The world seemed to have stopped.

The only thing that mattered was Emmett and I, in this moment. It felt as if someone had an iron grip on my heart as I waited for his reply. I vaguely heard the rain thundering away outside, but it was distant to me now.

Closing my eyes, I leaned against the side of the truck. This was all too much…Running into him, the dinner we’d had together, Brooke…tonight. I was overwhelmed. Swallowing back the lump in my throat, I opened my eyes again and pushed away the tears.

I didn’t want him to see my cry right now.

Emmett had his back turned to me, looking out one of the small windows in the barn. His hands were on his hips, and the tension was clear in his back and shoulders. Oh, God. This was it. He was going to tell me to screw off. He didn’t want any part of my baby or me.

“Say something,” I whispered.

I could feel my heart falling apart. This is exactly what I was afraid of. Could I really blame him, though? We met in Panama City Beach, the world’s most popular spring break attraction. Of course he didn’t want anything serious. 

And a baby was serious.

“I’ll leave you alone now,” I muttered, turning around to open the trucks door. I couldn’t handle whatever rejection he was going to give out. 

The door was open just inches when Emmett appeared behind me, slamming it back shut. I turned around, startled and he placed his hands on either side of my head against the vehicle, effectively trapping me.

“You think I want you to leave?"

His voice was low. Angry. I swallowed again, more nervous than ever. He was pissed. I took in a deep breath, wishing the ground would open up and swallow me whole.

“Yes,” I answered. “You’re angry.”

His eyes whipped up to mine, and he narrowed them.

“Of course I’m angry,” He hissed.

“I’m sorry,” I choked back more tears. “I didn’t mean for this to happen…I didn’t mean to get pregnant.”

“I’m not angry you’re pregnant, you silly woman,” He snapped, clenching his fists as he stepped back from me. “I’m pissed you thought you came here and had the nerve to keep this from me!”

I was stunned.

This wasn’t what I expected him to say, but I was still unsure what he wanted. What he thought about it.

“You probably want nothing to do with us,” I muttered, looking down at the floor of the barn. I kicked at a rock wedged in the ground.

Us. Me and the baby.

“God damn it, Charlotte. What kind of fucking man do you think I am?” He shouted. I jumped a little bit, startled at the volume in his voice.

I looked back up at him.

“I..I didn’t mean..I just mean you met me and then we.. And then we didn’t talk. And then I just showed up here..I couldn’t expect you to to hel-"

He cut me off.

“It takes two to tango, Charlotte. I am a grown ass man and made a grown ass decision when I did that with you. You’re god damn right you can expect me to help.”

For the second time in less than two minutes, I was stunned. I ran my fingers  through my hair, pushing it out of my eyes. This was so emotionally overwhelming. Emmett spoke again, his voice softer this time.

“I’m not going to lie. It’s pretty big fucking shock. It’s going to take some time to get used to. Maybe a lot of time. I don’t know how thing are where you’re from, but here men take care of what they’re supposed to take care of. My mama taught me way better than to knock a girl up and walk out on her.”

I nearly sagged in relief.

Everything I’d been afraid of when it came to Emmett from the moment I found I was pregnant vanished with his words. Of course there were other fears. I didn’t know how to be a mother, I was only 17 years old. But this one fear - this one, big fear - was no longer there.

“I’m sorry,” I muttered again, looking at the ground.

“Sorry for what?” Emmett asked, his voice quiet.

“For keeping things from you. For thinking that you’d ditch me.”

For thinking that you’d ditch us.

“Don’t be sorry,” Emmett answered, shaking his head. “If there’s anything that will make me mad faster, is a liar. I understand why you hid it from me. Just don’t do it again.”

My heart leapt, and I looked up at him and mustered what I could of a smile.

“I won’t,” I answered.

“Let’s get back inside,” Emmett said, nodding towards the door. He opened it and closed it behind us, and by the time we got to the house we were both soaking wet.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take some clothes from Brooke’s room. Come on,” He said, and I followed him upstairs. He was no longer angry, but he was quiet. Brewing. Trying to grasp the fact that he was to be a father.

He slipped into Brooke’s room and came out with a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He handed them over.

“Bathroom’s down the hall.”

I followed his direction and quickly changed, pulling my wet hair up into a bun and hanging my clothes on the side of the bathtub. I was much more warm now. When I emerged, he had changed too. Into a pair of sweatpants and a plain black t-shirt.

“I’ll sleep on the couch,” I said, starting towards the stairs.

“No, you sleep in my bed,” He said as a matter of factly. My heart thumped in my chest, until he added. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”

I had a feeling that I wouldn’t win this one, just like the argument about driving home in this weather. I nodded and thanked him.

“Goodnight, Charlotte.”

“Goodnight,” I said, quieter than ever. He looked at me for a moment like he was about to say something. But he decided against it, turned around and walked down the stairs. I stepped into his bedroom and shut the door behind me.

I turned the lights on and took in the room.

The wooden floors were clean and free of any clothing. There weren’t any posters on the wall, but there were a few pictures of him on horses. Him with a few awards as he was growing up. I made a mental note to ask him about these later.

His bed was against the far wall, facing me with a queen sized bed with a blue comforter. There was a wooden dresser on the same wall as the door. To the right of the bed was a night stand, and a few feet away from that was a window.

On the right side there was a small bookshelf and a desk a few feet away. I turned off the lights, utterly exhausted and crossed the room to his bed.

His bed.

I pulled back the covers, and saw his sheets were black, which matched the three pillows on the bed.

Climbing into it, I pulled the covers up to my shoulders.

His bed.

It smelled just like him. Out of all the outcomes that tonight could have brought, I never would have imagined this one. Me, sleeping in his bed. He volunteered to sleep on the couch…Ever the southern gentleman.

What was he thinking right now?

I wanted to know what his thoughts on my pregnancy were. I wanted to walk downstairs and ask him. But I knew that he needed time to think about what he was told. He needed to adjust, just like I had needed too.

Hell, sometimes I still needed some adjusting.

Grabbing my phone for a moment, I texted Aunt Lauren because I knew she would be worrying about me when she woke up.

Staying with Brooke tonight. Emmett knows.

I turned it on vibrate, and slipped it onto the bedside table.

Rolling onto my side, I closed my eyes. I was much more tired than I thought.

In no time, I was drifting off underneath Emmett’s covers.

Author's note: Sorry this is short. I'm very busy these days, due to work. I hope you guys can understand. I also hope you enjoyed the chapter! What do you think of Emmett's reaction?