“We’re leaving,” I snapped.
Not waiting for her response, I shoved out the back door and around to my truck. I barely registered her footsteps behind me.
Once we were in my truck and I pulled out onto the main road, Sarah finally broke the silence.
“What’s wrong?”
I relaxed my jaw enough to force out an answer.
“We could hear you.Everythingyou said. My parents think of Bella as one of their daughters. How do you think my father took you calling her a bitch?”
She turned away from me, but I swore I saw her roll her eyes first.
“Kyle, my sisters, and my parents heard everything you said to Bella and Ashley. Bella didn’t even do anything to you. All I asked for was one fucking night, and you just couldn’t do it, could you?”
I could feel the change in her attitude without turning to look at her. No guilt. She was just pissed.
“But—” She scoffed and folded her arms across her chest. “Whatever. I only said what needed to be said. They need to mind their own business.”
I didn’t want to have this conversation while I was driving, so I stayed silent until we pulled up to her apartment. I parked the truck and turned to face her.
“Sarah, I can’t do this. Or rather, I don’t want to.”
“Do what?”
“This.” I pointed back and forth between us. “If the baby is mine, I’ll be there every step of the way. And you can bet your ass we will share custody. But I can’t marry you or continue to try to make something work that isn’t going to.”
“You asshole.” Her eyes turned to slits. “What do you meanifthe baby is yours?”
“Your ex has been all over town running his mouth that you are carryinghischild.” I glared back at her. “So whose is it? His or mine?”
“How dare you!” She pulled her hand back and slapped me across the left cheek. Fury hit me as the sting from her hand burned. I took a deep breath in an effort to calm my shit when I noticed her wide eyes and protective posture.
But I was done. With her, with this. I hated drama, and this woman left chaos in her wake wherever she went.
“I want a paternity test, Sarah,” I said calmly after a moment. “And anything between us besides that baby is officially done.”
“Fine. Whatever.” She flung the door open, slammed it, and rushed into her building.
“Fucking hell,” I yelled as I slammed my hand against the steering wheel.
I could feel the anger radiating through my body. Maybe a cool night swim in the lake was just the thing that would take the fire out of my veins.
This night was a fucking shit show.
The fact that Sarah would disrespect my family like that had me reeling, wondering how this was even going to work if that baby was mine.
And Bella. I balled my hands into fists, thinking of her composure throughout the night and then the look on her face when I entered the kitchen after Sarah’s outburst. What the hell did she mean when she told Ashleythis is why it needs to be permanent? It hadn’t registered when I overheard them as I entered the kitchen earlier, but I hoped like hell she wasn’t referring to a permanent break between us. Because I couldn’t handle not being a part of her and Brendan’s lives.
Needing to know now what she meant, I shot off a text to Ashley.
Me:What were you and Bella talking about in the kitchen tonight?
After a quick swim and an hour of beating on the bag that hung in my spare room, it hit me. I was relieved I had ended it with Sarah. It was like a weight had been lifted off my chest, making it so much easier to breathe. Kyle would enjoy getting to say he told me so, and Ashley would be happy I wasn’t a complete idiot. The rest of my family might even handle Sarah better now that she and I weren’t together.
My phone beeped with an incoming text.
Ashley:When?