When I woke the next morning, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Grant had left early to see to some business. He said it was related to the job he’d done the night before. I made him let me change the bandage on his shoulder before he left.

After he was gone, I made coffee, and then wondered if I was still allowed to drink coffee now that I was pregnant. I hadn’t read that chapter of my book for expectant mothers yet, but I knew they were always getting stricter with what was deemed good for the baby. I decided to just drink some hot water instead, until I had time to ask Faith about it. She’d know the answer.

I put my hand on my tummy and thought of Grant. What had we done? What had he meant when he said I was his girl now? Did it mean we were a couple? I never could tell with Grant. He seemed pretty clear about what he said and did in his life, but when it came to me, everything always got confused.

I had to find out what was going on. I had to get some clarity from Grant. I picked up my phone and dialed his number.

“Hi, Grant,” I said, shyly.

“Hi, Lacey.”

“Are you busy?”

“I’m spending some money.”

“So, there really is something important I have to tell you,” I said, nervously.

“Is it what you were going to tell me last night, before you told me that you used to spy on me while you masturbated?”

“Oh, well, yes.”

“Don’t worry, I already know it.”

“You know it?”

“Sure I do.”

“What do you know, Grant?”

“I’d never have seduced you like I did last night if I’d thought you were still engaged to be married.”

“What?” I asked.

“I know you and Rob are finished.”

“How do you know that, Grant?”

“I took care of it.”

“You did what?” I gasped, suddenly feeling my emotions rise to the surface.

“I took care of everything.”

I suddenly felt a quiver come into my voice. I was upset, and it hit me completely by surprise. I was so in love with Grant, but all of a sudden I felt like crying.

“You took care of everything?” I asked, my voice trembling.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to upset you, Lacey.”

“I’m not upset.”

“I can hear it in your voice.”

“Well, I’m just surprised, Grant. What do you mean, you took care of everything.”

“You’re finished with Rob, right?”

“Yes, but how do you know that?”

“I guessed.”

“You didn’t guess.”

“I felt it. I know you wouldn’t sleep with me unless you were finished.”

“Bullshit, Grant.”

“It’s not bullshit, Lacey.”

“Just tell me the truth. I’ve been lied to enough times in my life. You said you took care of it. What did you do?”

“Lacey, don’t be like that.”

“Like what?”

“I didn’t mean to do anything to upset you.”

“Just tell me how you knew that Rob and I were finished.”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Then Grant sighed. Finally, he spoke. “I had a talk with him.”

“You what?”

“I had a talk with him.”

“When?”

“Last night.”

“Last night?”

“Yes.”

“What did you talk about?”

“Lacey.”

“Just tell me, Grant.”

“We talked about you, Lacey.”

“What did you say?”

“I asked him to reconsider whether or not he really was the right man for you.”

“You asked him to step aside so you could take me?”

“Lacey, it wasn’t like that.”

“But that was basically the point of the discussion?”

Grant sighed again. “Fine, if you want to look at it that way.”

“You interfered with my life?”

“With our life.”

“With my life, Grant.”

He took a moment to answer. “Yes,” he said at last. “I interfered with your life.”

“What makes you think you have the right to do that, Grant? Do you think you know better than me what I should be doing with my life? What made you so sure I wasn’t in love with Rob? What gave you the right to interfere like that?”

“Lacey, I wasn’t trying to interfere.”

“Then what would you call it?”

“Lacey, please don’t do this.”

“Was it Rob who shot you last night?”

There was resignation in his voice when he answered. “Yes.”

I hung up the phone. I didn’t know why, but my emotions were at boiling point. Maybe it was the hormones from being pregnant, but I just couldn’t stand the thought of Grant interfering in my relationship with Rob.

I mean, I didn’t even disagree with him. He’d told Rob not to marry me, and the truth was, I should have been thanking him for doing so. I knew that was the right decision. I didn’t want to be with Rob, and Rob didn’t want to be with me.

But I wanted to think I’d reached that outcome on my own, because I was in control of my own life. I didn’t want to feel like everything was being orchestrated by Grant, just because he knew better. I was tired of being the failure when it came to relationships. I wanted to be with Grant, but I wanted to get there on my own terms, as his equal.

It was as if I’d thought I’d achieved something on my own, and then found out he’d actually been behind the scenes, pulling all the strings on my behalf.

It was infuriating. I was still one hundred percent in love with Grant, but I hated being treated like a child. I wanted to believe I was capable of making my own decisions, and I wanted to know Grant believed that too.

I took a deep breath. As I thought about it, a part of me also felt stupid for being so mad. I was so conflicted. I was mad at Grant for interfering, but I was just as mad at myself for being mad. And I was embarrassed I’d shown Grant just how mad I was. And most of all, I was distraught that I’d just been the cause of our first fight.

I was so mad at my phone for letting me make that call. There should be a time limit built into phones for how soon after making love you could call a guy. Especially when you were simultaneously in the process of breaking up with your fiancé, and pregnant too.