by Aly Martinez
“I’m usually the one who breaks shit.”
My eyes fly to the door to see Brett standing in the hallway.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I shout, trying to catch my breath from the exertion of destroying the table and the surprise of someone standing in my house.
“You should lock your door.” He turns to walk toward the kitchen.
“Right. I’ll be sure to jump right on that. Now, what the hell are you doing here?”
“I brought you some scotch, but it seems you already found the emergency stash.” He grabs a beer out of the fridge and turns back to me. “So what’s going on?”
“I thought you didn’t want to be involved?” I say, leaning up against the doorway to keep myself from swaying.
“I don’t. But Jesse was threatening to withhold sex if I didn’t come over here and talk to you. I’d really like to get her naked, so if you could hurry up and spill it so I can get home, that would be great.” He tips the beer up to his lips.
“She left.”
“Knew that two weeks ago.” He walks past me to the den.
“She found out I was still actively investigating the accident,” I rush out, grabbing his beer from his hand and draining it.
“Jesus Christ, you’re still doing that?”
“Never stopped.” I look down to find a place to put the empty bottle but only find splintered wood covering the floor. I drop the bottle into the pile of scraps where a coffee table used to sit and head back to the kitchen to grab the bottle Brett brought over.
“The table?” he yells.
“Reminded me of her.”
“Gotcha.”
“So yeah. That’s it. You can go tell Jesse we talked. I’m fine. Go home and get some.” I try to force him to leave, but Brett only leans back, crossing his legs knee to ankle.
“Do I need to plan to work doubles for when you call out and rush to Savannah and try to caveman-style drag her back?”
“I don’t think so. She told me tonight that she’s moving on. It fucking sucks, but I think she’s right.”
“You think she’s right or you don’t know how to fix this?”
“Could you fucking leave now?” I ask, avoiding the question.
“Nope. Put something on the TV. If I go home now, Jesse will never believe we talked. She’ll just send my ass right back over here—or worse, come herself.”
“Oh God, I can’t handle the Jesse inquisition tonight.”
“Exactly. See if there’s anything on ESPN.”
Brett and I stare at the TV in silence, but I’ve known him long enough to know that he’s not watching it either. Finally, I say the most honest thing I’ve said since Emma ran into my life.
“She scares the motherfucking shit out of me.”
“Good,” he says, never dragging his eyes off the TV.
“Good? Thanks, dickhead.”
“Jesse scared the shit out of me too,” he admits, still not looking at me.
“Oh, I remember that. I witnessed that train wreck firsthand.”
His eyes finally swing to mine. “I’m going ask her to marry me.”
“No shit?” I ask, surprised. I always knew Brett would do it, but it still surprises me.
“Few months from now, when she graduates. I rented out the bowling alley we went to on our first date. I never thanked you for that, by the way.”
“Yeah, you’re welcome,” I say dismissively.
“Caleb, get off your ass and do something. Don’t sit there drowning. She’s in Savannah, not another planet.”
“And do what? Nothing has changed.”
“Now that part is up to you. You can continue to hate Sarah or you can let it go and choose Emma. That’s a choice you have to make.”
“Don’t you think if it were that easy I would have done it a long time ago?” I say, rubbing a hand over my tired eyes.
“Then make it that easy.” He leans forward like he just unlocked the secrets of the universe when in actuality he just said the equivalent of Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign. I can’t help but start laughing at him. He rolls his eyes and heads for the door. “I’ll let Jesse know I’ll be covering for you in a few weeks.”
“We’ll see,” I respond, but I know he’s right.
“WHAT DID he say!?” I scream at Hunter while trying to snatch my phone out of his hand.
“Nothing you need to worry about,” he answers, dodging me.
“Tell me!”
Caleb got the ring today. I got the UPS alert on my phone the minute it was delivered to his house, and I’ve spent the entire day freaking out about it. Finally at five, I started drinking. I have no idea how Caleb is going to react to getting Manda’s ring back, but I know I’m not strong enough to deal with it right now. So two glasses of wine in, I gave Hunter my phone. And now, a whole bottle later, I’m pretty sloshed and begging for it back.
