Page 46 of Through the Storm

“I’m sorry.”

She looks at me, confused. “For what?”

“For not understanding. For thinking you were just… intense.”

Her mouth presses into a line. “I am intense.”

I huff out a breath. “Yeah. But now I get it.”

Her mouth curves, sad but fond. “Yeah, I was scared, okay? I know I was probably projecting a little too hard. I was just trying to do everything I could to protect you.”

My throat tightens. “I know. And I’m really grateful you showed up for me.”

She swallows.

“I just didn’t want you to feel alone,” she confesses.

I push the chocolates toward her. “You’d never let me.”

Her eyes shine, and for the first time since I’ve known her, she doesn’t look like the strong one in the room. She just looks… quietly devastated. She reaches for my hand, squeezing gently. “I’ll never let you,” she whispers.

I swallow. “I don’t know how you survived that.”

Ella looks down at my stomach, her hand hovering before she rests it there gently. “I didn’t.” She takes a breath. “Not really. But you will be okay. I’ll always make sure of it.”

Something breaks open in my chest. Something warm and aching.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

I find Grandma Patty in the kitchen peeling apples, probably to make one of her famous pies. The kitchen smells like cinnamon, and she looks completely unbothered by the existence of problems.

She glances up once and immediately narrows her eyes. “Well, what’s wrong now?”

I let out a startled laugh that turns dangerously close to a sob.

“It’s bad then,” she mutters, abandoning the apples.

“I just came from Ella’s.”

Something in her expression softens instantly.

“Oh, honey.”

That’s all it takes.

I sit heavily at the table and press the heels of my hands against my eyes before the tears can fall. “I just feel so sad for her,” I whisper. “I can’t imagine going through that.”

Grandma Patty reaches over and squeezes my wrist. “And now you’re scared too.”

It isn’t a question.

I nod.

“I’m scared something’s going to happen to my baby,” I admit quietly. “And I’m scared I’m ruining Ben’s life. I mean…” I laugh weakly. “We’re so young. And there are literally five possible dads. Who does that?”

Grandma Patty snorts so loudly I blink at her.

“Katherine Montgomery, if you spend your life worrying about other people’s opinions, you might as well just throw yourself into the Bay right now.”