Repair Me (Kin #1)(54)
Author: Jennifer Foor

“Are you going to say something?”

Ford put his face down in the blankets.

“So what happens now? This thing between us has to end because you’re going to run off and marry her, like the good southern boy you are? Come on Ford, I know you don’t want to be with her.”

He turned and looked at me and I could tell from the look on his face that he wasn’t happy. He reached over and gently caressed my arm. “I should have waited until I saw the proof, but I can’t keep this from you. Ash’s dad came to tell me that she was pregnant. He showed me this tax bill that hasn’t been paid in years. Apparently, he thought he was doing me a favor over the years by not tellin’ me because I was involved with his daughter. Now that we ain’t together, he’s blackmailin’ me.”

I was so confused. “What are you saying? You’re talking about two things at once.”

“He says if I don’t stand by Ash then my family can kiss our property goodbye.”

My heart was racing and it wasn’t because I was excited. “What does he mean when he says stand by her?” The question stung my throat as I held back the tears that I knew were coming.

Ford hesitated and tried to grab my arm, but this time, I pulled away. “Sky, this isn’t what I want. You have to know that I want to be with you. If there was another way around it, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

I put my hand over his lips to make him stop. “Just tell me what is happening. Please, Ford.” I could feel the first tears falling down my cheeks.

He reached up and wiped them away. I closed my eyes, unable to look at him. His sad face did nothing for my breaking heart. “We can’t be together anymore.”

I sat up and covered my face. There was no way for me to hide my feelings. We’d spent so much time getting to know each other that trying to act normal wasn’t going to work. Ford knew me better than I knew myself sometimes. I felt him coming up behind me and putting his hands on my shoulders. “Please don’t touch me. It only makes it worse.”

He didn’t let go. “Darlin’, this ain’t what I want. God, the thought of hurtin’ you is killin’ me inside. That’s why I couldn’t keep it from you any longer. I want you to know that the reason we can’t be together has nothin’ to do with you. If I had a choice, it would be you.”

His words meant nothing, because all I heard was him saying that we were over. I wanted to be angry and lash out at him, but I knew he was hurting just as much as I was. For the first time, I was certain that he was truly being forced to break up with me. I hated Ashley and her pathetic excuse for a father. “Are you sure she’s pregnant?” I still refused to look at him. My face was soaked and I knew that if I looked into his eyes seeing the same pain I was feeling, it would cause me to physically lose it. “What if she’s just lying? She said she would do anything to get you back.”

“Her dad said it. I swear to you that I don’t even remember that night and I wasn’t with her any other times. It seems impossible, but we both know I have the worst possible luck.”

Ford leaned over and kissed me on the back of my head. “It’s not fair! You promised you wouldn’t hurt me, Ford. You said we were going to be happy.”

He talked with his face against my head. “I know what I said and I meant it. You have to know that I don’t want her. She’s ruinin’ my life. Ever since that dickhead walked out of my apartment, I’ve been tryin’ to figure out a way for this to all go away. What am I supposed to do, Sky? If I don’t take his damn deal, he’s goin’ to force us off our property. My dad is happier than he’s been in forever. That business is all he has.”

“It’s his fault for not paying his taxes. Why do you have to suffer?” I started to sob, while Ford tried to comfort me.

He wrapped his arms completely around me. “What am I supposed to do? I have a f**kin’ kid on the way. Even if I walked away from my family, I can’t walk away from my own child. I ain’t sayin’ I want to be with Ash, but I want to be a part of its life. She ain’t goin’ to let that happen if I’ve got no place to live and no job. She’ll take me to court and make sure I never see my child. Jesus Christ, do you not understand how hard this is? I don’t want to hurt you or be without you. I don’t know what else to do here.”

I wasn’t oblivious to his situation. It sucked and I knew he was stuck between a rock and hard place, but he still had a choice. Why couldn’t he just challenge the man. “How much money do you need? I’ll give it to you. My dad can help us.”

Ford got up off the bed and walked over to my dresser. His back was facing me and I couldn’t have cared less that he was naked. Nothing could distract me from the fact that we were breaking up. “It’s over ten grand, Sky. I can’t and won’t ask you for that kind of money.”

“If it meant we could be together, you wouldn’t take it?” I was so desperate to hold on to him. I didn’t care if we had to start robbing banks. I’d do anything to be with him.

Ford walked over and kneeled down in front of me. He put his hands on my thighs and finally looked me in the eyes. It wasn’t just pain that I saw staring back at me. I could see tears forming in his eyes. “No. I won’t take your money. There will still be a baby. I know you don’t understand, but I promised myself that if I ever had children, I’d be a better parent than mine were. Ash doesn’t even matter. I need to be responsible. I have to do the right thing.”

I took Ford’s hands and pushed them off of my legs. “Get your things and go home, Ford. I have nothing left to say to you.”

The truth was that I had a lot I wanted to say to him, but being in the same room with him was killing me. I’d let myself fall in love with a man who was telling me that we couldn’t be together. Seeing his pain escalated my frustration.

Ford was walking away from me and I couldn’t stop him.

We were over.

Ford

Maybe I should have waited to tell her. Holding her one more time wouldn’t have made it easier, but at least I’d had that as a goodbye instead of the one I gave her. I left Sky that night, crying in her room, with no hope of us ever even talking to each other again.

The thought of being without her was too much for me to take. After getting back to my place, I headed straight to my father’s to give him a piece of my mind. After unlocking the door, I burst into the house, looking to take out my frustrations out on the person responsible for getting me into this situation.