“No, Adley. Come on, you know me better than that. I don’t expect you to forget what I said, but I do expect you to give me the chance to explain.”
“Fine. Explain.” It’s not going to make a difference.
Lincoln blows out a breath and looks up at the sky. When he starts to talk, his eyes find mine.
“I was angry and mad and scared and a million other emotions I can’t name, and I lashed out. My words were meant to hurt my dad; they were never meant to hurt you.” He takes a step forward. “I would never hurt you, Adley. You have to believe that.”
I nod, because I do believe him. I don’t think he would hurt me intentionally, but it doesn’t erase what he said.
I don’t love her.
I don’t believe in love.
I refuse to fall in love.
“Listen.” I take a step forward, keeping a safe distance, because if he touches me, I’ll have a hard time not giving in. I need to think this through. “We’ve both had a long day—”
“No. Don’t do this. Please, don’t leave.”
My chin trembles. Tears prickle behind my eyes. “I can’t stay.” My voice cracks, and Lincoln’s face falls.
This time when he reaches for me, I let him. He pulls me against his chest and buries his face in my neck.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispers. “I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry for the things I said. I swear to you, I didn’t mean it. You have to know how much you mean to me.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, and when Lincoln pulls back, he cradles my face in his hands and rests his forehead against mine.
“I love you, Adley. So much. I can’t lose you over this.”
“Oh my gosh. No,” I yell, shoving him. He stumbles backward. “You don’t get to say that to me. Not now. Not after what you just said to your father.”
“Adley, I didn’t mean it. I was just pissed off. How many times do I have to say that?” His eyes are bright with a panic I can’t quite wrap my head around. “You have to believe me. I love you.”
I shake my head, and he grabs my arm.
“I love you,” he says, softer this time.
“It’s not about believing you,” I cry. “I believe you care about me.”
“Love,” he stresses. “I love you.”
“Whatever. It doesn’t matter what word you use. What matters is that I don’t trust your feelings for me now. How do I know you’re not saying this because you’re afraid of losing me?”
Lincoln’s eyes widen. “What do you want me to do? Tell me what to do to get you to believe me, and I’ll do it.”
Tears drip down my face, and I don’t bother wiping them away. “Take the next few days and be with your dad. He needs you, and so does Chloe.”
“What about what I need?” Lincoln pulls me into his arms, but I struggle against him, and he lets me go.
“It’s not about what you need anymore,” I say, thinking of the tiny life growing inside of me.
It’s because of that life that I have to walk away from Lincoln and figure how to move forward.
“I need some time to think.”
“You mean time to distance yourself from me?”
“Lincoln—”