page28 (1/2)

My cheeks flaht him on this The sooner we have this conversation, the sooner the fallout can occur I know I've been putting this off, but it can't be hidden any longer I' the burden of what I did to hi terood will ever happen to us if we continue to let this fester

Turning to face him, I take a deep breath and let it out slowly His face tilts, eyes pinned to mine with naked expectation to finally hear the truth

"That night of the party," I say quietly, refusing to dropwell"

"Period cra ht

"Not period cramps," I tell him bluntly This surprises Hawke and he pushes up, tense and alert His hand now presses into theat nant Six weeks And Iafter you left with everyone to get more beer"

I wasn't sure what to expect, but it wasn't what I got

Hawke lets out a pained moan and rolls off the bed away fros his hands to the sides of his head, grasps his hair, and pulls on it He starts pacing up and down beside his bed, eyes toto the floor

Back tofor me to tell hiaze to the sheet resting nearcompletely uncomfortable in my nakedness

The mattress dips and my head shoots up as Hawke nols toward me His eyes bore into mine as he kneels beside me With his hands to my shoulders, he pulls me up and closer to hi ently, "A baby We had a baby?"

Tears brim and then fall unabashedly froo away I nodinto my shoulders

"Did you know?" he asks, voice raw like his throat had been scraped with sandpaper

I shake , I just assumed it was my period I was pissed you wouldn't leave with me, so Avery and I left after you went on the beer run I started really hurting in her car and that's when I started bleeding She took me to the hospital"

"Goddaivesin fury and pain "Why didn't you call me?"

His voice is laced with so er I was feeling toward hirasp, roll to ht out of the bed He doesn't make a move for me but watches me like a hawk--ironic--as I le ofon the floor Since Hawke never bothered with my top, I instantly feel more protected the minute I slip them on I also feel incredibly connected to hi out ofmy panties

The sao

"Why didn't you call er

Throwing my hands out to the side, I shout, "I was pissed, okay? It was ht than be withwell"

"You said it was your period," he defends

"Well, it wasn'tsoain over the bitter reminder Immediately, my temper cools because I kno painful this is for hi he had lost a baby So I try to explain to hi on at first I had no clue I was pregnant"

"Was your period late?" he butts in, de the details

"I guess," I say lamely

"You guess?" he sneers "Don't you keep track of that shit?"

"Yes," I yell at hiister to me that I was a little late"

"Didn't register?" he says incredulously "How can that not register? You get it once a s practically down to the minute"