Safe Harbor by Tia Souders

Author:Tia Souders [Tia Souders]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cherry Valley Press
Published: 2022-06-14T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

As Cassie’s words sunk in, Carl’s eyes brightened.

Like the flick of a switch, his arm dropped to his side, and the harshest lines in his brow softened as he rasped out, “What did you say?”

Cassie leaned forward, coughing and gasping for air. Her face throbbed while her chest breathed fire and her head pounded.

She nearly fell and placed one hand on the dresser beside her to support herself while she wrapped her other arm protectively around her waist.

“Prove it,” he said, his tone hard.

With a sob, Cassie turned and hobbled her way into the bathroom, where she rummaged through the trash and retrieved the pee stick from earlier in the week, then held it out for him to see.

Carl took it from her and checked the little window with the pink plus before he snapped into action. “You should’ve told me,” he barked, then leaned down to where she crouched near the floor and helped her to her feet, then to the bed, where he propped her up. “A baby?” he asked after a moment, ducking his head to look into her eyes.

Cassie nodded lifelessly; she couldn’t believe she told him.

“I thought you couldn’t get pregnant?”

It was the lie she’d told him for years after not conceiving.

She tried to shrug, but the movement made her chest ache, and she winced. “These things happen out of the blue all the time. I guess we just got . . . lucky,” she rasped while dread roiled in her gut. Now that Carl knew, he’d never let her out of his sight. If he’d been controlling before, he’d be downright maniacal now.

“Lucky, yeah.” He breathed and covered his face a moment, then let out a loud whoop of joy, startling Cassie where she sat. “We’re having a baby! I’m gonna be a father,” he crowed, with a smile as wide as Texas. “Wait till I tell the boys at the docks. Heck, we need to celebrate.”

“I can’t, Carl,” Cassie managed, pressing one hand to her neck, looking him straight in the eye. She wanted him to see what he’d done to her. The busted nose, the bruises she was sure she’d find on her neck.

His throat bobbed, but he ignored her, gently pushing her reddish locks of hair out of her face. “I wonder what we’re havin’? Do you know yet?”

Cassie shook her head. “It’s too early,” she managed, her voice hoarse like she had a cold.

“A boy, I’ll bet. And he’s gonna be just like me, like his daddy.”

Cassie fluttered as the thought laid hooks in her heart. Bile rose to the back of her throat, and before she could stop it, she turned her head away from him and puked onto the bedspread.

He patted her back, his face morphing into a mask of concern. “Morning sickness, right?”

If Cassie had the energy, she’d laugh. Carl beat her, almost killed her, and when she lost her stomach, he blamed it on the baby and acted like the doting husband?

Cassie wiped the back of her mouth with her hand, shrinking away from Carl’s touch–the source of her nausea.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.