Read Online Outside The Lines (Love Beyond Reason Book 2) by Beth Rhodes - Free Book Online
Authors: Beth Rhodes
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idea that sex could be wrong. His entire life, he’d lived with choice—good or bad choices, but always the choice and the consequence that followed. Leaving Maria had been a consequence he’d had to live with in order to save himself the pain of what he’d begun to feel around her.
“I’m not sorry about the choice we made, Ree.”
“Even though a baby came from it?”
“The baby had no choice,” he answered as an unexpected feeling of irritation rose inside him. “We did. We used protection. If this is what comes from being careful, then we deal.”
Her hands fell to her sides. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. Maria turned away, wiping at her face as she did, and she crossed the room to the small table next to the recliner where she reached for a tissue from the box there.
“Why are you crying now?” Exasperation rolled through him. “This is a good plan. It covers all the bases for having a long, happy, healthy relationship.”
“Nothing feels real. You talk about getting married like it’s no big deal. No, like it is a deal, a contract of some kind.” She cleared her throat. “I never planned to marry more than once.”
Her phone shrilled in her pocket, cutting her off, and she pulled it from her back pocket. “I should take this.”
David nodded. “Go ahead.”
He turned to leave.
But something stopped him before he crossed the threshold. Maybe it was the worry that her family had been harder on her than she was willing to admit. Something had driven her to come all the way across the country. Guilt? Fear?
She’d turned her back on him, but he could still hear.
“I should be home as expected at the end of the week, Mom.” She glanced behind her, and— oh, my God —she was about to lie. Her shoulders were tense. Her head was tilted, just barely. “Everything’s fine here.” Ree hesitated, clearing her throat. “I love you, too, Mom. Yeah…no. Are you sure you don’t need me to come home. Well, tell Michael to quit doing stupid stuff.” She laughed, but it fell short of a true laugh. “I know, Mom. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
David slipped out.
She hadn’t told her family.
Lies. Secrets. He’d lived with that once in his life and it had torn him apart.
He couldn’t do it again. He wouldn’t. The idea to marry her had been purely business. Perhaps his dad was right. Some kind of contract would be good so that she knew honesty was expected between them. If it was all out in writing, there would be no mistake.
And his child would never grow up with the pain of a mother who lied to the ones she loved.
6
Do you need me to come home?
She’d asked, not even knowing if she could get home yet there was this glitch in her personality that wanted so badly to be needed, by someone—anyone. Yet even when her brother had sliced his hand open with a tool, there was always someone else who could handle it. Maria might be the nurse in her family, but you couldn’t tell by looking.
Don’t be silly. You’re three thousand miles away!
Being called an idiot by her younger sister wasn’t that new either. Maybe she was an idiot. She’d trusted David last October, hadn’t she?
And now her mom seemed suspicious, which sent nerves fluttering through her stomach. She should have told her as soon as she’d figured it out in December, but she’d been ashamed. And then she’d hit the bottom of the barrel and been too sad to talk about it, especially with her sister finally hooking up with Zack. Everyone falling in love and getting a chance at happily-ever-after.
Ever since deciding to confront David, she’d grown used to the idea of having this baby. Not only that, she’d grown unmistakably maternal. Just the thought of holding her baby caused her to smile now. And a desire to share her excitement was getting harder and harder to hold in reserve, especially when it came to her family.
They might be disappointed, but they wouldn’t suggest anything as outrageous as
“I’m not sorry about the choice we made, Ree.”
“Even though a baby came from it?”
“The baby had no choice,” he answered as an unexpected feeling of irritation rose inside him. “We did. We used protection. If this is what comes from being careful, then we deal.”
Her hands fell to her sides. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. Maria turned away, wiping at her face as she did, and she crossed the room to the small table next to the recliner where she reached for a tissue from the box there.
“Why are you crying now?” Exasperation rolled through him. “This is a good plan. It covers all the bases for having a long, happy, healthy relationship.”
“Nothing feels real. You talk about getting married like it’s no big deal. No, like it is a deal, a contract of some kind.” She cleared her throat. “I never planned to marry more than once.”
Her phone shrilled in her pocket, cutting her off, and she pulled it from her back pocket. “I should take this.”
David nodded. “Go ahead.”
He turned to leave.
But something stopped him before he crossed the threshold. Maybe it was the worry that her family had been harder on her than she was willing to admit. Something had driven her to come all the way across the country. Guilt? Fear?
She’d turned her back on him, but he could still hear.
“I should be home as expected at the end of the week, Mom.” She glanced behind her, and— oh, my God —she was about to lie. Her shoulders were tense. Her head was tilted, just barely. “Everything’s fine here.” Ree hesitated, clearing her throat. “I love you, too, Mom. Yeah…no. Are you sure you don’t need me to come home. Well, tell Michael to quit doing stupid stuff.” She laughed, but it fell short of a true laugh. “I know, Mom. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
David slipped out.
She hadn’t told her family.
Lies. Secrets. He’d lived with that once in his life and it had torn him apart.
He couldn’t do it again. He wouldn’t. The idea to marry her had been purely business. Perhaps his dad was right. Some kind of contract would be good so that she knew honesty was expected between them. If it was all out in writing, there would be no mistake.
And his child would never grow up with the pain of a mother who lied to the ones she loved.
6
Do you need me to come home?
She’d asked, not even knowing if she could get home yet there was this glitch in her personality that wanted so badly to be needed, by someone—anyone. Yet even when her brother had sliced his hand open with a tool, there was always someone else who could handle it. Maria might be the nurse in her family, but you couldn’t tell by looking.
Don’t be silly. You’re three thousand miles away!
Being called an idiot by her younger sister wasn’t that new either. Maybe she was an idiot. She’d trusted David last October, hadn’t she?
And now her mom seemed suspicious, which sent nerves fluttering through her stomach. She should have told her as soon as she’d figured it out in December, but she’d been ashamed. And then she’d hit the bottom of the barrel and been too sad to talk about it, especially with her sister finally hooking up with Zack. Everyone falling in love and getting a chance at happily-ever-after.
Ever since deciding to confront David, she’d grown used to the idea of having this baby. Not only that, she’d grown unmistakably maternal. Just the thought of holding her baby caused her to smile now. And a desire to share her excitement was getting harder and harder to hold in reserve, especially when it came to her family.
They might be disappointed, but they wouldn’t suggest anything as outrageous as
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