Free DrawnTogether by Wendi Zwaduk Page A

inched across the couch. “But I don’t love her.” He slipped her
hand into his. “I love you. I can’t see my life without you.”
    Tessa pulled away from him. “I need to think.”
    Fuck. He’d just said those words to Lila.
    “A lot of things are happening and I’m not sure what to
think.” She rubbed her arms. “I need a scorecard to keep up. You’re involved
with me, but you’re kind of involved with her. You’re willing to help her raise
the kid, but you still want me around. I’m not sure I fit into this scenario.
I’d be in the way.”
    Double fuck. “Don’t shut me out, babe.”
    “I’m not shutting you out. Lila says you’ve helped to create
a life. I’m giving you the freedom to do what you need to do for the kid. I’m
letting you go.” She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. “Make me
proud and be the dad your kid needs.” She let go then escaped into the solitude
of her bedroom. The door snicked shut, leaving him alone.
    Graig thrust his fingers into his hair. The woman he loved
let him go, while the woman he might have fathered a kid with held on to him
for dear life. His sense of humor battled with his gut feelings. Once he walked
away from Tessa, he’d never find another woman like her. If he gave in to Lila,
odds were she’d be lying.
    Time. The whole situation boiled down to needing time to
sort it out.
    What a wad of shit.

Chapter Ten
     
    Tessa stared at her lesson planner, not seeing the words.
Christmas came and went without a word from Graig. They shared a hallway and
nothing else. She’d given him a baseball signed by the local Triple-A ball
team. He left a simple gold necklace on her desk as a present. No matter how
hard she tried, she couldn’t bring herself to wear the chain. The thank-you
note she’d penned never quite made it to his hands.
    She closed her book and stared out the window at the
swirling January snow. Writing lesson plans meant focusing. She’d tried for the
last month to concentrate on teaching and failed. Her pride insisted she stand
strong. Her heart crumbled. She held things together during school hours, but
the moment school dismissed, her troubles came back in full force.
    Avoiding him wasn’t helping. She turned the staff flyer
over. A note about the upcoming Valentine’s dinner caught her attention. Shit.
Two weeks away from Valentine’s Day and no date. Just her luck.
    She stood and adjusted the clip in her hair. Her neck ached
from hunching over the plan book. From the corner of her eye, she noticed
something white moving across her floor. A baseball. Tessa walked over and
picked up the ball then glanced at the door.
    Graig, dressed in jogging pants and a tight T-shirt, stood
in the doorway and grinned. “Dropped my gear in the hallway. Darned balls like
to roll all over.”
    She held on to the baseball. If he’d dropped anything, she’d
have heard the crash. The noise would’ve echoed off the cinderblock walls. He
lied in order to talk to her? She didn’t care. She missed their banter and
camaraderie. “How’s the baby or was it really a figment of her imagination?”
    “Funny you should ask.” Graig leaned on the doorframe. “Lila
still hadn’t told me the relative date we created the bundle or the exact date
the child was supposed to be due. I insisted on a paternity test. She balked
until I marched her to the clinic. I saw everything, which was nothing. The
doctor called me this afternoon with the results I expected. And the house we
are supposedly buying? There isn’t one.”
    “I see.” She didn’t. Not really. The whole situation seemed
pretty straightforward but made no sense to her whatsoever.
    “I don’t think you do. The whole thing is a farce. No baby.
The doctor confirmed everything. She might have gained a little weight, but the
only place there’s a baby is in Lila’s mind. I knew Lila wanted things her way,
but I never expected her to get this devious. I called her out and