by Laura Gates
Jude, willing to say anything to keep Evie around, agreed. "Yes, I can do those things, even if it takes months to gain your trust," he said. "All right. I'm holding you to that. If I see you break these commitments at all, we're done," Evie said, issuing the ultimatum. Jude nodded. "I understand."
"You're willing to do these? No arguments? No put-downs? Who are you?!" Evie asked. "Well, I did some soul-searching after Harper's birthday, and I realized that I truly missed the three of you. I never fully appreciated all you did for me and for the amazing mom you are to our children.
"I got some counseling, started looking back at the photos of you when you were pregnant with both kids, and you looked radiant. I made a promise to myself that if I ever got a second chance with you, and we had another baby, I wasn't going to screw it up."
Evie smiled a little. "I really want to believe you, Jude, but again, I need to trust you again."
"I understand. I'm willing to meet your conditions if you'll have me. You can work, not work, teach Zumba again, teach Strong, music… I don't really care what you do as long as you're with me and happy," Jude said.
Evie's vulnerability got the best of her. She knew the baby was growing inside of her, and Jude was offering her his heart again, but she couldn't lie to him after his full disclosure. "Jude, I'm pregnant," Evie said, feeling scared. Jude froze not sure how to proceed. "Are you sure?" he asked. Evie reached for her back pocket and pulled the test out. Jude looked at it, and sure enough, the test read positive. "Wow, um, when did this...?" Jude stammered. "About three weeks ago at the AMA's. I guess I ovulated early, and..." Evie said, feeling like the whole situation could turn on her any second.
Jude began kissing Evie, which surprised her. "Whoa, really?" Evie asked. "Really. I love you, and I will love that baby. Hell, he loved our kids and took care of them. I can take care of his kid. As for our relationship, we can take this as fast or slow as you want," Jude said. Evie smiled lightly before kissing Jude. Jude enjoyed every minute of it, and Evie could not help but feel happy that her husband wanted her back, but she felt dead inside because ultimately, she still wanted Beau. Jude wrapped his arms around Evie as she leaned into him and closed her eyes, wishing she would wake up from this alternate universe.
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One month later, Beau stormed through the sliding glass doors of Jude's brokerage office building. He walked straight past security to the elevator. He quickly looked to see which floor Jude's office was on, and pushed that button.
Beau threw open Jude's office door. "You lying son of a bitch!"
"Nice to see you, too," Jude said, trying to keep calm.
"You set me up!" Beau shouted, "The timing was too perfect. Why else would you be in Omaha?"
"Because I'm in charge of…"
"That's bullshit, and you know it. Your company is nowhere near Omaha. I did some research and digging. You sent the fake reporter, and you were waiting outside the arena for Evie and the kids to come out!" Beau shouted. Jude's smile looked like a cat's who swallowed a canary. "So, I guess I won. They are back here in Baltimore where they belong. Children really should have both of their biological parents," Jude sneered.
"I am having a hard time believing you know what a true family is. Death Toll is my family. All four of us have been through so much together, make each other better, encourage each other to work harder, and support each other.
"Before your ex-wife came into the picture, I had another perfect woman in my life and two wonderful kids. We all worked together and encouraged each other to be our best authentic selves. After they died, I lost sight of that until your ex-wife came along. Evie and I made each other better, supported each other, and loved each other. Those things never happened when you guys were married. I don't believe you know how to do any of those things. I think you lied through your teeth to get her back here. Typical Jude being selfish all over again," Beau sneered back.
Jude glared at Beau. "You don't know anything about me," Jude growled.
"Evie talked more about you than you know. Plus, I used to be just like you, wanting what you can't have. That's why I cheated on Phoebe at the beginning of our relationship. I thought my life needed excitement. Still, I realized it was already exciting watching my kids grow up, my wife taking care of them, and caring for them myself. I went to rehab to help with my problems, but instead, you schemed.
"I have evidence that you paid off one of my roadies. I also have a bank statement of one of your employees, Rachel Wilson, where you paid her off to pretend to be a reporter as well. This scheme must have cost you a fortune."
