The Choice

Chapter 28

Ezra's eyes do a double take as he looks at me. "What did you just say?" His hands stay on my belly. 

I smile at him softly, and I lay my hands on top of his. 

"This baby is yours."

Ezra's eyes widen, and they immediately get a little glossy. "What do you mean?" He cups my face in his hands. "This is my baby?" 

The tears have formed in my eyes. "It is." A tear rolls from my left eye and down my cheek. Ezra wipes the tear with his thumb, and he places a gentle kiss on my lips. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asks. 

"Well, there's a long list of reasons why." I sit back, and Ezra sits back with me. "First and foremost, you do know that the child Lucy is carrying isn't yours, right?"

Ezra's eyes grow cold, and he's silent for a minute. "I thought so." His jaw tightens a tad. 

"I'm sorry. I hate that she did that to you." I rub Ezra's back.

"Me too."

 "When I found out I was pregnant, I wanted to keep it a secret at first. I wanted to make sure I made it to the 12 week mark without any-" I pause. "Without any complications."

Ezra nods his head. His eyes are buried into mine. 

I take a deep breathe. "If something were to happen, I didn't want to put you through that again. I promised myself as soon as I made it past 12 weeks I would tell you."

"What happened?" Ezra asks. He grabs my hand, rubbing his thumb across it in a comforting gesture.

"Well, I went out to eat with Paige and Andy one night. I went to the bathroom, and I saw Lucy in the stall," I say. "At first, I thought she might have been in there with you, and I was a little shocked. Then, I heard her say someone else's name, and I knew she was with another man."

Ezra drops his head. "I can't say I'm surprised."

I run my hand through his hair. "I was so mad at her for doing this to you. Of all people, you were the least deserving of something like this. I was hoping she didn't see me. I rushed out of the bathroom, and I immediately left the restaurant. I thought I was in the clear, but I thought wrong."

Ezra jaw tightens. "What did she do to you?"

"She showed up at my house, and she threatened me."

"Threatened you with what?" Ezra asks. His hands clench, and I do my best to comfort him. He runs a hand across my cheek. 

"She said if I told you I was carrying your baby, or if I told you that she was carrying another man's baby, she would unravel the lives around me."

"How so?" 

"She knew a lot about us. I'm still not sure how, but she did. She threatened to expose my dad's affair to Jesse. She also threatened to tell Paige about Clay being her father."

"Jo, I'm so sorry," Ezra says. He scoots closer to me, and he rubs a hand down my back. "I wish I would've known."

"I would have told you, but I couldn't risk having her mess with other people's lives. That wasn't fair to them."

Ezra squeezes my hands. "I don't blame you for anything. I completely understand why you did that."

"There's more to this story though." I stand up, and I take a deep breathe. Ezra watches me, not moving a muscle. "I also slept with Clay," I say, and I stop. My hands are shaky, and my eyes are now feeling watery. "While we were still together."