Page 149 of Daddy’s Fortitude

“I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Hmm, why did she sound so sad when she said that?

It was later on that evening, and she knew she had to say something. It was already Friday night. She only had a few days left to get that money, and that wasn’t going to happen. So it would be better if Ammo was far away from her when those guys came to get what they were owed.

There was no way she wanted to put him in danger.

She’d spent this afternoon trying to psych herself up to tell him he had to go.

Aimee had told herself she’d have this conversation after dinner. Then they’d decided to watch a movie, so she’d told herself she’d do it after the movie ended. But now the movie was over, it was bedtime, and she knew she had to do it. She had to get it over and done with, or she wasn’t going to sleep tonight.

“What’s wrong?” Ammo asked from where he sat on the sofa with his arms stretched out the back. He was sitting right in the middle of the sofa. So, if she wanted to sit on it, she’d be sitting right next to him.

Right, which isn’t exactly a hardship for you, is it?

No, it definitely wasn’t. She rather thought it was her favorite place to be, nestled in next to him.

“What do you mean? Why do you think something is wrong?” she asked with a laugh that sounded nervous, even to her.

“Because you’ve been pacing back and forth across the living room floor for the last half an hour.”

“Right. Well, I have something to say, and it’s not very easy for me to say it, because I really appreciate everything that you’ve done for me. Honestly, you were kind of the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Were?” he asked. “You’re talking like I’m dead.”

“No, no, of course not. You’re obviously very alive. It’s just . . . you see . . . umm, I know you’re only here because of Charlie, but I feel like you might have stayed because you care about me a little bit, even though I know you’ll tell me that you don’t have those sorts of feelings. I get it.”

Dear Lord, stop hesitating and just tell him.

“But here’s the thing. You need to leave.”

Wow, okay. She hadn’t quite meant to say it as blunt as that. But it was out there now, and she couldn’t take the words back.

She paused her pacing and forced herself to stare down at him.

“I need to go,” he said slowly, as though he was trying to understand her words.

“Um, yes. And it’s not that I don’t like you being here. That’s kind of the problem, right?” She let out another nervous laugh. This really wasn’t going that well. “I told you before that being around you is torture. It’s hard on me.”

But she still liked having him around. She really didn’t want him to go. However, this was for his safety.

He didn’t say anything. He simply stared at her as though he didn’t believe the words that were coming from her. It was okay. Part of her didn’t believe it either.

“And things are getting better now. You paid off most of those debts, so it gives me some breathing room. I’m going to put the house on the market, and then I’m going to move. Probably to Chicago or Boston or someplace else. I’ll figure that part out. But I’m moving forward, and there’s really nothing more that you can do, so I think it’s time you left.”

He frowned down at her. “You really want me to go?”

No.

Stay. Marry me.

Have my babies.

Well, it would be her having his babies. She could see them now. They’d be utterly gorgeous. Big, though.

Hmm, that was a consideration. Any babies of his would be enormous.

Could she even push out a baby that big?