The Edge of Forever by Jenika Snow Read Free Book Online

internal bleeding and required surgery to repair it, but she had been pregnant?
    “I had just found out, and was only like a month along, but we had been trying for so damn long. I wanted to tell him that day over lunch, but he went to lunch with his co-worker instead.”
    “Poppy, you know Jon would never have cheated on you.”
    She nodded and wiped her tears away. “Of course I know that. It was my own insecurities and jealousy that made me so angry.” When she lifted her eyes to his the firelight played off the tears slowly sliding down her cheeks.
    “Hey, now.” He brushed them away with his thumb and cupped her cheek. Her skin grew warm from the fire. “This is not your fault.” She started shaking her head, and he cupped the other side of her face with his hand. “Poppy. This is not your fault. Do you understand me? The accident, the fighting, even losing the baby was not a result of you doing anything wrong.”
    “I know, it’s just,” she took a deep breath, “I wonder if I hadn’t kept the fight going maybe Jon wouldn’t have been so worried about me and the accident may never have happened.”
    “Sweetheart.” Blake ran his thumbs under her eyes. “Things happen, no matter what we do. We can’t control the weather, and we certainly can’t control other people’s actions.” The car that had slammed into them had lost control and hit a patch of black ice. When it hit Jon’s car it caused it to careen out of control and slam so hard against a telephone pole the car had nearly wrapped around it.   Poppy had been lucky she lived that day, but because the driver’s side had been the one to take the impact, his little brother hadn’t been so lucky. Blake was just glad Jon’s death had been instant. If Jon had suffered it would have made the grieving process even more arduous.
    “I knew as soon as I woke up in the hospital that I lost the baby. I may have only been a few weeks pregnant, but I suddenly felt so empty. All I wanted was that little piece of Jon still inside of me, still with me.” Hard, wracking sobs left her, and Blake pulled her into his lap. Her whole body shook from the force, and he wished he could take the pain away from her.
    “I didn’t tell anyone, couldn’t even bring myself to say the words. I’m a coward, Blake.”
    “ Shhh , Poppy.” He cupped the back of her head and whispered things he wished someone would have said to him when he had been hurting. “I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”
    “There is just so much anger inside of me, Blake.” Her muffled voice surrounded her, and when she lifted her red-rimmed eyes, something inside of him clenched with torture. Seeing her upset was so much harder than hearing her tears over the phone. “I feel like I’m drowning in it, Blake. When will it go away to where I don’t feel like this?”
    He searched her face, but didn’t know how to answer. “I don’t know, Poppy. I don’t know.” He pulled her into his chest again and rocked her until her sobs stopped and the even sound of her breathing told him she had fallen asleep.

Chapter Six
     
    Monday morning came and went, and now Blake sat behind his desk Monday evening with a massive headache. He hadn’t gotten much sleep last night, partly due to the storm last night, but mainly because he couldn’t stop thinking about everything Poppy told him. On top of losing her husband traumatically, Poppy had been pregnant and miscarried. He had lain in bed for hours, listening to shards of ice pelt against his window. The weather mimicked his mood, turbulent and violent.
    “ You doing okay, Blake?” Maggie said.
    He took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. The pounding behind his eyes matched the steady thumping of his heart. “Yeah, just tired.” His eyes were closed, but he knew Maggie sat in the seat in front of his desk. He could smell the cinnamon bagel she ate and the dust that always seemed to surround her from digging through boxes for