Deflected Hearts: Chapter 2

I want nothing more than the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

August’s eyes are glued to my stomach, the color draining from his face as he stares at my protruding belly. I’m only a little over four months, but because of my smaller frame, it’s been much harder to conceal and I’m showing more than I’d like to at this point. I didn’t think it would be much of an issue, though, until this moment. There was no one that I needed to hide it from because he was the last person that I had expected to see.

But now he’s here… on a date with another girl, staring at my pregnant stomach where his baby is growing inside.

“August…” The girl stares at him, her eyebrows drawn together in confusion as her eyes bounce back and forth between the two of us. “Are you okay?”

I watch as his eyes meet hers, his face as white as a ghost. I just need him to give me his drink order so I can go disappear and maybe find someone else to cover my table. There’s no way I can work under this tension and the awkwardness that hangs heavily in the air.

August almost entirely ignores her, his mocha-colored eyes meeting mine in a rush. “Give us a moment,” he says, his voice low and eerily calm.

“Okay,” I say slowly, attempting to keep the panic from my voice as I attempt to take a step back. As I move to turn away from them, his arm darts out, his hand wrapping around my wrist. I look back at him over my shoulder, my eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

“Not you.” He glances at the girl across from him. “I’m sorry, Bailey.” His voice is heavy with regret. “I’ll be right back. I need to talk to Poppy for a minute.”

My stomach sinks and bile instantly rises up my throat, burning my esophagus. It’s been a while since I’ve had any morning sickness, but this is entirely something different. The adrenaline is rocking my system and I’m ready to run again as my flight mechanism begins to kick in.

“Uh, okay,” Bailey practically whispers, the hurt and confusion washing over her face. And I’ve never wanted to disappear as badly as I do at this moment.

August rises to his feet, his six-foot frame towering over mine. His hand doesn’t leave my wrist as he walks past me, pulling me along with him. “Where’s somewhere we can talk in private?”

My eyes are on the back of his head, the tousled soft hair I loved running my hands through when his face was buried between my legs. A heat creeps up my neck, spreading across my cheeks as I brush the thought away from my mind. “Outside,” I answer, my voice sticking in my throat like peanut butter.

I follow August out front, ignoring the glances from my coworkers as we slip out into the darkness of the evening. There’s a chance I might get fired after this, but he’s not going to let me out of his sight right now before he says whatever it is he needs to get out.

He leads me to the side of the building, instantly releasing my wrist as he stops. His shoulders heave as he takes a deep breath and slowly turns around to face me. “You’re pregnant?”

My lips part and I stare back at him in utter shock. All I can do is nod because I don’t fully trust my voice with the way he’s looking at me right now. I watch his eyes transform, a wave of pain washing over his brown irises.

“Is this why you lied?” There’s nothing harsh in his tone, just curiosity and hurt. “I know that was your cousin and not your boyfriend. Is this why you quit at the bar and moved out of your apartment?”

My eyes widen and I shake my head. “I just found out and we weren’t on speaking terms. You made it clear that there wasn’t any room for me in your life and that’s okay. I don’t blame you for that, August. We went into that situation with no strings attached. I didn’t want to burden you with any of it and I was tired of working at the bar.

“I moved back home with my parents so I could focus on finishing my degree before the baby comes and not having to work as much. I just work here part-time… and I should probably get back inside.”

I make an attempt to walk around him, but he quickly steps to the side, his movements faster than mine as he blocks my way back to the restaurant. I can’t fully read the expression on his face as he attempts to process everything I just said, but I’m just being honest with him. I didn’t run—instead, I retreated to somewhere safe, somewhere that would give me the chance to get my life in order so I wouldn’t have to struggle supporting a child by myself.

August’s eyebrows draw together, his eyes burning through mine. “Is it mine?” His voice is hoarse and thick with emotion.

I’ve been honest with him so far, but am I ready to come clean about this? He deserves to know, but I’m terrified to tell him the truth. The last thing I want to do is cause any turmoil in his life, to cause any complications. That’s all a baby will do. It wouldn’t take much for both of us to become a burden to August and interfere with his perfectly structured life.

“Poppy!” My manager yells my name as she stomps around the corner to where we’re currently standing. “If you want to keep your job, you need to get your ass back inside.”

I use her anger as a distraction and quickly duck around August without another word, leaving him in the darkness of the night with his question still hanging heavily in the air. As we head back into the restaurant, I pause at the door, my eyes meeting his as he walks toward us. He left his date inside and now he needs to go back in to her.

I’ve already got a plan to ask someone else to cover their table, because I can’t face him right now. His eyes are narrowed, a shadow passing over his face that sends a shiver straight up my spine.

I may not be able to answer his question and face him right now, but something about the way he’s looking at me tells me he’s going to give me no choice. He’s not going to let me go that easily this time. He isn’t going to let this rest until I give him a straight answer, until he knows the truth.

August Whitely is nowhere close to being done with me.

And there’s nowhere else for me to run.