Red Queen Read Online Free Page A

to come back to me.’ That’s like the oldest trick in the book.”
    â€œI know that. I know Kari’s not always a hundred percentstraight. But I just had to look in her eyes. She was telling the truth.”
    I crossed my arms over my chest. “I don’t know.”
    â€œAnd she was showing a little bit.”
    â€œAt ten weeks?” I asked.
    â€œIt might have been twelve.”
    â€œAnd it might have been a folded-up pillowcase.”
    He hesitated. “No. She lifted her shirt. It was for real.”
    â€œAnd she wanted to keep it.”
    â€œYes. That wasn’t an issue.”
    â€œShe wanted you back. That was the issue.”
    He lowered his head. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
    It was a lot to digest. It was a minute before I could speak.
    â€œYou should have told me,” I said.
    â€œI’m sorry. I wanted to, but I felt it would hurt you more to know she was having my baby.”
    I shook my head. “You’ve been good so far, real good, but that, what you just said, is nuts. Nothing could hurt worse than that call I got. Do you remember it? ‘Hello, Jessie, how are you doing? Good? That’s good. Hey, I’ve got some bad news. I don’t know exactly how to tell you this. But Kari and I are getting back together. I know this is sort of sudden, and the last thing I want to do is hurt you, but Kari and I . . . we’re not done yet. We have stuff we have to work out. Are you there, Jessie?’ ”
    He stared at me. “God.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œYou remember it word for word.”
    â€œI’ll remember it till the day I die.”
    â€œI’m sorry.”
    â€œDon’t say that word again. Tell me why.”
    â€œI just told you why. She was pregnant. I felt I had to do the right thing and go back to her.”
    â€œWhy didn’t you tell me the truth?”
    â€œI was ashamed, it’s true, but I honestly thought the truth would hurt you more.”
    â€œThat’s so lame. Didn’t you stop to imagine how I felt? You left me hanging. Hanging above nothing ’cause I knew nothing. One moment I’m the love of your life and the next a cheerleader has taken my place.”
    He nodded. “It was dumb, I made a mistake. I should have explained everything to you. Please forgive me.”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œJessie?”
    â€œI don’t forgive you. I can’t. I suffered too much. You say you felt you had to do the right thing so you went back to her. Let me ask you this—were you still in love with her?”
    â€œI was never in love with Kari.”
    â€œWere you in love with me?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œThen what you did was wrong. So she was pregnant. So she wept and begged you to come back for the sake of your child. That doesn’t matter. I was more important to you, I should havebeen more important. You should have said no to her.”
    â€œI couldn’t.”
    â€œWhy not?” I demanded.
    â€œBecause when she rolled up her shirt and I saw that growing bump, and realized that it was true, that it was mine, my flesh and blood, I knew I had to take care of that baby.”
    â€œBullshit.”
    â€œYou’re wrong, Jessie. At that moment, nothing mattered more to me than that child. And yes, forgive me, but it mattered even more than us.”
    I stood. “Get out.”
    He stood. “We should talk more.”
    â€œNo, leave. This was all a . . . mistake. Go stay with Ted.”
    Jimmy stepped toward the door, put his hand on the knob. He was going to leave, he wasn’t going to fight me. That’s what I liked about him, how reasonable he could be. And that’s what I hated about him, that he hadn’t fought for me. I was the one who had to stop him.
    â€œWhere’s the baby now?” I asked. Kari had graduated at the end of January and left campus early. I assumed she’d had the