Embattled Ever After (Lost and Found Series Book 5) by J.M. Madden

Author:J.M. Madden [Madden, J.M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romantic Suspense, Contemporary
Publisher: J.M. Madden
Published: 2016-10-09T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Duncan felt like he was going to be sick. He and Alex had been good until those few words in response to Shannon’s hopeful question changed everything. He’d known as soon as he’d said them that he should have been more circumspect in his response, because Alex had come around the corner looking like she’d just been shot.

Shit. What the hell was he supposed to do now?

Though she hadn’t set a departure date, he had a gut feeling he’d just accelerated her leaving. Words. Just hurtful words.

But it was how he felt. He was on the downhill of his forties. Did he really want to have a baby now? Be responsible for another living being now?

Anxiety rolled through him and he wondered what the hell he could do to change it all.

For as long as he could remember, he’d been in charge of people. When he was a kid and started at his dad’s print shop, he’d been in charge of his younger brother. Then he’d joined the Marines and been put in charge of hundreds of others over the years. Leadership had always come easy to him.

But leadership carried a lot of responsibility too. For years he had sent kids into war and in spite of his best efforts, they hadn’t all returned. There was a list of forty-two names on his ribs attesting to that fact. Granted, his company had a far lower mortality rate than many others, but every loss hurt.

Losing those men had been bad enough, but he couldn’t imagine losing his own child. Or sending his own child off to war. God. But was that fear enough to not take on the responsibility of being a father?

He didn’t know. Honestly, things were moving really fast right now and he wasn’t sure how to slow them down.

Should he go talk to her? He glanced at the closed bedroom door. There was no light under it, so maybe she had gone to bed. Or maybe she was just avoiding him.

Bitterness coated his tongue. Alex was an incredible woman and he’d hurt her. He knew that.

Subconsciously, had he been hoping she would hear his words? No, that was stupid. They had been getting along like they’d always been together.

Maybe it would be better if she did just go. Then she wouldn’t have to watch him physically degenerate before her eyes. Because the level he was at now was probably the best he would ever be. Would it be fair to her to be tied to a cripple?

As much as he hated to admit it, maybe she should leave. Maybe it would be less heartache in the long run. He didn’t want to think of her ever looking at him with pity… or worse.

Duncan swallowed hard and glanced at the clock. Time for the evening news, if he wanted to watch it. He didn’t. It was too early to go to bed. They’d already hit the hot tub. If he could find his tablet, maybe he could catch up on emails.

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