Redlight

by Winter Travers

  Nothing was going to be the same for me anymore.

  I hadn’t gotten the test results yet, but I had believed Delaney when she told me I was the only guy she had been with before.

  I was going to be a dad, and I was terrified.

  *

  Chapter Four

  Delaney

  99.9%

  Jay was the father.

  I never doubted it, but seeing it in black and white in front of me made everything more real.

  Two hundred dollars, a mouth swab, and a blood draw. That was all it took to change everything.

  It had been two days since I had spoken to Jay, and I was sitting in the parking lot of the private lab that had done the test with my phone in one hand and the test in the other. I needed to call Jay and set up a time to meet, but I just couldn’t dial the number. We had agreed that the lab would contact me when they got the results just in case Jay was out of town.

  I know he didn’t want the baby.

  He sure as hell didn’t want me, either, but I honestly wasn’t worried about that. I knew the score when Jay and I had hooked up. He was a player in every sense of the word.

  A player who didn’t have his sights set on being a dad.

  I had gotten his phone number when I had dropped the bombshell on him two nights ago, and now, I was trying to muster up the guts to call him.

  My phone buzzed in my hand, and I about jumped out of my skin.

  “Dear, Jesus,” I whispered. I swiped to connect the call and pressed my hand to my chest. “You just scared the living crap out of me, Mom.”

  “Well, hello to you, too,” she laughed.

  “Hi, Mom. I didn’t expect you to be calling.”

  “Do I need to schedule a time to call you?” she huffed.

  “What? No. I was just holding my phone, and I was surprised you called.” And I was lost in my own head trying to get the courage up to call Jay.

  “Are you going to be home for dinner tonight?”

  “Uh, I should be. Why?”

  “I’m going out of town with Christy the next three weeks.”

  “Uh, following the race team?” I may live with my mom, but between school, clinicals, and work, I was barely at the house except to sleep.

  She tsked. “No. Christy is hellbent on going to Florida to visit her sister, and wouldn’t you know it, my ass needs to go with her. You know how I am in the heat.”

  I did know exactly how my mom was in the heat. She claimed she was melting the whole time and was absolutely miserable in weather hotter than seventy. She really was going to melt if she went to Florida in June. “Make sure you drink water and stay away from the booze if it’s really hot out.” Three weeks was a hell of a long time. Maybe Mom would actually get used to the heat.

  “Gonna buy stock in baby power for my damn chafing.”

  Or not. “Mom,” I laughed. “I think that qualifies as too much information.”

  “Bull,” she scoffed. “You and I both know you are straight to the point just as much as I am. My thighs chafe in the heat, and the only thing that makes it bearable is baby powder.”

  “I’ll make sure to have a care package for you before you leave.”

  “I leave day after tomorrow. Better get on it.”

  Leave it to my mother to help take my mind off my life that was a complete wreck right now. “I will,” I promised.

  “You can also get your butt home for dinner tonight so I can see you before I leave. Seems to be all I see of you is ten minutes in the morning before I head out the door.”

  “I know you gotta work, Mom.”

  “And I know you’ve got clinicals, too. Just saying, I wish I could see my baby girl a little bit more.”

  She was going to see quite a bit of me when I had the baby. I figured I would take six weeks off school which would set me back, but I knew I needed to do it. Tonight was going to be as good of a night as it got to let her know she was going to be a grandma.

  Mom had always said she couldn’t wait to be a grandmother, but I don’t think she ever thought I would be the one to make her one.

  “You cooking, or do you want me to grab something?”

  “I’ve got the rest of the day off since Christy is going to need me all day tomorrow. Just get your butt home by six.”

  “All right, Mama.”

  I hung up and went back to staring at my phone.

  Now, I not only had to worry about calling Jay, I also had to worry about telling my mom I was pregnant. I was ninety percent positive she was going to shit a brick.

  My phone rang again, and this time, it was Jay calling.

