Worth the Risk by Anne Lange Read Free Book Online Page B

circles at each side of her head. He continued to wait. She finally managed a couple of deep breaths and then dropped her hands to her sides.
    “There’s something I need to tell you. Something I probably should have told you a long time ago. But I can’t carry this secret around anymore. Not if I want to be happy for my friends.”
    Shit, what kind of secret could have her so worked up? She strolled a few feet away. Squaring her shoulders, she spun around to face him. “The reason I broke up with you—” An array of emotions played across her face. Pain. Fear. Sadness. Pain, again. She closed her eyes. When she opened them and stared straight into his, they were filled with resigned determination. “I had a miscarriage.”
    His mouth opened, but no words came out. He blinked a few times and swallowed. A tiny gray rabbit scampered out of the brush and froze when it spotted them. Its nose twitched as it tested whether they were friend or foe. Making its choice, it scampered away.
    “Excuse me? What do you mean? When were you pregnant?”
    Molly clasped her hands together, wrung them, and started to pace back and forth. She stopped. Her voice shook when she spoke. “I found out I was pregnant before our last Christmas together.”
    He stumbled two steps and curled at the waist, his breath expelled in a rush. He fought to suck in some badly needed oxygen. Desperate to make sense of what she had said, he put up his hand. “Wait. That last…you were pregnant?” He paused for a long moment while the thoughts in his head swirled. A baby. “You lost our baby. And you didn’t tell me?” Ten fucking years ago. A baby.
    “Yes. I planned to tell you over the holidays. It was supposed to be a surprise.”
    “Why didn’t you tell me when you found out?”
    “I didn’t want to distract you during exams.”
    “And what about after exams?” He gritted his teeth.
    “Well, by then it was…too late.”
    “And then?”
    “I never found a good time.” Her voice had softened to a near whisper.
    “Too late? A good time? Fuck.” He caught himself before he yelled. He paused to take a calming breath. “It’s never too late to tell a guy he’s going to be a father.” He stalked toward her and grasped her shoulders in his hands. “And there’s certainly time to tell him when it’s gone.”
    Tanner pushed the words out, leaving a bitter taste on his tongue. His tone sounded unforgiving, even to his own ears, but he didn’t give a damn. She paled and tried to step away, but he held her arms pinned at her sides. He finally let his hands drop away and retreated a few steps, running his fingers through his hair. “Christ, I thought we loved each other. Would have a future together.” His voice cracked. He swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat. “How could you not tell me something so fucking important?”
    He stomped around the clearing. She waited him out. When he regained a modicum of restraint, he circled back to face her. “Is that why you wouldn’t see me at Christmas?”
    She nodded.
    “What happened?” His voice, thunderous in the silence of the small clearing, made her jump. Even the wildlife stilled.
    “A few days before Christmas, I woke up bleeding. My parents rushed me to the hospital. I hadn’t told them yet either.” Her face flamed red, and she bit her lip before she looked away.
    His insides ached. When he spoke, his voice came out more severe than he intended, raw with emotion. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have been there for you. Damn it, I should have been there for you.”
    “I didn’t want pity, and I couldn’t face the possibility of you blaming me either.”
    “Blame you? Blame you for what? You didn’t give me the chance to do anything. I don’t know how I would have reacted, but I wouldn’t have blamed you for getting pregnant. Christ, I was there too.” He drove his fingers through his hair again. “You should have trusted me. I would have helped you through