All because of Berry''stest antics.
Xander had no choice but to rush back to Ferrond with Yvonne-and on top of everything else, she was pregnant.
And Yvonne...
The moment she epted that Xander was the father, her brain practically short- circuited. It wasn''t until the ne took off, and after she''d gulped down two sses of water, that reality finally started to set in.
Xander draped a nket gently across herp.
But as he stood up to leave, Yvonne grabbed his wrist with surprising force.
Xander stopped, caught in her grip.
He locked eyes with her, his breath tightening in his chest.
So this was it—the long-dreaded confrontation he''d been expecting, finallying
to pass.
The image of Dan lying in a hospital bed—twice, thanks to Yvonne''s fury-shed through Xander''s mind. Instinctively, he turned his hand over and sped Yvonne''s. "You''re not allowed to lose your temper right now," he said, voice low.
Yvonne''s breaths were getting quicker, harsher.
"If you want to hit me, can you at least wait until the baby''s born?" Xander tried, sounding almost hopeful.
"You ran out on me!" Yvonne shot back, her voice tight with usation.
At that, Xander''s face fell.
Did she really think he''d wanted to run? He hadn''t even for a second. It had been Shawn, Lott, and Ashley who dragged him away. He''d never wanted to bolt; he barely understood what was happening before they hustled him out of there.
Yvonne''s grip tightened on his wrist, making Xander wince. "Are youpletely brainless or what?!"
Xander recoiled a little.
She pressed on, furious. "So you''re telling me... you sleep with me and then you''re the one who runs off?"
Her voice was shaking now. Every word she spoke, the anger mounted. The humiliation she''d felt waking up alone that morning... There was a reason she''d beaten Dan so mercilessly after; she''d been just as devastated just as confused and miserable-herself.
"You absolute jerk!"
Now, the truth hit her full force. Yvonne exploded, leaping from the plush airline seat as if scalded. She was ready to unleash weeks of pent-up rage right onto Xander.
The nerve! It was him-the coward who ran away. Him!
And what had she done all this time? She''d spent days venting her anger on Dan, beating him ck and blue for something he hadn''t even done.
She was livid.
"You really must have thought I was aplete idiot, didn''t you?" she screamed.
Idiot didn''t even cover it. She''d been a woman possessed—driven half-mad by what she believed had happened.
And it was all for this?
God, she was furious.
Yvonne was practically shaking with blind rage. She wanted nothing more than to throttle Xander. But he acted fast, arms wrapping around her waist, pinning her in ce.
"Let go of me! Now!" she shouted, struggling harder.
"You can''t hit me right now."
"You miserable coward... I’II—!”
"Wait until the baby''s out, okay? Please, just calm down," Xander begged for once doing his best to soothe a furious woman, even though he had no idea what he was doing. All he knew was he couldn''t let her get too upset-not now.
“Let go of me,” Yvonne demanded, still trying to wrestle free.
But Xander had no intention of releasing her; if he did, she''d be on him in a heartbeat.
"Promise you won''t hit me, and I''ll let go."
"Oh, so you think you''re getting off that easy?" she shot back.
"Do you even realize how screwed up this is? Why the hell did you run?!"
Yvonne was practically trembling with fury.
If he hadn''t run, she might never
have thought Dan was responsible for that night. Her anger burned hotter theyd just gotten married and the first thing that happened was—this.
"I didn''t run," Xander insisted.
"Then what did you do?"
"It was Shawn!" he blurted.
Right then, Shawn himself stepped onto the ne. He caught the tail-end of Xander''s outburst and immediately stiffened. The next second, recoiling as if he''d been scorched, he started to retreat, eyeing the cockpit like it was a lifeboat.
But Yvonne had seen him. She pointed an using finger, eyes zing. “Don''t
even think about it! Get over here!"