Ladd Haven Read Free

over?” Jimmy
asked. “You already dumped her. What more do you have in
store?”
    Troy stood rigid, his wrath aimed
squarely at Jimmy. “This ain’t none of your business.”
    “ It is my business when
you’re standing here talking to my girlfriend.”
    Casey gasped. Troy froze. He
locked onto Jimmy. “ What did you
say ?”
    “ You heard me,” Jimmy
repeated.
    Gawking at Jimmy, Casey was
met by a challenge. Tell him the
truth . Fastening his gaze to hers as though
daring her to say otherwise Jimmy hitched his chin toward
Troy. Go ahead. Tell him you’re
pregnant .
    Casey freaked. Did he think he was
helping? Did he think taunting Troy with a statement like that was
going to settle the matter?
    Troy pounced on her, his brown eyes
searching. “Is this true? Is what he said true? You two are
dating?”
    Fear zipped up and down her
spine as she evaded his question. No—it wasn’t true—but maybe Jimmy
was right. Judging by Troy’s reaction, maybe this was exactly what he needed to
hear to get a taste of how it felt to be dumped—flat on his
face.
    “ Answer me.”
    “ I don’t answer to you,”
Casey defied. Drawing strength from Jimmy’s presence, Troy’s anger,
she flipped her gaze up to meet his and nearly fell out of her
seat. Instead of angry, the upheaval in Troy’s gaze undid her. He
wasn’t angry. He was crushed. Guilt washed over her in a flood of
surprise. But if he was here because he quit, he sure as heck
wouldn’t be happy to hear she was pregnant with his
child!
    Nerves pushed in at her
stomach. Uncertainty flapped in her breast. Pregnancy changed
everything. Things were different. She couldn’t dash out on a last
minute picnic or hike along the river’s edge. They couldn’t lie
around in a field late at night, stargazing until the wee hours of
morning. Pregnancy meant bills, diapers, a screaming baby... It
meant responsibility. Stability. Troy couldn’t quit work on a whim
or get fired for impulse decisions. Being a father meant a whole
new lifestyle, one that didn’t suit Troy’s temperament. No matter
what he promised that night, that beautiful, wonderful night,
reality would prove different. Casey struggled against tears. It
was her reality
now. Something he was going to have to get used to. “When you left
me, Troy, you gave up your right to have a say over what I do, or
don’t do.”
    “ I never left
you!”
    The outburst drew curious stares as
Jimmy retorted, “Could’ave fooled us.”
    Troy plastered his hat onto his head.
Without making a move for the door, he stared at Casey for the
longest minute. It was a look that erased people and time, months
and doubt, and replaced it with longing. There was so much left to
say, so many questions, feelings, but neither uttered the first
one. Too much needed to be said. Jimmy was wedged between them. It
was awkward. Troy turned on his heel and strode out of the diner,
dragging Casey’s heart behind him. Her gaze trailed him as he
shoved open the door and disappeared from her sight. He was gone.
It was over. In a rush of rage, she turned on Jimmy, smacking a
hand to the table. Silverware bounced as she demanded, “What the
heck was that about?”
    “ What?” he asked
dully.
    “ You telling him we’re
boyfriend and girlfriend!”
    “ Well, we should be,” Jimmy
mumbled.
    “ But we aren’t, Jimmy! Now
he thinks we are!”
    Met by a vacant stare, Casey could kill
him. With one stupid statement Jimmy ruined her opportunity to
understand what had happened. Why did Troy leave? Why was he back
home? What happened between them? Was it her fault? His? At this
rate she’d be lucky to ever see him again, let alone speak to
him.
    “ What am I going to do?” she
wondered aloud.
    “ I thought you said he was a
thing of your past.” Dark brown eyes grew still. “Sounds to me like
you want to pick up where you left off.”
    About to tell him exactly what she
thought, Casey stopped herself. It was clear how she felt—to