The sleeves of his shirt were unbuttoned, the cuffs turned back. His hair was mussed slightly, and he quickly ran his fingers through it to arrange it properly as he walked toward me.
“Kat,” he said when he was close, “I wasn’t expecting you.”
I forced myself to speak. “I’m sorry to intrude, to be here uninvited,” I began, the stilted formality between us making my voice shake.
“It’s all right,” he interrupted. “Come in. Sit down. Let me get you a drink.”
“No, that’s—”
But he was already moving to the sideboard, pouring two glasses of scotch. Returning, he handed me one and I laid down my keys to take it from him.
“Sit down,” he encouraged, but I remained standing.
“Blane—” I began, but he interrupted again.
“I apologize about yesterday,” he said gruffly. “I was worried, and I had a shitty way of showing it.”
“It’s okay,” I said, guilt rising like nausea. His eyes were a brilliant green as he watched me, seeming to drink in my presence.
Although I wanted nothing more than to swallow the liquid courage in my hand, I carefully set aside the glass he’d given me. “Blane, I came tonight to tell you something,” I said.
He didn’t answer. He just looked at me.
“Kade and me—” My voice faltered and I had to force the words out, cringing inwardly as I did so. “Blane, I’m pregnant.”
Blane’s whole body went still as stone. I waited, expecting . . . I don’t know what. But he did nothing for several moments.
“Please,” I said in a broken whisper when I couldn’t stand the silence any longer, “say something.”
My words seemed to jar him and he lifted his glass to his lips, taking a long swallow of the amber fluid.
“Congratulations,” he rasped.
I waited, but he said nothing more. “That’s it?” I asked. “That’s all you’re going to say?”
“What more do you want from me?” he yelled, making me jump.
I stared at him, wide-eyed, but he didn’t yell again. Instead, his jaw clenched tightly before he turned away and headed to the sideboard to refill his glass. His voice was toneless when he said, “I’m sure you can see yourself out.”
My throat closed off as I choked back a sob, his coldness cutting me so deep it felt like ice had buried itself in my stomach. Turning, I rushed from the room, flinging myself out of the house and half running toward my car.
I leaned against the metal, still lukewarm from the day’s heat, and cried. I hadn’t known what I’d expected. There was no path back to what Blane and I had once been.
After several minutes, I regained control of myself and got in the car. Only then did I realize I’d left my keys inside the house.
“Dammit!” I exploded, slamming a hand against the steering wheel. I roughly brushed my hands across my cheeks and cursed six ways from Sunday over what I knew I had to do.
Getting out of the car, I walked back inside, only to stumble to a halt inside the doorway.
Crashes. The sound of breaking glass.
My feet moved until I was standing in the open door to the library, aghast and staring in dismay at what Blane had wrought.
The room was demolished. Everything breakable was smashed, glass and shards of wood littering the floor. Books from the shelves were strewn everywhere. The flat-screen television had been ripped from its alcove on the wall and thrown onto the floor. The only thing that remained untouched was the piano, which stood, pristine, in the midst of chaos.
Blane stood in the center of the room, his shoulders heaving from exertion. I watched in silence as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and removed one. He set it to his lips with hands that shook slightly. I heard the rasp of a lighter, and then he saw me.
He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then finished lighting the cigarette and took a long drag.
“Was there something else?” he said on an exhale. “You wanted revenge? Congratulations. You got it.”
“How could you possibly think that?” I asked, sudden anger rising in me. “You ended us first, Blane, not me. Was I supposed to come running back to you every time you broke my trust? Did you think there wouldn’t be consequences? Or did you just think you could control those, too?”
Our eyes held and Blane was the one to finally glance away, taking another drag of the cigarette.
I sighed and rubbed a hand across my forehead. A headache was coming on. “I’m sorry, Blane,” I said. “I’m sorry this happened. I never meant to fall in love with Kade, never meant to hurt you in this way. I know you may not believe it, but it’s killing me, seeing you like this. I just—” I broke off and had to swallow, then took a deep breath. “Please forgive me.”
Blane stubbed out his cigarette and sighed. He pushed one hand through his hair while the other rested on his hip.
“It’s just so sudden, Kat,” he said, his voice edged in bitterness. “A few months ago, I thought maybe it would be us starting a family, and I wanted that so goddamn much. Then everything went to shit. I thought I might get you back, that I still had a chance, and now that’s shot to hell, too.” He paused. “I can’t forgive you. Not yet.”
I nodded, unable to speak. Moving forward and avoiding his eyes, I snagged my keys off the table.
“Kade and I are leaving town tomorrow,” I said. “Heading to Boston, I think. Kade has business there.”
Blane didn’t say anything, just nodded and turned away. Hesitantly, I moved toward him, my steps muffled by the carpet. When I was close enough, I slid my arms around his waist and rested my cheek against his back, squeezing him in a hug. His body was stiff, unyielding, and he gave no sign at all that he even noticed me.
Stepping away from him, I left without another word.
CHAPTER SIX
It was hard to concentrate on packing. Kade had said we’d be gone for a while, so obviously I needed to take a decent amount of clothes, but all I could see in my head was the way Blane had looked at me when I’d told him I was having Kade’s baby.
I prayed that Kade’s and my departure would help, that being out of sight would make it easier on Blane. But I couldn’t pretend I wasn’t going to miss him.
I was nearly finished when I heard the knock. I dropped the shirt I’d been folding, hurrying to the front door. Hopefully, it was Kade. I’d tried calling him after I’d left Blane’s, but he hadn’t answered and it had been hours since then.
Hastily pulling open the door, my welcoming smile froze when I saw who it was.
Blane.
The expression on his face was stark, his lips set in a grim line. Remembering how he’d demolished the room earlier, I took an instinctive step back, my pulse jumping with nerves, but he made no move toward me.
“I need to talk to you,” he said.
I swallowed. Was he still angry? Kade was supposed to come by and pick me up along with my luggage. It would be bad if he showed up while Blane was still here. I couldn’t handle a confrontation between them.
“Um, I’m kinda in the middle of packing,” I hedged. “Can it wait? I can call you tomorrow.”
At my words, a hint of pity flashed across Blane’s face.
“No, Kat,” he said softly. “It can’t wait.”
Something about the way he said that made the blood drain from my face and I started to shake.
“What happened?” I asked. “Is it Kade? Is he okay?” Panic clawed at me.
Blane hurriedly stepped inside, taking my hand as he shut the door behind him. He led me to the couch and I gratefully sank down onto the cushions when he tugged on me, my knees suddenly weak.
“He’s okay,” Blane said. “Kade’s not hurt.”
His reassurance made the breath leave my lungs in a rush and I slumped over, relieved. I didn’t know what I would’ve done if something had happened to him.