You Series Book 2

ASHLEY

A week had slipped by, but the pain hadn’t dulled. The only time I ventured out of the house was for a visit to the gynecologist, a doctor recommended by Emma. The doctor confirmed I was four weeks pregnant and handed me some pills to combat morning sickness.

I hadn’t experienced any yet, but I could sense the shifts in my body.

I was constantly exhausted and a small bump was beginning to show on my stomach. My breasts were growing too.

All I seemed to do was eat and sleep, trying to escape the pain. Sleep was a welcome reprieve from reality. My phone was still off, and I had no clue where it was.

Emma was often out, busy with classes and work, leaving me alone in the house. I chastised myself every time my thoughts drifted to him. Damn it! I don’t think I’ve ever missed someone this intensely.

Emma was understanding, never pressuring me to reach out to him. Besides, I didn’t want to justify myself to him.

“When’s your graduation?” Emma’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

“This Saturday,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. I hadn’t been talking much, even to her. I felt like a walking ghost.

“I need to do something, Emma.” Her eyes lit up with interest.

“I need to go to the bank and transfer the money to his account.”

She nodded, understanding my predicament. Neither of us had a laptop to make the transfer online.

“Why don’t you turn on your phone? It’s been a week, Ash. He must have tried to contact you.” Her worried gaze met mine.

“I don’t think I’m ready to forgive him, Em. He hurt me too much.” Tears welled up in my eyes and she rushed over to comfort me.

“Now, what did I say about crying? It’s not good for the baby.” She wiped my tears away and I nodded.

“I’ll get dressed in ten minutes and we can go.” She disappeared into her room and I took a deep breath. I needed to regain control of my life and be strong for my baby.

We headed to the bank and once we arrived, I went inside while Emma waited in the car.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” I called to the receptionist behind the counter, who was engrossed in a phone call. She barely glanced my way, which irked me.

“Hello!!” I shouted, startling her. I was surprised by my own outburst. Must be the pregnancy hormones.

I sighed and apologized to the poor woman who looked terrified.

“I’m so sorry but I need to transfer money to another account.”

She directed me to a counter on the left. I explained my situation to an elderly woman behind the counter and transferred all the money to his account.

We returned home and I retreated to my room. I changed into a white tank top and shorts. I’d been wearing Emma’s clothes since all my things were still at his place.

I descended the stairs and plopped onto the couch with a heavy sigh. I picked up the pregnancy book Emma had given me. I’d been engrossed in it lately, and it was proving to be a helpful distraction.

“Hey, I’m heading to work. There’s food in the fridge. Heat it up and eat properly, okay? Take care.” Emma rushed her words, leaning in to kiss my forehead.

“All right, love you.” I smiled at her.

“I know.” She winked and hurried out of the house. I rolled my eyes and returned to my book.

Around five o’clock, a loud knock on the door jolted me awake from my nap. I didn’t remember falling asleep on the couch. I got up to see who it was, the knocking persisting. Jeez!

“Coming,” I called out, opening the door in a daze. My eyes widened at the sight of those familiar brown eyes, tired and sleep-deprived.

He looked miserable with his unkempt beard and disheveled hair, yet there was a rugged attractiveness about him that made me want to embrace him. He was dressed casually in a long-sleeve ash T-shirt and blue jeans. Why wasn’t he in a suit?

I realized how much I missed him and a whirlwind of emotions swept over me. A tear slipped down my cheek as I stood there, staring at him in disbelief for almost thirty seconds. He must have thought I was losing it. I couldn’t move.

I snapped out of my daze and remembered why I was angry with him. I was about to slam the door in his face when he wedged his foot in the doorway, pushing the door open and stepping inside, closing the door behind him.

“What the hell are you doi—?” He cut me off by pressing me against the door and crashing his lips onto mine.

My eyes widened in shock, but my body betrayed me and I kissed him back. I kissed him like my life depended on it. Fuck! How much I missed him!

He began to suck on my lower lip, devouring my mouth. My hands instinctively wrapped around his neck and I was instantly aroused. I could feel myself getting wet.

What was I doing? This wasn’t right. I pushed him away and slapped him, tears streaming down my face.