  Dammit. I wasn’t going to be able to gather my thoughts before I talked to him. Not that I was doing a good job of it before.

  “Uh, hi?”

  “Delaney?”

  I cleared my throat. “Yup, you have her.”

  “I had a message on my phone the test results came in.”

  Of course the lab had called Jay. I didn’t know why I hadn’t thought of that. “Uh, yeah. I’ve got them.”

  “And?” he drawled.

  “Um, did you want to meet for coffee or something?” Why was I delaying the inevitable? I never beat around the bush, and yet, here I was, trying to put off telling Jay he was the father.

  “I’m at work right now. I won’t be off until after seven.”

  Crap. By that time, I would have told my mom everything. “Oh. I didn’t realize you worked that late.”

  “We’re heading out tomorrow. We need to get the car and trailers loaded up. It’s always a late night before.”

  Oh. I didn’t know that. I didn’t know anything about Jay and what he did. “When will you be back?” Maybe I could put this off until he got back.

  “Monday,” he sighed. “Just tell me what the test said, Delaney.”

  I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. “The baby is yours.” Spoken out loud, those words solidified everything. They terrified me, but they also empowered me.

  I was pregnant.

  Jay was the father.

  But everything was going to be okay.

  It had to be.

  *

  Jay

  All air rushed from my lungs, and I struggled to breathe. I thought I had come to terms with the idea of having a baby, but it was like Delaney had told me all over again.

  “And this is for sure?” I croaked.

  “Ninety-nine percent positive according to the test. One hundred percent positive according to me.”

  Hell. I didn’t want her to think I was doubting what she had told me before. She had to get that this was just a huge shock to me. “Ok. All right. Got it. Good.” Shut up, Jay.

  “I can drop the results off at your house, if you want. I know you’re not home, but I can stick them in the mailbox.”

  “You can do that, though you don’t need to.” I believed what she had told me. Though seeing it in writing might be cool. “So, when is your next doctor appointment?” I think that was the right thing to ask.

  “I had one two weeks ago. Right now, I go monthly, so in two weeks, I have another one.”

  “Good, great.” I was like the freaking rain man right now. I didn’t know what was going to come out of my mouth, but I was sure whatever it was, I was going to sound like a moron.

  “Yup.”

  “Uh, let me know when it is, and I’ll come with.” That was the right thing to do. I think.

  “You don’t need to do that. It’s just a checkup to make sure my baby is growing and developing.”

  “Our baby,” I corrected.

  “Yes, sorry. Our baby. Still adjusting to the fact, you know.”

  “Let me know when the appointment is, and I’ll be there. You’ve got my number so make sure to call me whenever you need.”

  “Oh,” she gasped. “Right. I’m sure I’ll be fine, though.”

  Delaney wasn’t going to call me. Not at all. I wasn’t sure if she liked the fact I was the father or not. That didn
’t matter, though, because while I may be adjusting to the fact I was going to be a father, that didn’t mean I was going anywhere. “I’ll call you in a few days, Delaney.”

  “Jay, you don’t need to do that,” she insisted. “I’m just working and going to school.”

  “Just keep your phone by you. I’m pretty busy on weekends the car is running, but I’ll be there if you need me.” I may be a few states away, but if she needed someone to talk to or anything, I would answer my phone.

  “Will do,” she muttered.

  Delaney wasn’t going to call me, but you can bet your ass I was going to be calling her.

  *

  Chapter Five

  Delaney

  “You’re not going to believe the gossip Christy told me.”

  I looked up from my half-eaten piece of pie. “You and Christy thrive on the gossip of the pit crew,” I laughed. I may not know the pit crew personally, but it felt like I did. Mom mostly talked about Frankie and Brooks since Brooks was Christy’s son, but every now and then, she would talk about Jay and Remy.

  When I slept with Jay, I hadn’t known at the time he was the Jay my mom knew, and when I figured it out, it wasn’t a big deal since I never planned on seeing him again. But now, all that had changed. I would be seeing Jay for the rest of my life.

