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She nodded carefully and letover and over into work out what to say to Braden first to make him stop and talk to me I had it all planned, but dinner passed and he still didn’t turn up

Then evening

I texted hiet a reply I called No reply

I texted Adam but he wasn’t with Ada, our front door opened Fury propelled me out of our bedroom and I stormed into the hall as Braden shut the door behind hiht through ain!

"Where have you been?" I snapped, grabbing hold of his arm so he’d look at me

He jerked his arm away from me like he couldn’t stand to be touched byAnd then he disappeared into the guest room, not even aware that I probably looked like he’d run ry I knew he thought I didn’t want his kid I wondered if he was questioning everything about us I wondered if he was scared I wondered why he couldn’t just tell ht we had couess I’d just, probably unfairly, thought he’d see o he’d al hi me out He’d dived inside his head and he wouldn’t lethim, and that hurt and scaredI’d sleep to help with that, but sleep was eluding me Instead I shut myself in the bathroom and undressed I switched on the shower and stepped into the freezing-cold water, allowing the shock to dissipate into numbness My mind adrift, my hands covered the small of my stomach protectively, and I closed ht I heard a htthe shower door open He reached in, his features like granite as he switched the nozzle to war pneu Obviously

"Stay in there until you war I’d been feeling suddenly broke out of the nuer, the loneliness of the past few days, and most especially the hurt

Braden jerked back, confusion and so his expression

But since this ive a fuck how he felt

I reached over, staring at him blankly, shut the shower door, and turned my back on him

Chapter 7

Castle Hill

"It’s been a while, Joss What’s been happening?" Dr Pritchard asked in that careful voice of hers She hadconcerned Nor too breezy Just cal the crap out ofto hear her yell at her kids for so just so I could hear a little bit of raised blood pressure in her voice I wanted proof she was human

Now I knew she was human She could be a little on the sarcastic side That’s probably why I liked her so oton ratulations"

"Thanks"

Dr Pritchard raised an eyebrow She gave good eyebrow-raising "Anything else?"

Easing into the reason for ent" It was true Dana had called at the beginning of the week and I’d signed with her It should have been one of themoments of my life "She has a publisher interested in ain, should have been one of the reat news"

Dr Pritchard also seeain, another reason I liked her so ood doctor was quiet a e "Is that why you’re here?"

I nodded, trying to ignore the luht over the last few days Our home had been a silent, cold place recently My whole life had Ellie and Ada out of it completely I think Ellie must have talked Elodie into the saotten tentative texts fro the subject up "It’s slae wall between me and Braden"

"It has or you have?"

"Actually, he has" I shrugged "I was scared when I suspected I was pregnant I was terrified when I found out that it was true But I knew that wasn’t all I justI had to get away, go to ot there, I told him, and he took one look at my face and assumedthe worst"

"The worst?"

"That I’m unhappy That I don’t want a child with him He’s so mad, so hurt, he wouldn’t and still hasn’t let ave you the chance?"

My hands pressed tighter againstever has before That it scares me to feel that h it now That I’ it all up, but that I want this with hi"

"And that was?"

I smiled at the irony "So happy I was paralyzed"