A Little Secret (The Little Things #4)

Chapter 43

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

FINLEY

M y jaw feels unhinged. Like it might literally tumble to the ground, and my ability to speak will be gone forever. But seriously.

What. The. Hell?

I haven’t heard from this man since he told me to have an abortion. Now, here he is on my front fucking porch?

Hands shaking, I reach for the handle and twist it, opening the door. Yup. I definitely wasn’t hallucinating. Drew, in all his preppy freaking glory, is on my doorstep with a dozen red roses. Like he wants to apologize. Like he has any right to apologize. Like he has any potential chance to be with me again.

Honestly, if I wasn’t so shocked, I’d find the entire thing laughable. Instead, I can’t convince my vocal cords to work properly. I feel like a fish out of water. Like my tongue is ten times its usual size, and my eyes might pop out of my head if I stare too long at the mess in front of me.

“W-what are you doing here?” I whisper.

“I came to…” Drew squeezes the back of his neck. “Talk. ”

“Talk.” A crazed laugh bubbles out of me. Yeah, I’m not surprised anymore. I’m freaking pissed. Like seriously. Is this real life right now? “I’m sorry, I must’ve misheard you. Did you say you want to talk ?”

“Finley, I?—”

“You don’t get to talk,” I decide. Propping my hand on my hip, I glare at the last person I’d ever want on my front porch. “Yeah. I like that. You don’t get to talk. Sorry.”

Drew pulls back. “Excuse me?”

“I said you don’t get to talk. Not after I drove across the country and found you cuddled up next to Mollie?—”

“I never touched?—”

“It doesn’t matter!” I screech. “That’s the crazy part about all of this. It doesn’t. It literally doesn’t matter. I don’t care what you do. I don’t love you. You don’t love me. We’re over.”

“Finley, you’re pregnant?—”

“Am I?” I spit. “You told me to get rid of it, remember?” I march over the threshold, moving closer to him. “Who says I didn’t?”

He pales. “Did you?”

“It. Doesn’t. Matter.” I jab my finger into his chest. “Get off my porch. Now .”

“Finley,” he pleads.

“You know what’s funny?” I ask. “This?” I wave my hand at him. “This used to do it for me. The way you said my name. The designer clothes. The way you were so driven and so obsessed with your future that you somehow convinced me it would be mine, too, and I felt lucky.” I laugh. “I felt lucky to be part of it. Until you decided that not only was our baby not a good enough reason to shift said future, but you also decided you didn’t want a future with me, period. ”

“ I decided?” he scoffs. “Since when did you let me decide anything, Finley? You’re bossy and controlling and?—”

“I don’t need to have this conversation with you.” I turn on my heel and head inside my house, rage licking though my veins as I come to terms with the fact that this asshole had the audacity to knock on my door after everything we’ve been through. Gripping the edge of the door, I start to slam it when Drew slaps his hand against the solid piece of wood, stopping me.

“See, that’s where you’re wrong,” he murmurs. “Because whether or not we’re together anymore, the kid is mine.”

“You don’t want him,” I remind him.

“It doesn’t matter what I want. He’s my responsibility. I can’t just…”

“Walk away?” I finish for him. “No, I think you can. Actually, I think you’re pretty good at it, so really, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem for you. Just turn around. Get back in your rental car. And leave me alone. See? Simple. Now, if you’ll excuse me?—”

“What happens when he asks about me? When he wants to know who I am or if I hate broccoli as much as he does? Huh? What then?”

My chest aches, and my eyes well with tears as his words wash over me, painting a picture so fucking heartbreaking I could crumble right here. Right now. Because I can’t lie to myself. I’ve thought about it. What he or she will look like. If people will notice the differences. If they’ll question Griffin’s involvement in the baby-making process. If my baby will question whether or not Griffin’s their father. The last thought makes me sick to my stomach. Makes me want to double over and retch all over the icy concrete. I’d give anything to make it real. To gift my baby Griffin’s genes, keeping them as far away from Drew as possible. But that’s the problem. It’s too late. All of this is.

“Finley, I’m here because I want another chance with you,” Drew continues. “I’m here because I handled everything so fuckin’ badly the first time. I’m here because I want the family we dreamed about. You. Me. And the baby. And I know the timeline doesn’t fit what we’d planned, and I know I should’ve responded differently, but I’m here now. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”

He pulls a little black box out and falls to one knee, making my eyes bug out of my head as he opens it. Inside is a round, glittering diamond on a thin silver band.

