Free i d236ce2fd225c71c by Zamzar

but he never turned toward me. Never said a word. He was really
    putting his all into ignoring me.
    At six o’clock I tapped my phone, checked my ranking, and then the reviews. I skimmed passed
    the first horrible one, then the next. I’d seen those already. My eyes glazed with all the five-stars.
    Some people really did like the game.
    My gaze snagged on a new one-star review.
    “Stop hating the game!” I seethed at the phone. Then I groaned. I had been waiting for a review
    like this. It was a long, drawn-out affair from an educated person who could string a couple words
    together. Proper grammar and no typos made this person’s critique so much more valid.
    I read the person’s opinion in trepidation. Apparently, my game was trite and unoriginal. The
    graphics were pleasing but play was clunky. It wasn’t hard in the least and it price-gouged. This
    person thought that the designers were beginners, and it showed.
    My heart sank. This person had exposed the weaknesses perfectly. We were beginners, for the most part. And there were some clunky places. Trite, unoriginal? Yeah, I could see that.
    I hunched in my chair. Something snapped. I could only be the victim for so long.
    “I can’t have this many critics in life!” I stood in determination.
    “There you go! Give him hell!” Brenda put her fist into the air as she put her glasses into her
    handbag.
    I marched into Hunter’s office, pushing aside my fear of what would happen if this conversation
    went badly. If he lost his marbles and pushed me away, I’d lose the love of my life, sure, but I
    wouldn’t be destitute. Bruce was still paying me, the game was increasing in momentum instead of
    decreasing, and I could stay with Kimberly until I found another place to live. I could even move
    somewhere cheaper. Working for Bruce meant my laptop was my office. He lived in Middle America
    where rent was a quarter the price of San Francisco. I could easily move near him.
    Strapping on my big-girl panties, I came to a stop right in front of Hunter’s desk. Face schooled
    into a bulldog-looking expression, I stared down at him with my hands on my hips.
    He ignored me.
    I’d heard of people staring harder. I had to admit, however, that I didn’t know what that meant.
    Should I lean forward with the bulldog expression? Was that what would do the trick?
    Couldn’t hurt.
    I added a lean to the situation.
    Now I was just staring closer with what was probably a constipated expression, I had no doubt. If
    he didn’t look up at this, he was being obtuse on purpose.
    “I’m not posing for a wax sculpture, Hunter. Look at me.”
    His hands stilled over the computer. His arms flexed. Slowly, he turned his head in my direction.
    His power and command blasted through me, turning my spine to Jell-O and setting nervous tingles
    through my body. His hard eyes and clenched jaw made me want to back up and apologize for
    bothering him. He was firmly in his business pants, cast away from the world on his secluded island.
    This was the Hunter Carlisle the world saw. The one that hadn’t opened up to me. That hadn’t kissed
    me.
    “What do you think is going to happen, Hunter?” I said, standing tall despite my desire to roll
    over and play dead. “Do you think I’m going to leave you for Jonathan, or something?”
    He didn’t speak. Just stared at me. If this was a video game, my skin would probably melt off
    from his laser vision.
    “Even if I did, Hunter, it would still be your baby. This isn’t like with your dad. That baby wasn’t yours. It was a lie. This isn’t. I’m pregnant with your kid, and if you pull out, and leave me, I’ll be trying to raise this little beast on my own. And I don’t know that I can do that. I’m scared, too, Hunter.
    I’m scared of how this will change my life. I’m scared of giving birth. And I’m scared that something will go wrong and I’ll lose something that I’ve grown to love so, so much.”
    I wiped at my face. I hadn’t