“Who said he even text?”
“He text, I know he did. Delete it. Please just delete it,” I say, sobering for only a moment.
“Already did, sugar.”
“Stop calling me sugar!” I scream at him yet again. “Did he sound happy? Sad? Pissed off?” I ask, nervously pulling my hair into a ponytail.
“He sounded like an asshole,” Hunter says, sitting down beside me.
“Yeah, he always sounds like that.” I sigh, defeated. “I really love him.” I lean my head down on Hunter’s shoulder.
“I know you do. If it’s any consolation, I think he loves you too.”
“What?” My head springs up off his shoulder. “Oh my God, what did he say?”
“Nothing. I’m just saying, when I saw y’all together—when he wasn’t glaring at me—he was always staring at you.”
“Don’t tell me shit like that.” I smack him across the chest. “You are the worst best friend in history.” I lean my head back down.
Hunter throws an arm around my shoulders and takes a deep breath. “He said he was sorry y’all tried.”
My whole body stills as the pain of those words slice through me. I nod against his chest and try to fight back the tears but fail miserably.
“That definitely sounds like Caleb.”
“I know this shit hurts. I still remember it like yesterday when Lacey and I fell apart. I’m so sorry, Em.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“NO. NO. No. No. No. This is not happening.”
“Emma, calm down.”
“No, you calm down.”
“I am calm!” Hunter laughs beside me.
“I swear to God, if you laugh again, I will castrate you while you sleep.”
“Jesus! That is not even funny,” he says, appalled.
“Neither is this,” I hiss through clinched teeth.
“Emma, we’re having a baby.” He gives me a huge smile.
“Um, no. I am having a baby with a man who freaking hates us both. He hasn’t spoken to me in two months, and I can guarantee if he ever hears you call this your baby he will kill you on the spot. Oh my God, how is this even possible?” I settle my head back against the table and stare up at the butterflies painted on the doctor’s office ceiling.
“When a man and woman love each other—”
“Get out!” I yell just as the ultrasound tech comes walking in.
“I can come back.” She turns to walk back out.
“No, wait. I was talking to my friend. I’m sorry. Please come in.”
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she says, walking in with a warm smile.
“No, I’m sorry. I’m just a little nervous and he was cracking jokes.”
“The dads are always more laid back than the moms. Well, at least until delivery.” She winks then starts typing into a computer.
“We really are more relaxed.” Hunter chimes in with a teasing smile.
“He carries a gun for a living. At this point, I won’t even try to stop him,” I say pointedly.
I should have brought Alex, but when he found out t
hat there was even a slight chance he would have to see any part of my body naked, he immediately had to work.
“So let’s see what we have here,” she says, squirting warm jelly on my stomach. “Now keep in mind, if we don’t see anything, don’t worry. It might just be too early to see on the abdominal ultrasound.”
I nod nervously.
She rolls it around on my slick stomach for a few seconds while black-and-white images blur across the TV mounted in the corner of the room. Suddenly, a small image comes into view.
“Oh my God,” Hunter breathes beside me and reaches out to grab my hand.
“Is that her?” I barely squeak out as tears fill my eyes.
“Yes, that’s her or him,” she clarifies, smiling over for only a second before she goes back to taking measurements.
“You okay?” Hunter leans down, resting his head next to mine and kissing my hand.
“Nope,” I answer honestly.
“You will be.” And no sooner than he finishes that sentence, a fast thumping fills the air.
“Baby has a perfect heartbeat of 136,” she announces, hanging the wand back up. “You are measuring at ten weeks, two days. He or she looks great! Here are some paper towels for you to clean up with. I’ll be right outside with some pictures for you to take home. Okay?” She heads for the door, and I know I must look like a deer in headlights.
“Holy shit,” I whisper as the door clicks behind her.
“That was the most intense two minutes of my entire life,” Hunter says, bringing my hand to his mouth again.