Beau pulled out the bank statement to Preston's bank account, showing a deposit into his bank account of $5,000 from Jude's bank account. He then pulled out another bank statement with Rachel's name on it with $10,000 directly from Jude's bank account. For the first time during this whole interaction, Jude squirmed. "Why couldn't you just leave her alone? There are plenty of other women who can validate your ego. Why Evie? Why do you feel the need to control everything she does? Do you think she's that weak? Because you are wrong," Beau snapped back.
Jude stood up from his desk, knocking some papers over, winding up his fist. He swung at Beau, but Beau was quicker as he dodged the punch. "You don't want to fight me," Beau said, catching Jude's fist. "Why's that?" "Because I will kill you! If we fight, Evie will know I was here. I think I will just wait for this whole thing to blow up in your face, and let her punch you."
"Evie is too sweet to punch anyone."
Beau laughed. "That's how you would see it. You never saw the rage you caused her. She will punch you, and punch you good once she finds out what a giant selfish bastard you are. Wait and see," Beau said before walking out the door.
Beau stormed out of the office building and called an Uber. The driver took him to Jude's house. Beau had hired a PI to try and find out how Rachel got into the arena, as well as everything he could find about Jude. Apparently, Jude paid Preston off to change Beau's schedule and let Rachel in the arena unnoticed. The PI also found the deposit from Jude's bank account into Rachel's as well as a history of Jude and Rachel hooking up for a while right before Jude pulled off this scheme. As the driver pulled up in front of Jude's house, Beau climbed out of the car.
He looked in the front window of the house. He saw Evie sitting at the dining room table reading a book. He couldn't see the kids anywhere, so he figured Levi was at school, and Harper was taking a nap or at a friend's house, considering the time. He stood there and watched Evie read her book for about five minutes.
Rather quickly, Evie set the book down, stood up, and ran into the bathroom. After about two minutes, she came out crying. He so badly wanted to storm into the house and wrap his arms around her, show her the evidence he found to prove himself faithful to her, and take her back home. However, he knew that Evie wouldn't listen to him at this point, so Beau decided to patiently and painfully wait for Evie to put the puzzle together. Finally, Beau walked away from the house and back into the car. "Where to now?" the driver asked. "The airport, please," Beau said.
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Jude walked into his house, and the smell of sweet pork burritos filled his nose. Evie was asleep on the sectional. He knew how tired pregnancy made her, so he assumed she was really exhausted. He walked over to her, kneeled down, and kissed her cheek. She stirred and opened her eyes.
"Hey, you," she said sleepily.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" Jude asked.
"All right. I've been tired lately," Evie said.
"Are you feeling any better at all?" Jude asked.
"I'm fine. The first trimester is always the hardest," Evie said while standing up and stretching.
"Did you make a doctor's appointment?" Jude asked.
"Yes, but I have to wait two weeks. Apparently, there are hundreds of other knocked-up women this year," Evie joked.
Jude laughed. "That's funny. Want
me to go with you?" he asked.
"No, that's okay. You stay home with the kids," Evie said, really wanting to be alone during the appointments. "Okay, if you say so," Jude agreed.
Jude inhaled the delicious smell of sweet pork burritos, and he salivated. "Dinner smells good," he said. Evie smiled a little bit. "Thanks. I know it's one of your favorites," Evie said. "It is. Thank you. You are extremely thoughtful," Jude stated, thinking again about how fortunate he was to have pulled off his biggest scheme.
"Thanks," Evie said, smiling back.
"Want me to shred it?" Jude asked.
"Seriously?" Evie asked in disbelief.
"Sure. That way, you can go heard the kids. Where are they?" Jude asked.
"Harper is at our neighbor's house, and Levi is upstairs working on his reading," Evie said.
"How did we get such a smart kid?" Jude asked. "I have no idea. He came out that way," Evie said.