“Don’t you dare come near me. What more do you want? Wasn’t it enough that you hurt me? Now you come here to kiss me. You’re unbelievable, Jake.” I broke down in tears and retreated to the couch, keeping a safe distance from him, not trusting my own body.

“Baby, I fucked up. Big time. Fuck, I can’t even explain how sorry I am. I made a huge mistake.” He paused and I glared at him.

“Fuck off, Jake. You know, I thought you were the one person who could never hurt me but guess what? Nobody has hurt me as much as you did,” I spat at him and he ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

“Would you please listen to me?”

“No. Did you listen to me? Did you even give me a chance to explain myself? Also, FYI, I transferred all the money to your account. You can shove it right up your ass.” I was seething. I don’t think I’ve ever been this angry.

“I know. Also, I was an asshole but just listen to me. I’m not leaving until you hear me out.” He sat down on the couch near me and I scooted further away.

“I don’t know, Jake. I’m not going to forgive you,” I stared him down.

“It’s okay, I deserve it. I will earn your forgiveness.” His gaze dropped to my hands and he smiled, his dimples showing, making me weak.

Fuck you, Jake. Fuck you and those adorable dimples!

“What?” I asked, confused as his gaze remained fixed on my hand.

“You’re still wearing the ring,” he stated and I was speechless.

“I—I wanted to give it back.” I stuttered, my cheeks burning.

“You’re not getting it back, no way. I need to make something clear, Ashley. I was a mess when all this happened. Do you really believe I pointed fingers at you the moment I found out?” He paused, waiting for my response. I just shrugged, keeping my gaze fixed on the wall in front of me.

“I discovered someone was messing with my bank account and immediately got James to look into it. He told me my account had been accessed from your computer at our place. I remembered using your computer once to check my account. It caught me off guard, Ash. I should’ve trusted you more.” He paused again, glancing my way. I continued to stare at the wall, not saying a word.

“I’ve spent my whole life surrounded by people who only cared about my wealth. In high school, I had a ton of friends, but it was all because of my money. Even my high school girlfriend was only with me for my cash.

“I figured it out too late, and since then, I’ve been cautious about letting people know about my wealth. I wanted them to like me for me. When this happened, I fell apart. Deep down, I knew you wouldn’t do something like this, but I was a wreck, babe.

“I was so angry that I was going through this again. I should’ve known better. I’m so sorry. I couldn’t sleep or eat for a week without you.” His eyes welled up with tears and my heart ached seeing him like this, but I held my ground.

“The company’s in a bad place. We’re losing investors and I haven’t been to work all week. I miss you so much, babe. I’ve been trying to call you for a week but your phone was off, so I thought I’d give you some space.

“I should’ve come sooner. I should’ve put my anger aside, but I was too busy trying to find out who set you up. I hate myself for even thinking you could’ve done this.”

Was he being honest? I turned to look at him. He had dark circles under his eyes and he was hurting too. I could see it, but he had hurt me more. Nothing he said could make up for what he did. I started crying again and he moved closer to wipe my tears.

“I can’t forgive you yet, Jake,” I said, my voice firm.

He nodded in understanding.

“I deserve that. I’ll wait, no matter how long it takes for you to forgive me. I’m trying to find out who set you up, but I’m not getting any closer.” He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. His gaze landed on my pregnancy book. Shit!

“What’s this?” He looked at the book, puzzled.

“A book?” I replied, my voice sounding more like a question.

“It’s a pregnancy book. Why do you have it?”

I started to stutter, trying to come up with a lie.

“Ummm…it’s…”

His eyes widened as he realized what it meant. He scanned my body and I felt a flush creep up my cheeks.

“Ash, I’m back. Did you eat—?” Emma walked into the living room, stopping mid-sentence when she saw us. Her eyes widened in surprise.

“I—I’ll be in my room. You better have an explanation when I come back after you two are done talking.” She pointed a finger at him, shooting him a death glare. He swallowed hard and turned back to me.

“Emma…she’s pregnant,” I blurted out.

He squinted at me.

“No, I’m not.” Emma looked at us, confused. I facepalmed myself. I shot her a glare and she mouthed “sorry” before disappearing inside.

“You’re pregnant?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

I nodded, avoiding his gaze.