Free Pretty Little Lies (Lie #2) by J. W. Phillips Page B

pushing her hair off her forehead and muttered a line of curse words. “He hurt you, left you alone, and now he’s back and bringing breakfast over at six in the morning. I don’t trust him.”
     
    I pulled the covers up tighter around my body. “You can’t say he hurt me. I don’t know why I left that night. I have to try to make this work.” I stroked my hand over my baby bump. “I have no other choice.”
     
    Sarah’s frown deepened. She bent over and picked up the paper laying at her feet. It was the document I had been reading when Ethan showed up. She stood in silence and read it for several minutes.
     
    “This is adoption papers. What are you doing with these?” she asked, shaking those godforsaken papers in the air.
     
    Trying to protect my baby, destroying my heart, take your pick. “I have to do what is best for everyone. Adoption is a good thing.” I looked over at the blank wall. The emptiness in me grew. It was the first time I’d spoken the words aloud. I couldn’t even talk to the lawyer. All our communications had been over email.
     
    Sarah removed the tray from the bed and sat down in its place. “It’s a great thing when you don’t have another choice.” She started playing with my hair. I still couldn’t bring myself to look at her. “Dylan, you have a choice. You’re going to be an amazing mom, and you have us, and as much as I hate the guy, this little angel has a father who is able to provide a great future for him.”
     
    I glanced over and locked eyes with her. “But will he want too?”
     
    “There is only one way to find out. Tell him.” Sarah reached over and squeezed my hand.
     
    “I don’t know if I can?” I said quietly. She squeezed my hand tighter.
     
    “Deacon knows what the baby is?”
     
    “What do you mean?” I sunk down into my jumble of pillows. The tears stung my eyes. Deacon had been my rock through everything. Despite not agreeing with me, she had kept it to herself what the sex of Baby E was.
     
    “If it’s a girl or a boy?” Sarah stared at me as if she didn’t recognize me.
     
    “No, Sarah, I can’t know. I already love it too much. There is no way I can give it up if I knew.”
     
    “That’s my point. Even if you don’t know now, you’ll learn what it is when he or she is born. How will you be able to hand him over to a couple you don’t know after you have held him in your arms?”
     
    “I haven’t thought about that?”
     
    “I’ll make you a deal. Let Deacon and me throw you a party and reveal the sex. If you still want to give it up after that, I’ll help you.”
     
    Before I could respond, she had bounced up and left. I stared at the bedroom door for several minutes before hopping out of bed myself. I was going to go along with Sarah’s plans. She and Deacon were all I had in the world. I couldn’t lose them. I would truly be alone forever if I did.
     
     

Ethan
     
    I swept that one loose curl that always stuck to my forehead back. It had been a day from Hell. I had tried a million times to sneak away to send Dylan a text. I didn’t even get a moment to take a lunch break. When I woke up at four that morning with Dylan on my mind, I thought it was a good idea to cook her breakfast. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was kind of stalkerish. I’ve never had to work for a girl. It was hard as hell, and I didn’t know what in the fuck I was doing.
     
    “Can you sign this before you leave?” Margaret Ellen, my assistant, said and shoved a sheet of paper in my face. I applied my John Hancock without looking at it and turned to leave. It was already seven PM, I wanted to see Dylan before it got too late.
     
    “Sir, calm down, the building is not on fire,” Margaret Ellen said, and I glanced over to see her stuffing my files into my briefcase. Shit, I’m never this disorganized.
     
    “Sorry, Marge, I have an appointment I have to get to,” I replied and started to gather the last of