It’s beautiful. It is. And it makes my heart break even more.

The floor creaks behind me, and I turn around, finding Griffin’s broken gaze pinning me in place. Tearing his attention from me, he stares at the ground like he wants to bolt. Like he wants to respect me and my conversation with Drew. Like he knows he was just caught eavesdropping.

Instead of leaving like I expect, he steps through the thin gap between me and the door, his muscles rigid as he approaches Drew on the porch.

“Get off your fuckin’ knee,” he growls.

“Griffin, wait,” I murmur.

“This guy doesn’t deserve you, Fin.”

Drew scoffs. “Stay in your own fuckin’ lane, asshole.”

“Drew,” I seethe. “If you want to hear my answer, I highly suggest you shut your freaking mouth.”

Teeth grinding, he digs his fingers into the black box in his hand but stays quiet.

Satisfied, I turn back to Griffin. “Give me thirty seconds, okay? Trust me. ”

His frigid gaze shifts to me, and he cocks his head, waiting. I wonder if he’s caught between respecting me and my decisions and throwing me over his shoulder, claiming me for his own.

It’s kind of adorable, I’m not going to lie. If my ex wasn’t three feet away from me, I’d throw my arms around Griffin’s neck and kiss him until next Tuesday, promising I’m his and only his. But, alas.

Moving closer to Drew, I crouch down beside him and close the little black velvet box in his hand. “You and I are over, Drew. We were over long before I found out I was pregnant, so you can let go of whatever guilt convinced you to buy a ring, get on a plane, and come to my house after the way we left things. I’m not holding a grudge, and I sure as hell don’t need you to propose out of guilt, especially since I now know what an actual loving relationship feels like, so can you please just…leave?”

“And the baby?” he demands.

“She’ll send you a postcard,” Griffin answers from behind me.

Tossing him a smirk over my shoulder, I give Drew my full attention. “We’ll get there when we get there. If you’re even still interested in being part of their life once I actually give birth. But for now? There’s no use dragging shit out and playing the happy family when, if we’re being honest, it’s the last thing either of us wants. So, tell me the truth. Why are you really here?”

It’s a gamble. A painful and potentially humbling gamble. Making an assumption like this. Acknowledging that he doesn’t want me or the baby. Not really. Even if he is here. Even if he is down on one knee, begging me to take him back. He doesn’t want this. There’s no way he wants this. I can’t erase the memory of the look I saw in his eyes when I told him about the baby. The contempt. The anger. There’s no way all of those emotions would disappear. So, what is it? Why is he here?

“Answer me,” I push. “Why are you here, Drew?”

He closes his eyes, proving I’m more spot-on than either of us really wants me to be. “You want the truth?”

“I think I deserve it, don’t you?”

His Adam’s apple bobs. “I-if my parents find out I abandoned a kid, they’ll cut me off.”

“Cut you off?”

“You know how religious they are. If they found out I got you pregnant and didn’t marry you, they’d kill me. My schooling? My allowance? It would all be gone, Fin, and you know how much pressure they put on me, let alone if anyone finds out about…everything. I can’t live with myself. I can’t live with them. They’d never forgive me. Never give me another chance. I’d be fucked, Fin. You know I would be.”

With a slow nod, I suck my lips between my teeth.

I should’ve known greed would be the culprit. Greed and shame. Like those are honorable reasons for buying a ring and stepping up as a father. I can’t decide if I’m hurt or relieved. Both, I guess. Neither one changes the situation, though. Or the outcome.

Squeezing his bicep, I murmur, “I have good news, Drew.”

“What is it?” he pleads.

“You can walk away without feeling guilty. I don’t want to ruin your future any more than you want me to. I’m not going to come after you. I’m not going to tell your parents. Besides, everyone thinks the baby is Griffin’s, anyway.”

He frowns, his attention sliding to someone behind me. “Not everyone.”

Curious, I follow his gaze and look behind me. Griffin is on the doorstep with his hands tucked in his pockets. And behind him, at the base of the stairs, is my brother, his face twisted with rage.

“Why the fuck is Drew here?” Everett demands.

My muscles seize, and the blood drains from Griffin’s face as he turns around to face my brother.

Shit.