"He gets his brain from his mother." Jude wrapped his arms around her in the kitchen. "Seriously, since when did you become so thoughtful?" Evie said with a giggle. They kissed tenderly. "All right, I will go get Harper while you shred," Evie said.
"Sounds good." Jude grabbed two forks and pulled the pork out of the crockpot and began shredding it while Evie walked next door to get Harper.
The four of them proceeded to have dinner. Jude suggested the four of them go to one of the gyms where Evie used to teach Zumba to see if she could get her job back, Evie could attend a class, Jude would lift, and the kids would go to Child Care.
Evie was shocked again. Ever since they arrived back in Baltimore, Jude really made an effort to try and make Evie, Levi, and Harper a priority in his life, and Evie noticed. She really liked it, but she was still very skeptical.
They soon got ready to go to the gym. Evie ended up on the sub list at that gym. She attended her old Zumba class, where the current instructor asked her to teach a song. Jude lifted weights. He tried really hard not to look at other women working out. Jude occasionally walked by the aerobics room where Evie was to watch her dance. He noticed her smile was bigger in class than it had been at home. Jude knew the adjustment would take time and that the trust would be rebuilt.
When the four of them got back home, Evie bathed the kids while Jude got them ready for bed. He sat in on storytime and kissed his children goodnight. Evie was pleasantly surprised by Jude's efforts. As Evie tucked Levi into bed, he looked up at his mom and said, "I miss Beau. I want to go home." Evie's heart sank, but she still kept a brave face. "Bub, you have no idea how much I miss him, but this is our home again. Good night," she said, kissing his forehead. Evie held the tears in as she walked to Harper's room to tuck her in. "Mommy?" "Yes, sweet girl?" "I miss Daddy." "I can go get him." "No, not my real daddy. My daddy." Evie could barely hold herself together, hearing her daughter tell her this. Evie kissed her daughter on the forehead. "I miss him, too. Goodnight, my sweet girl. I love you," Evie said, holding in tears.
After she closed the door, she ran into her room, laid down on the bed, and began crying the hardest since that night of confession with Beau. Wake up, Evie thought to herself, wake up. She took some deep breaths and wiped away her tears.
She decided to face her new demons. She played her last image of Beau in her head and what she was doing before. Before she walked in on Beau, she was yelling at Preston, one of the roadies who changed Beau's schedule without consulting her. She told Preston he was on thin ice, considering he had been slacking at his job for two weeks. She realized she never asked him who changed the schedule, whether it was Beau, Preston trying to take matters into his own hands, or if the slutty reporter paid him off to sleep with Beau.
Evie pulled out her phone, opened her contacts, and stared at Beau's name, considering calling him because she never gave him a chance to explain himself. Did I act too rashly, Evie thought to herself. Maybe she did, maybe she didn't. All she knew was that she was back in Baltimore, pregnant with his baby, and Jude seemed committed to his family. That was good enough for her.
"Honey?" Jude called. Evie wiped tears away. "Yeah?" Evie answered. He found her on the bed. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Yeah. I'm happy to be here, but when I saw Beau pinning that woman down, I had horrible flashbacks and deja vu experiences. I just ran away because I didn't want to deal with them again. I guess now I'm grieving," Evie said. Jude listened, hoping this would gain her trust. "Want me to start playing the guitar again?" Jude joked. Evie laughed while sniffling. "Only if you want to," Evie said, wiping her nose.
Jude caressed his hand on Evie's cheek. "I love you," he said. Evie smiled with tears in her eyes. "A part of me wants to say it back to you, but I'm still not ready," she said. "I understand," Jude said, "but I hope this will help you see how serious I am about us." He pulled out a little box from his pocket and opened it. Inside was her old engagement ring. Evie forgot how much she loved that ring, but her head began to spin. "I know to ask you to marry me is a big step right now, but we can wait as long as you want," Jude said, "What do you say?"
Evie smiled a little bit, but Jude knew it would take more time for her smile that lit up an entire room to return. "I say yes," Evie said after sniffling again. Jude slipped that ring on her before kissing her. He was thrilled she said yes. Evie could see the glimmer in her life again, but was this what she really wanted?
