Free A Bundle of Joy 1: Baby Wanted (BWWM Interracial Romance) by Roxy Wilson Page B

Instead he looked tortured, like he hadn’t slept since leaving her hospital room. Maybe Heather should recommend the sleeping pills that had finally given her a few hours each night. The dark circles under his eyes looked like a permanent stain. He truly looked awful.
    Her heart was barely healing from the pain of losing her best friend. He should have been the one she’d have shared all this with, the one who should have helped her through. Instead, she’d run away and gone into hiding.
    She’d fostered a budding relationship with the girl she’d met along the way at that first prenatal appointment, Tasha, and even though she’d never gone back to another pregnancy and birthing class, she’d grown sister-close to Selene and Jamie. Over the last few weeks, she’d lived vicariously through their experiences. At first she did it out of punishment for her own crimes, but as they spent more time together, Heather had grown to truly care for all of the girls. They’d given her another type of family.
    The problem with Heather’s original plan was that somewhere along the way she’d become a family with Sean too, and she was no longer interested in raising the baby by herself—not that she had one to raise anymore—but there were moments when she could find glimpses of reason for not doing it as a single parent, not when she had an amazing alternative like Sean.
    Sean jerked, and looked up. Heather stood a few feet away.
    “Is this seat taken?” Heather asked.
    She waited for an invitation to sit down. Sean patted the space beside him. “Please.”
    Heather perched on the end of the bench. Tears sprang to her eyes and she couldn’t stop looking at his profile. They sat in silence for a string of moments. Heather’s heart ached for him.
    For her.
    For their baby.
    “Does it ever stop hurting?” Sean whispered.
    A sob closed off Heather’s air and she bit her lip. After a moment, she could finally breathe. “I hope so.”
    Sean leaned forward until his elbows touched his knees. He dropped his head in his hands and slowly shook his head. “I shouldn’t have left. That was an unforgivable thing to—” His voice broke and he couldn’t seem to finish the sentence.
    Heather sighed heavily and leaned back on the bench. Her heart ached for him again and she wanted nothing more than to make his hurt go away. She knew she could never assuage her own, but she had to try to lessen his.
    Heather scooted closer on the bench and her hand reached out to rub his back. She’d found it was far easier to soothe away someone else’s pain—and hers never seemed to ease anyway.
    She fought to suppress her tears, but she couldn’t contain them. Tears streamed down her face as she mourned the baby that had brought her and Sean together for a few short, splendid weeks.
    Sean straightened and turned his tortured gaze to hers. Before he apologized one more time, she lifted her fingers to his lips and pressed in the center. “Don’t say it. We’ve both apologized so much and it doesn’t seem to have helped.
    “I just wish—”
    “I know.” She gave him a sad smile. “I’ve begged and pleaded with the powers that be and none of it has worked.” She scooted away to put some distance between them. It would be too easy to fall into their easy camaraderie and lay her head on his shoulder, or let him soothe her own aches away. But that was lost to her now.
    They sat in an uneasy silence. Heather wiped her tear-streaked cheeks and blew her nose and tucked the sodden paper away.
    Sean’s gaze roamed her face and Heather thought she saw remnants of the affection he’d once showered on her. She’d give anything to see it again.
    “Would you change anything? Knowing what you know now, would you have done it again?” Sean asked.
    Heather searched his face and wondered what answer he wanted from her. She’d asked herself the same thing a thousand times. And each time the answer had been the same: during those wonderful weeks