AJ
I sat in my car outside Raven’s apartment. I’d driven straight to her only to find that her shift at the hospital had not yet ended. I lowered my seat back and curled onto my side, allowing the tears to fall.
I held my phone in my hand, staring ahead at the last message Rhett had sent.
Rhett: Was the test positive?
I closed my eyes tightly as regret hit me for even leaving him. I should have stayed. I should have talked to him and worked this out, but I was so scared of hearing things I’d feared the most. The idea of him telling me that he still loved her, and that love outweighed what he felt for me, was a nagging terror that fought against my better judgement.
“I need to know that it’s me you want,” I whispered in the darkness, my eyes still closed tightly. “And not just because you’re gonna be a daddy.” My lower lip trembled, my body shaking from the sobs that ripped through me.
My phone rang in my hands and my body jerked in surprise as I looked down to see Raven’s number across the screen. “Hello.”
“Where are you?” She was talking low, and I assumed it was because she was still at work and was not cleared to make personal phone calls.
“I’m sitting outside your place. It’s fine, really, I’ll wait.”
“You are not sitting in your car until after seven in the morning.” There was no point in arguing with Raven; I’d never win. “Maddison is on her way over so that you can follow her back to her place for the night.”
“I’ll just go back to Dad’s,” I start to tell her, and she overtook me. “You’re gonna go with Maddison, because there is something going on, otherwise you wouldn’t have driven over without calling first. I’ll be there in the morning.”
I found myself nodding in agreement.
“Everything’ll be okay,” my big sister assured me. It was what she did, what she’d always done. From the moment our mother left, she’d taken on the motherly role. She was the one person I knew, no matter what, I could rely on. She was more than my sister; she was my best friend.
“I know,” I say in return, even though I still wasn’t sure.
“I love you, AJ.” I closed my eyes tighter as I tried not to fall apart. “I love you too,” I was finally able to say after a few short calming breaths. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
We ended our call, and I knew leaving Rhett hanging was wrong, but I didn’t want his decision to be led by the fact that we’d created a life together. It was part of the reason why I didn’t tell him when he came home. Initially, I had planned to share the news over dinner, but that all changed when his sister shared what she’d thought I’d already known.
Me: We’ll talk tomorrow. I’m staying with my sister tonight, I’ll call you in the morning.
I didn’t want him to worry.
When he never responded, I tucked my phone away and waited for Maddison to show up. Headlights appeared at the end of the road and my stomach flipped, making me feel nauseated. When she pulled up at my side, her hair all piled on top of her head, she motioned for me to roll down my window.
“Just tell me this.” She arched her brow, giving off the serious vibe. “Do I need to drive to Brooklet and beat Rhett’s ass?”
I smiled for the first time since I talked to Grace. “I’m not sure yet if it's me or him that needs the ass kicking.” Instead of her asking anything more, she told me to follow her and backed out of the driveway.
***
Maddison’s apartment was more like one large room with everything in it. The living room, kitchen, and bedroom were in clear view. The only thing that was separated and private was the bathroom itself.
“It’s small, but it works,” she offered with a shrug as she tossed her keys onto the countertop that served as a table with two barstools on one side. I watched as she pulled out two glasses and placed them on the counter before grabbing a bottle of wine from the fridge.
I didn’t know how to decline without actually revealing the truth, so I just went for it. “Can I have just water please?”
As expected, I got that confused, “are you crazy” look. “From the looks of you, and the fact that you’ve shown up late at night without notice, I think you need to relax a bit. It’s wine or whiskey. Pick your poison, because the last thing you need is water.”
“I can’t drink alcohol.”
“Since when? It’s not like you’re gonna be driving, and believe me, alcohol will make you feel better, at least for tonight anyway.” She started to pour the wine in both glasses.
“I’m pregnant,” I blurted out and instantly noticed the way her hand froze mid-air, with the bottle of wine extended, ready to add more to the first glass. I also picked up on the way her eyes had widened and her mouth now lay slack. “No one knows yet.”
“Does Rhett?” She finally lowered the bottle to the counter at her side and lifted the first glass with the smallest amount of wine and downed it.
“He knows that I took a test, but he doesn’t know the results yet.”
“Why?” she asked as she lowered the first glass and picked up the next, sipping this one slower.
“I just took the test today, and I planned to tell him what it said, but then the night sort of went in a completely different direction.” When she didn’t ask, just watched me with a curious stare, I continued, “Harley’s back in Brooklet.”
“What?” Her nostrils flared. “Are you telling me that he actually went to her?”
“I’m not sure exactly what took place.” I wasn’t lying, the problem was I let my fears get the best of me. “She showed up yesterday and I guess they talked at Gran’s house. But he never told me she was here, or that they talked.”
“Then how do you know it’s true?”
“Grace told me.” Maddison leaned back against the counter, her arms crossed over her chest. “She thought he’d already told me. Then I found a large envelope in his drawer filled with pictures and letters, cards even, that she’s been sending him over the last seven months or more.”
“He kept them?” I nodded, and she narrowed her eyes.
“So it’s not stupid that the idea of that bothers me?”
“Hell no.” Maddison uncrossed her arms and took a step forward. “I would’ve been upset about that too.”
“This whole thing, it’s just confusing,” I confessed. “I think I just needed to get away so that I could clear my head.”
“I think that was a good idea.” I watched as she opened her fridge and grabbed a bottle of water, handing it to me. “Does he know where you are?”
“I told him I was going to Raven’s.”
She nodded as she lifted her wine glass once more. “Okay, well let’s get you settled. I think you need a night’s rest, because I have a feeling that tomorrow will most likely be just as emotionally draining. I can vouch for the fact that Rhett doesn’t give up easily. If I know him like I think I do, keeping him away isn’t gonna be easy.”
Just about then my phone chirped inside my bag with a notification of a new text message. My heart raced as I pulled it out and read the screen.
Rhett: I’ll give you tonight, but all bets are off tomorrow. You are mine AJ, and I’m yours. There is no fucking way I’m walking away from us.