  I may know who Jay was, but Jay and the rest of the pit crew didn’t know I was Susan’s daughter.

  “Because those kids lead some interesting lives. Brooks falling for Frankie was primetime news, but this completely trumps that. It’s about Jay, and if you know anything from what I’ve told you about him, then you know it’s juicy.”

  My stomach dropped, and my fork froze mid-air.

  Oh, shit.

  I had been gathering my courage to tell Mom about the baby through dinner and now dessert, but she might already know my big news.

  “He got a girl pregnant.” She dropped the news like a bomb and kept talking. “But he has no idea who the girl is. Doesn’t even remember being with her.” Mom babbled like a toddler on a sugar rush. “Christy also told me Frankie likes her and hopes Jay pulled his head out of his ass long enough to realize he’s got a girl.”

  I blinked slowly. “Okay.”

  “Okay?” she squealed. “That’s all you’ve got to say?”

  “Uh, I’m glad Frankie likes her and hope Jay snaps out of it?” I had a ton to say about what she just revealed, but I would probably shock the hell out of her. “I don’t know these people, Mom. I can’t exactly act like I know them.”

  She huffed and grabbed her empty bowl. “Gossip, girl. It’s just fun to know what’s going on in these young kids’ lives.”

  “I’m a young kid, and you don’t get this excited when I ace a class or land the clinicals I want.”

  She leveled her gaze on me. “I’m proud of you for those things and brag to everyone I know about them. This is entertainment.”

  Would she be as entertained if she found out I was the chick Jay couldn’t remember?

  I think not.

  “Well, I’m glad his misfortune is entertaining.”

  “Oh posh, Delaney. I didn’t raise you to be a stick in the mud. You totally take after your father when it comes to that. He was always thinking about work even when he wasn’t working.”

  “Who says I’m thinking about work right now?” I wasn’t actually. I just didn’t want to laugh about Jay because I was pretty sure that would put bad karma all over me. I needed all of the good karma I could get at that moment.

  “Well, you’re thinking about something that isn’t fun. I assume it’s work because just looking at those school books makes me want to fall asleep. Plus, you’ve had that tiny little crease between your eyes all night. Means you’re thinking about something hard and no fun.”

  “Hard and no fun?” Thank God she couldn’t read my mind even though she was pretty damn close to what I was thinking about. “I’m just trying to eat my pie and spend time with you before you go off jet-setting with Christy for three weeks.”

  “Not like I want to,” she grumbled.

  I shoveled the last bite of my pie into my mouth and held out the plate to her. “You’re pie was delicious as always, Mama.”

  She patted me on the head. “There’s my little girl.” She grabbed the plate and walked into the kitchen.

  I grabbed my empty coffee cup and followed her. I wished like hell I could have an actual cup of coffee right now, but I had started drinking decaf tea since I found out I was pregnant.

  Tea sucked when you were craving coffee, which was all of the time for me. Being a med student and doing clinicals was the perfect reason to drink coffee.

  But now I was pregnant.

  No caffeine for the baby or me.

  Blah.

  “What are you going to do when you’re gone?” I asked. “You won’t have all of the gossip.”

  She flitted her hand toward me. “Frankie has already promised Christy she would call with daily updates.”

  Oh, great. Even if my mom wasn’t here, she was going to be updated about Jay. Though this could possibly work in my favor. I could get better insight to what Jay was thinking. “So, what is this guy going to do?” I asked. I grabbed the dish towel and waited for Mom to hand me clean dishes to dry.

  “Not sure. Last Frankie said, Jay is acting ornery and not really talking.”

  “I’m assuming he’s quite the talker normally.” I had to assume a lot about Jay since I had only spent a few hours with him, and most of that time, we didn’t do a lot of talking.

  “From the sounds of it. And a lady’s man to boot, too.” Mom handed me the dishes, and I quickly dried them. “Now I gotta go pack,” she huffed.

