Alex

I should’ve walked out on Mom. And after I finally did, I should’ve walked out of the hospital, rather than going back to check on Dad. I had no connection with them whatsoever. I’d spent most of my life with them and yet I knew Chloe better than either one. But they were my parents and I wanted to help, even though several decades should have told me I couldn’t.

By the time I finally walked into the lobby, bone weary and having accomplished nothing more than making my parents a) angrier and b) even more certain that my degree was a sham, all I wanted was to find Chloe and hold her close to me. No talking. Not even necessarily any kissing. I just wanted to be with her quietly, and I knew she’d understand exactly that need. Chloe understood everything.

Except, Chloe wasn’t in the waiting room. And she didn’t answer my call, or my texts.

“You were here for hours,” David pointed out as he strolled into the waiting room with a fresh cup of coffee. “If you’re looking for your girl, I’m guessing she split.”

“No,” I said firmly. “Chloe wouldn’t just walk like that.”

He snorted and handed me the coffee. “Here. Drink that. Maybe it’ll thaw your brain. You don’t know the girl, Alex.”

I gave him a look even as I gratefully sipped the coffee. “Since when do you do nice things like remembering other people might need caffeine?”

“I’m a nicer guy than you think,” he shrugged. “Look. It was like five hours you were in there. No girl who isn’t married to you or seriously dating is going to wait around that long.”

“Chloe’s different,” I insisted.

“And you say I’m selfish?” David said archly. “Dude. Pregnant lady? Exhausted, maybe?”

“How do you know she’s pregnant?” I said in surprise, feeling guilt creep in at the truth of his words.

“She told me,” he replied. “Right before she hit on me.”

My free hand clenched into a fist. “Bullshit. Don’t even go there, David. I mean it.”

He rolled his eyes. “Why? Because you don’t believe that your busgirl might just have a thing for the Reeds, rather than you?”

“She’s not like that.”

“They’re all like that, big bro. You’d think Chicago would have cleared up some of your chronic case of naivete. The girl acted all heartbroken for a little while and then she was suddenly all over me.”

I lunged for David, splashing searing coffee everywhere and biting back a scream of pain and fury.

He danced back, his face grim. “Think about it. How else would I know about her pregnancy, Alex? She’s desperate for someone to raise the kid. Someone with money.”

The remains of my coffee splashed all over his shirt and my left hook collided powerfully with his right temple. Then I was out of the hospital, driving away from the Reed family drama as fast as I could.

I didn’t believe a damn word out of David’s mouth. Sure, I didn’t know why he knew about her pregnancy, but I trusted Chloe. I hadn’t realized up until that moment how much I trusted her above anyone else in my life. It was irrational and borderline insane, but hey, insanity clearly ran in my family.

Following that insanity, I took a sharp detour, ran a fast errand, and then jumped back in the car and hooked it toward Chloe’s. She had to be there, waiting to find out how my parents were. True, I couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t answering my calls, but she’d have a good reason.

 

Pulling up in Chloe’s driveway, I jumped out and was halfway to the door when her sister—the short, soft one—walked outside, arms folded across her chest. I slowed and waved tentatively, unsure what had changed the expression on her previously friendly face.

“Hi. Is, uh, Chloe in?”

“No,” she said flatly, then didn’t contribute further information.

“Um.” I scratched the back of my neck, uncertain. “I’m not sure if she told you what happened—”

“She told us. You have some nerve showing up here. If Mara were around, you’d have a rifle stuck halfway up your behind.”

I blinked in shock. “Wait. What? You don’t understand.”

“I understand plenty,” she said tersely, every line in her face so rigid that it was obvious she was fighting back rage. “You’ve known my sister for all of a few days and yet somehow you still managed to wipe the floor with her heart worse than when the father of her baby walked out on her.”

“I did what?” I exclaimed in shock. “Wait a minute. Look. My parents were both taken to the hospital. Chloe went with me and I guess they didn’t let her because she wasn’t family, so I kept her waiting for hours, I know. I’m really sorry. But they were my parents—”

“And she’s my sister,” the woman—Shannon, I finally remembered—cut in coolly. “She showed us the text. So you can quit your crap.”

“Text?” I echoed. “What text? She didn’t answer any of my texts!”

As I spoke, the Mercedes pulled up suddenly in the driveway, peeling in so hard that it kicked up a cloud of dust. Out of the Mercedes climbed tall and sharp Mara, her eyes blazing as she headed straight for me.

“You better run, boy.”

Exasperated, I threw up my hands. “What the almighty fuck? All I want to know is where Chloe is!”

“Don’t you presume to curse at me on my own land!” Mara snarled, walking up and poking me hard in the chest with nails like talons. “Not after you left my baby sister close to a zombie. When I loaded her on that bus, she was so lifeless I worried for her baby.”

“Bus?” Tired of echoing everyone’s words, I finally spat out my question. “Look. I have no idea what the fuhh—crap is going on here, other than that Chloe isn’t here. For some reason you all think I’ve hurt her. But I would never do that. See?” Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the small jeweler’s box and popped the lid so they got an eyeful of the simple but brilliant ring. “It’s not super fancy because I didn’t think she’d be into that. But it sparkles. Like, uh, her eyes. So why would I get her this if I didn’t love her? If I didn’t want to commit to her?”

Both Mara and Shannon had actually gone silent for a few minutes. When Shannon finally spoke, her tone had thawed very slightly.

“You don’t even know her.”

“I know her enough to love her. And you’re telling me that she’s on a bus? Headed where?” I asked desperately. “And why, for God’s sake?”

The look the two women exchanged between them sent chills down my spine before Mara finally said, “You better come in.”