His Forever (His #2)

Braden's POV: Chapter 4 : Mr. Unstoppable (book two)

''Not really,'' she admits quietly, not looking at me. ''Did you?'' She looks like she can't help but ask.

I don't look anywhere but straight at her. ''Not at all. Not since I've last held you in my arms, no,'' I say, not missing a beat.

She sharply looks at me. ''Don't,'' she warns me.

I stop her from walking by putting my hand on her arm and turning her to me. My eyebrows are wrinkled. ''Don't what, Rory? Admit that I missed you? Because I did. I do. I miss you every breathing second you're not with me. I ache for you every nanosecond that I realise I can't have you. My body and soul scream because you're not mine anymore.''

I see her breath hitch and tears well up in her eyes. ''I miss you, too,'' she admits, so quietly I barely hear her.

But, oh, how I hear her. I inhale suddenly. These are the words that give me the hope. I can still fix this. God, I hope I can fix what I broke. I take a step closer to her and put my hand on her cheek, caressing it softly. It's so familiar to do this to her, my heart clenches painfully. I love touching her. And she leans in even further into my touch as if she's seeking it.

''You don't have to, baby,'' I say gently. ''You can have me again. If you want me.''

She puffs the air out of her mouth, momentarily looking behind me and then back to me. ''But at what cost?'' she asks.

I shake my head. ''There's no cost. You already own my soul and my heart, I'm giving you my body, too. You can have me whole.''

She stares into my eyes for long moments. She steps away from me after moments, putting a distance between us. ''I don't believe you,'' she says.

She says this so coldly and as if she already accepted the fact that I can't be the one to trust. And this is what I feared. I broke this between us. She used to trust me, a lot. And now she doesn't believe when I'm here, almost on the verge of falling down on my knees and beg her to take me back.

Yeah, that's how pathetic I became for a woman.

I rub my temples, the traces of another headache again showing. ''You're not even going to think about it?'' I ask, my voice quiet.

She scrunches her eyebrows. ''What's there to think about, Braden? I offered you my love and you ended things on the spot. How do you expect me to believe anything you have to say now?''

I sigh, tracing my eyebrow in desperation. ''You can't even imagine how sorry I am for the words I said to you. If I could take them back, I would. In a heartbeat. Please, don't doubt that,'' I plead.

She squeezes her lips together.

''You're carrying my child, Rory. Think about him or her, too,'' I add.

That just seems to spark up her anger. ''Don't use my child as an excuse to get back together, Braden, because if that's what you want, I'm telling you right now it's not going to work. I'm more than capable of taking care of a baby. At least he or she has one parent who's going to love them more than their own life, other than two parents who one of them doesn't feel any love. For neither,'' she adds the last part quickly.

My eyes widen and my lips curl down. It's saddening me that she thinks so, but therefore I didn't prove to feel any different. ''Don't say that, Rory. Don't say I don't love my child with every cell that I have in me!'' I demand. ''Because I do and I'm willing to do anything to be a part of their life. And I swear to God, Rory, don't even try to cut me out of their life, because I have a right to be a parent as much as you have,'' I inform her, calm as ever.

''Yes, but you don't love me,'' she says quietly. I open my mouth to reply, but she cuts me off. ''And loving a child you made is not the same as loving me. A child is not a good reason to be with someone. You have every right to be in his or her life, but that doesn't mean you have to be in mine,'' she says.