  “Don’t forget to pack the aloe,” I reminded her. I reached up to put the bowls away, and my t-shirt pulled up slightly. I pulled it down quickly, fearful Mom would see my stomach. I know I had told myself I was going to tell her tonight, but after her talking about it, she didn’t seem very approving of Jay’s situation.

  Entertained, but I didn’t think she would be so entertained when she found out I was the woman.

  I was going to be pregnant for the next seven months. There would be plenty of time to tell her. More than likely, it was going to have to be when she got back in three weeks since I’m sure my little bump wouldn’t be so little anymore.

  She rested her hand on my shoulder and pressed a kiss to my temple. “Thank you for making a little time for your mom in your hectic schedule.”

  “Becoming a doctor isn’t easy,” I laughed. My life had been hectic and go, go, go for the past four years, and I still had at least four more years before things settled down.

  “I guess it shouldn’t be since you’ll be saving lives every day. I love you, Delaney.”

  “Love you, too, Mama,” I sighed.

  She bustled out of the kitchen, and I set the bowl I was drying in the cabinet.

  But was she going to love me as much when she found out I was pregnant?

  *

  Chapter Six

  Jay

  “Bro, you gonna quit for the night?”

  I looked up at Remy. I was sweeping out the trailer thinking I should have texted or called Delaney today. “Just cleaning up.”

  “It’s ten fifteen. We’re all going to be up in eight hours just to make it a mess again.”

  I reached for the dustpan. “Doesn’t mean we need to start messy.”

  “Who in the hell are you and what did you do with Jay Perez?” Remy hitched his thumb over his shoulder. “You know there is a party going down over the Brent Spokes’ trailer, right?”

  “There’s always a party going on over there. Nothing new.” I crouched down to sweep the dirt into the dustpan then dumped it in the trash.

  Remy clutched his hand to his chest. “Bro, what in the hell is going on? I think we need to check your temperature or something.”

  I rolled my eyes and rested the broom and dustpan against the wall. “Nothing is going
on.”

  “I call bullshit. Ever since you found out you’re gonna be a dad, you’ve turned into a ninety-year-old man who can’t have a lick of fun.”

  “Lick of fun?” I laughed. “I may be acting like a ninety-year-old but you’re the one who’s talking like one.”

  Remy flipped me off. “You know what the hell I mean. You’re acting like the damn world is ending.”

  “The world ain’t ending, but my life sure as shit just changed, Remy.”

  “You’re having a baby, Jay, not having your leg cut off or something.”

  I leaned against a workbench and folded my arms over my chest. “What would you do if Harlyn came up to you and told you she was pregnant.”

  “We’d have a baby and then maybe she’d finally agree to marry me.”

  I shook my head. “She won’t marry you now because every time you ask her, she thinks you’re joking.” Remy had asked Harlyn to marry him four times in the last two months, and each time, she just laughed.

  Remy scoffed. “I’m not even going to talk about that. Nothing like asking the woman you love to marry you and she just shakes her head and walks away.” Remy may act like he was joking, but I knew he was somewhat hurt by the fact Harlyn laughed him off.

  “You’re telling me if Harlyn got pregnant, you would be okay with it?”

  “I’d be an asshole if I wasn’t okay with it.” Remy leaned against the workbench next to me. “Look, bro. You gotta know each time you have sex, there’s a chance you can knock the chick up.”

  “Are we having a Sex-ED. class right now?” I hadn’t missed the day the teacher told us how babies were made.

  “No,” Remy laughed. “I’m just saying, you can’t really be that pissed off or upset because every time you take your pants off, you’re taking a risk.”

  “What in the hell are you two talking about in the race trailer at ten thirty at night?” Frankie stood at the entrance to the trailer with her arms folded over her chest. Brooks stood behind her with a shit-eating grin on his face.

  “I think they were talking about Jay’s pants,” Brooks guessed. “Maybe you should put some caution tape on your dick, Jay, if it’s a risk.”