Chapter 22
Douche-y Douche Douche Douche-bag
The two weeks went by super slow, considering Evie's nausea became constant. It wasn't easy hiding the pregnancy from the kids, but somehow, Evie managed to conceal her frail state. Jude had suggested she apply at a few more gyms she used to work at to try and get some classes again or at least on the sub list as a Zumba instructor. She was able to get one class back and on the sub list of a few other gyms. Her trust issues with him were slowly repairing themselves. Jude was more invested in her and the kids, but she often thought how long that would last, even with him being extremely supportive of her through the pregnancy.
Levi was back at his old school, and Harper stayed home with Evie unless other parents arranged to have their kids come over. Finally, the day of her doctor's appointment arrived, and Evie felt relieved.
Evie sat in the OB's office, waiting for her turn. She saw a bunch of young mothers with their significant others in the waiting room. Evie began contemplating the night this baby was conceived. Before she and Beau broke up, they had an incredible night where all roadblocks were down after the AMA's. Three weeks later, a pregnancy test read positive, but she was betrayed again by the love of her life and the father of her baby.
Even though she was content that she and Jude got back together, Evie could not help but miss Beau. She missed his smile, his eyes, his jokes, his personality, his charisma, his intimacy, his stability, his warm embrace, and his affection. Beau made Evie feel like she was flying with little to no turbulence. Even though Jude did his best to ensure that kind of security for Evie, she still felt like the air pockets were taller and bumpier than they should be. She hoped the feeling would go away.
"Evie?" the nurse called. Evie stood up and walked through the door. The nurse took Evie's weight, blood pressure, and temperature. All were very normal, and the nurse was impressed with how well Evie took care of herself. The nurse handed a cup for Evie to take into the bathroom. Then Evie went back to the exam room and changed into the gown. She sat on the exam table, waiting for the OB to come in.
Two minutes later, the doctor that delivered both Levi and Harper came in with a big smile. "Nice to see you again, Evie. How are we today?" he asked. "Pretty good. It looks like I'm pregnant with number three," Evie said. "Great! Let's look at the sonogram," he said as he pulled out the ultrasound. Evie laid down and opened the gown a little exposing her stomach. Sure enough, a little baby was growing inside her abdomen. She smiled as she heard the fast heartbeat. "Wow, the fetus is very strong," he said. He began measuring how big to predict a due date. "Well, it looks like that confirms the due date; July 20
of next year," he said. Yep, Beau's the father, she thought. "So, that puts you at about 9 weeks. I have a few questions for you," he said, grabbing his clipboard.
"Are you living with the father of this baby now?" he asked. Evie hesitated to answer. Should I lie, she thought. "Um… no, the father lives in San Francisco," she responded.
"Oh, did Jude move out...?" he began asking.
"No, Jude and I divorced and I moved out there for a job," she said.
"Oh, what brought you back here?" the doctor asked.
Evie winced in pain. "I just felt the need to be closer to my family," she quickly thought up and said.
"Any symptoms?" the doctor asked.
"Constant nausea again that goes away with sleep, exercise, and eating," Evie responded.
"Shall I write that prescription for your nausea medication again?" he asked.
"Yeah, that would be great," Evie said, feeling relief.
"Any signs of depression and anxiety again?" he asked.
"Not yet, but I will call the second I feel something," she said.
"Will you want the same birth plan as last time?" he asked.
"Yes, and I would like to be induced a week early, as well," Evie said, remembering how comfortable she was when Harper was born.
"All right, well I'm glad you're back. We will take care of you and your baby," the OB concluded.
"Thank you, Doctor," Evie said, smiling.
Two weeks went by, and Jude's office Christmas party was approaching. Evie did everything she could to help the assistants and various wives of the colleagues plan the event. She called the caterers and arranged for hors d'oeuvres to be passed around as well as cocktails. Evie made arrangements with her own money to have a couple of specialized servers serve her sparkling cider to hide the pregnancy from the other corporate wives and Jude's colleagues.