Free The Price of Fame: A Price Novel (The Price Novels Book 2) by Maggi Craft

to do. I was in shock. What she had said hadn’t fully registered with me yet. She looked up at me like she wanted my reaction, but I didn’t have one.
    After a few minutes, I could feel the pain in my chest tightening with each breath I took. Why did this happen? Why? I was angry. With her, with life. She hadn’t wanted this baby in the first place. She hadn’t even tried to take care of herself. I couldn’t look at her. I had to leave. I felt like a piece of shit for leaving like that, but I couldn’t talk to her. I couldn’t make her feel better right now.
    I needed to talk to someone. I had kept the pregnancy to myself for weeks. I couldn’t anymore. The only person I wanted to talk to was my mom. When I walked into the house, she knew something was very wrong.
    “Oh my gosh, Slayde, what is it?”
    “Who else is here?” I asked.
    “What?”
    “Is there anybody else here?” I was sobbing at this point.
    “Your sister and one of her friends. Let’s go upstairs.”
    When we got to her room, I told her everything. She let me cry, and she cried with me. “Baby, you know you have to go home and talk to your wife. You’re hurt, and you’re angry, but she needs you right now as much as you need her.”
    “Mom, didn’t you hear me? Weren’t you listening? She never wanted this baby.”
    “Were you listening? Did she ever say those words?”
    “No, but I know she didn’t. She kept on working long hours. She never slowed down and tried to take better care of herself.”
    “What did you expect her to do, baby? Stay home and lie in bed all day for nine months? If she’s been lying in that bed for twenty-four hours, she is not OK.” She was right; I hadn’t stopped to think about that. I went home.
    Arden was still in bed. I could tell she had showered, but other than that, she was still in the same state as before. “Are you OK?” I asked.
    She looked at me, and I could tell she was angry with me, but instead of bitching at me, she just said, “No.”
    I wrapped my arms around her and held her, and we cried.
    “I know you think I wanted this. I know you blame me,” she cried.
    “No, I don’t. It’s nobody’s fault. You can’t blame yourself, and I don’t blame you.” Saying those words to her made me realize that I really didn’t blame her. This was no more her fault than it was mine.
    “I wanted this baby, Slayde. Maybe not at first, but once the shock wore off, I did. I was just processing it all. I hadn’t prepared myself to be a mom and an intern at the same time. So I was freaking out, but I knew it would all be OK. I never wanted this to happen. You have to believe me.”
    “Arden, stop beating yourself up. I do believe you. I’m sorry for acting like a complete ass. I can’t believe I left you here. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
    After a minute, she looked up at me and said, “You were angry.”
    The sadness in her eyes was heartbreaking. No matter how upset I was, I was going to be strong for her. That was my job as her husband. To be her rock. “Yes, I was angry,” I admitted, feeling ashamed.
    “You went to your mom’s?”
    “Yeah.”
    “What did she say?”
    “That I was being an ass, that I needed to get home and take care of you. She was right. She’s always right. I’m sorry, Arden.”
    I decided I had to take off a few days to get my head together. I didn’t think that Arden should be alone, and I wasn’t in the mood to be around people and pretend I was fine. Because I wasn’t fine. I was sad.
    Arden seemed to want to stay home and lie around, but I thought she needed to get out of the house. Get some fresh air. If even for just a few hours. Her doctor had given her something to relax, and she slept in. When she woke up, I thought I’d see what she felt up to.
    “I was thinking about riding down the coast today.”
    “You have to work.”
    I shrugged. “I’d rather take one of Dad’s convertibles and get outta here. You in?”
    I thought she