Cold. I was so cold. I snuggled under my covers as I laid in bed for the third day in a row. I wished I hadn’t stopped taking the birth control pills when Emmett left me. We could have avoided this hell. I knew we weren’t ready to have a baby. But it was a life we lost just the same.

It was half me, and half Emmett. It was our love. And now it was gone. Taken from us. Before we even knew about it. We didn’t even have a chance to love it.

I went into a panic every time I had to go to the bathroom and saw the blood evidence left behind in the toilet, as my body slowly began to heal. It was fate’s cruel reminder. I was numb.

I closed my eyes and fell back asleep.

It was Sam’s third day in bed. She’d gone straight under the covers when we got home from the emergency room on Saturday and only gotten up to use the bathroom since. She’d barely eaten the sandwich and salad I brought her on Sunday. She got up when I did on Monday, and I’d hoped it was to start the day, but she just used the bathroom and went right back to sleep.

The doctor had said she might need to rest for a few days. He also said she may experience some depression. Even though it was an early miscarriage, she still had the pregnancy hormones, and would likely be emotional for a while. I was ready and could handle it. I would be her rock to lean on. But I was still angry, and depressed, and I didn’t have the excuse of those hormones in my body, so I could only imagine what my Peach was going through.

I would have used her phone to text Aiden to get her English Lit assignments, but given they apparently weren’t talking anymore, I decided to leave well enough alone. She could get the assignments when she returned to class . . . hopefully soon.

I walked into the bedroom and saw her lying awake in our bed.

“Hey, Peach,” I said. “I’m going to take Gage to the dog park. Do you want to come?”

She looked at me. I could see she was torn, but ultimately her sadness won out. She shook her head and rolled over.

“Okay, I’ll be back soon. If you need anything, call me and I’ll come right back.”

She lifted her hand in a thumbs-up and dropped it back to her side.

With a sigh, I retrieved Gage’s harness and leash and got him hooked up. “Let’s go buddy,” I said, opening the front door.

On our way to the dog park, I saw a blue 1969 Chevy Malibu with a For Sale sign in the window. I snapped a picture with my iPhone so I could call later. I also took a picture of the car to show Sam when she was up to looking at it. If it was as good on the inside, and under the hood, as it looked on the outside, I’d try to make a deal with the owner.

I let Gage off the leash to run and play at the dog park. As I sat there on the bench, I turned Gage’s water bottle over and over in my hands. My mind kept wandering to the baby and what could have been. I’d hoped to ask her to marry me soon, but now I wasn’t sure if that was a good idea. I thought it might upset her, for us to be happy after experiencing another loss.

I decided to call John. I needed to vent and he was the best choice to talk me back to normalcy.

I scrolled through my contacts and pressed his name, bringing the phone to my ear, I sighed heavily.

“Hey, Emmett.” John answered.

“Hey, man,” I said.

“Wow, dude, you sound bad. Something happen?”

“Yeah,” I said. It was hard to say the words out loud. I wasn’t sure I even could.

“Well, what’s up? Peachy okay?”

“No . . . yeah, she’s okay. Or she will be.”

“Oh shit. What’s going on, Emmett?”

I sat there in silence. I couldn’t find my voice.

“Is it that bad?” he whispered.

“Yeah. It’s pretty bad, John. Peach had a miscarriage.”

“Fucking hell. I’m sorry, man.”

“She started having massive cramps and was bleeding like crazy. We didn’t even know she was pregnant until they told her she’d had a miscarriage. She’s depressed and hasn’t gotten out of bed in three days. I don’t know how to help her. I’m at the dog park with Gage. Thought I’d call you.”

“Emmett, man, I don’t know what to say except I’m here for you guys. Do you need anything?”

“I don’t know. Let’s talk about something else for a while. I need a distraction.”

“Okay. Well, I’m just getting some work done out back for Riley and Quinn. They busted the picnic table, so I thought I’d fix it while they were at work. The girls are coming over for dinner. They’ll probably ambush Quinn about the rental houses Tamron wants to check out. I swear, if the living together part doesn’t work out for those two, I don’t know who the hell else would tolerate the shit they give each other. It’s only a matter of time though until Quinn gives in. So . . . you want me to drive over?” he asked.

“Nah, it’s okay, man. Stay there and have fun. I just needed to vent, you know, say it out loud.”

“I really don’t mind. If you change your mind, send a text or call, and I’ll be over as soon as I can.”

“Okay. Thanks for listening, John,” I said then ended the call.

It was getting dark out, so I whistled and called Gage over to me. I thought about Sam back at the apartment and was angry I’d left her there alone the whole afternoon. Gage and I sprinted home. I was so worried about my Peach and was breathing hard when we stopped at the apartment door and I dug out my keys. It was silent inside as I unlocked the door and walked in.

I ran to our bedroom to check on Sam. She wasn’t lying in bed. My heart dropped as I heard the water running in the bathroom. She walked out and stopped short when she saw me standing in the doorway.

“Hi,” she whispered, looking down at her feet.

“Hi,” I said back, hoping this was a step forward.

She walked back to the bed and crawled under the covers. When she turned to her side, I knew the conversation was over before it even began, but I had to try.

“Peach, can we talk?”

“I don’t really feel like talking right now, Emmett.”

“Well, I think we need to.”

She rolled over and looked at me with devastation in her eyes. “I just can’t right now.”

I walked over and kicked my shoes off. Lying down on the bed, I pulled her into my arms. She laid her head on my chest and lost herself to her sobs. I tried to be strong for her and not to break down, but my heart was broken about ten ways in one, and I didn’t catch my tear before it dripped on her arm. The second she felt it, she erupted into shaking cries.

“Why Emmett, why?”

I held her tighter to me and rubbed her back. “I don’t know, Peach. But it’s gonna be okay. We’re gonna be okay. Because that’s what we do; we make it through these tough times, and we always come out stronger.”

She sniffled and squeezed my hand.

“I promise, Peach, someday, we will have a family, and we’ll love each other forever.”

I woke up with Emmett’s arms wrapped around me. He was still asleep. After three full days, I was finally ready to get out of bed. I tip-toed through the apartment and turned on the Keurig. Then I grabbed Gage’s leash and took him outside. We walked around the apartment complex a few times. It was nice to breathe in the fresh air. When we returned home, I was kicking off my shoes as Emmett walked out of the bedroom. He looked at me with surprise, relief, and hope in his eyes.