (Unbreak My Heart #1)(47)
I squirmed on the bed, a sense of dread filling me as I felt my abdomen grow tight. Time to lie down on my side like the doctors advised.
I didn’t meet his eyes as I pulled my legs up and under the blankets, but I saw him come closer out of the corner of my eye as I shoved a pillow between my knees and finally relaxed my head into the pillow.
“I knew you did what you thought was best, Kate,” Shane finally said, coming to sit on the edge of the bed. “You sure everything’s okay with the baby?”
“Yeah. They’re going to let me go home tomorrow.”
“That’s good.”
“I missed you,” I whispered, trying to call forth the Shane I’d been speaking to for the last few months. He wasn’t acting like my Shane, and that scared me, because I remembered how Rachel’s Shane treated me. Like I was invisible.
“Sage and Keller’s school starts next week,” he informed me, ignoring my words.
“I know.” I grimaced. I didn’t know what the hell I was going to do—
“So I’m going to take the kids back with me to San Diego.” Suddenly I felt like I couldn’t breathe. “I know you can’t fly right now, and I’m sorry you can’t come with us.”
“What?” He had to be kidding.
“They need to get back into their normal routine before school starts up again. Especially Keller.”
His voice was kind, so kind, but his eyes were blank. I didn’t move as he watched me, but I couldn’t speak, either. I didn’t think I could say anything without yelling or, worse, bawling my eyes out.
What was he doing? And why the f*ck did he think he knew anything about the kids’ routine? I was the one who knew their routine. I was the one who knew what they needed to fall asleep. Me.
My worst fear had been realized. He was taking them away from me, and there was nothing I could do about it.
“Why?” I asked when I could finally speak. “You’re that mad about me not telling you I was in the hospital?”
“No.” He rubbed his hand over his face. “I have to go back, Kate. I have the next couple of days off, but my CO doesn’t even know I flew to Oregon.”
“Okay, well, when can you get leave? Can’t you just—”
“They belong with me, Katie. I’m their dad.”
“And I’m nothing?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“That’s what you’re insinuating.”
“Don’t put words in my mouth. I know you’re important to them!” he finally exploded, losing his control and standing from the bed. “But you’re not their parent!”
My eyes slammed shut, and I jerked backward at the venom in his words.
“Hey, what’s all the yelling about?” my brother Bram called out, walking into the room. “I could hear you guys all the way outside.”
“It’s nothing,” I answered immediately, not willing to let my overprotective big brother into the middle of it.
“Hey, Bram,” Shane said, his voice again calm.
“Dickhead,” Bram answered with a nod. “Glad you made it back.”
“Bram, don’t be an ass,” I hissed. God, he got on my nerves sometimes.
“It’s fine. I’m gonna go,” Shane said.
“Wait, you just got here!”
“I should probably go get the kids.”
“Our mom’s already on her way up here with the kids,” Bram cut in with a nasty smile. “You’ll pass her on the highway.”
“Then I’m going to go grab a cup of coffee,” Shane mumbled before leaving the room.
I stared at my brother in irritation as he watched Shane walk away.
“Did you really have to be an ass? You couldn’t have just behaved like a normal person?” I asked, trying to control the tears of panic that I could feel building behind my eyes.
“I was willing to let the f*cker keep his head, that is until I heard him yelling at you from down the hall.”
“He wasn’t yelling.”
“You’re too forgiving.”
“You don’t forgive anyone!”
“And no one takes advantage of me, do they?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Brought you a donut from Joe’s.”
“Thanks.”
“You want to talk about it?” He handed me a small paper sack holding what I knew would be a maple bar from our favorite donut shop.
“He’s taking the kids back to California,” I said, my voice reed-thin.
“What the f*ck?” He looked as shocked as I felt. “Don’t let him!”
“There’s nothing I can do, Bram.”
“Fuck that. I’ll—”
“Don’t,” I warned, placing my donut on the table next to me. “It’s not your fight.”
“It’s been my fight since I was ten years old.”
“And I love you for it, but there’s nothing you can do this time. Not without making everything worse.”
My mom shuffled through the door a few minutes later, a little gaggle of Andersons following in her wake like ducklings, and I had to clench my jaw against the urge to cry.
“Annie!” Gunner yelled as my mom set him on the bed. He hadn’t yet mastered the t sound in Auntie. “Annie. Annie. Annie.” He lay down next to me and curled around my belly, tucking his head into the space between my drawn-down chin and my chest.