“I’m pregnant,” I announce as if he hadn’t just been sitting there. “With a gummy bear,” I add.
“It will be the most beautiful gummy bear in the world,” he says reassuringly.
“What the hell am I supposed to tell Caleb?” Tears once again fill my eyes.
“I’ll go with you,” Hunter offers as I wipe the goo off my stomach.
“No. He really hates you.” I pull down my shirt and stand from the table.
“Whatever. He’ll have to get over it.” He pulls me against his chest and holds me while I try to dry my eyes. “Hey, regardless of how he responds, we’ve got this, okay? Uncle Hunt is not going anywhere.”
“I’m know you’re just trying to help, but please never talk in third person again.”
“Creepy, right?” He pulls back and offers me a tissue.
“Very.” I wipe the makeup from under my eyes, grab his hand, and head out the door.
I ANSWER the phone, flipping through the file of my latest case. “Detective Jones.”
“You son of a bitch!” I hear shrieked across the line.
“Um…” I’m taken aback for a second.
“You got her pregnant!” the woman screams. And this time, she has my complete attention.
“I’m sorry. What?” I ask, confused and extremely fucking curious.
“Caleb, what the fuck? This is way worse than just trying to get back at me. Emma was innocent in all of this. And now...a baby.”
Ah, yes. Sarah. I knew I recognized that shriek. I begin to be a smartass when her words suddenly hit me.
“Wait. Who’s pregnant?” My stomach drops to my toes.
“Emma!” She confirms.
My mind is racing a million miles a minutes.
“I haven’t seen Emma in two months.” I’m so surprised that I somehow feel the need to explain things to Sarah.
“Well, she’s ten weeks pregnant. You do the math.”
Oh fuck.
I’m stunned into silence as I run over a hundred different scenarios that would make the baby Emma is—allegedly—carrying not mine. But those thoughts hurt even worse. I’m nowhere near ready to have a baby, but if she were to have a baby with someone else, I would never be able to recover.
I’ve been busting my ass to get myself to a better place the last few weeks. A place where I could let go of this vendetta I have against Sarah. A place where Emma and I can be together. I even started seeing some whack-job counselor Jesse hooked me up with. I’m really fucking trying to fix my shit, but now a baby?
“Damn it, Caleb! Say something!” Sarah yells, reminding me that the phone is still attached to my ear.
“I love her,” is all I manage to choke out.
“Right. Of course you do,” she says flippantly, and it makes my blood boil.
I’ve spent the better part of the last five years searching for ways to put this woman behind bars. Now, she’s on the phone giving me shit. Really?
“Fuck you. You’re really fucking lucky I love your sister, because she might be the only saving grace you have. You kill anyone recently?” I jab with the words from our past, and I can almost hear her face pale across the line.
“I’m trying to get better,” she breathes.
“Stay out of my life. Forget I exist. God knows I’ve spent years trying to forget you.” I slam down the phone and look around the room to see if the world really is upside down.
I lock up my computer and head for my car. I need to catch a plane to Savannah, but I have to make a phone call first.
Brett answers on the first ring. “Hello.”
“I need Emma’s address in Savannah,” I say shortly.
“Well that took you long enough. I’ll have Jesse text it to you. They exchange funny cards and shit. Why women do that I will never—”
“She’s pregnant,” I announce because I need someone to tell.
“Uhhhh…” He stutters across the line.
“My thoughts exactly.”
“Is it yours?” he asks, sounding slightly awkward.
“I really fucking hope so, or Sarah is going to look like a real ass for calling me to drop this bomb.”
“Oh shit!”
“Yep.”
“You want to talk to Jesse? She’s right here.”
“Nah, I’m good. I just need to get to Savannah. Have her text me the address. I’m going to need you to cover for me for a few days.”
“No problem, brother. Eli and I can fill whatever hours you need. Take your time.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Hey!” He catches my attention before I hang up. “She’s pregnant. Leave the caveman in Chicago. Try some Romeo bullshit or something. If you act like a dick, I have zero qualms about beating your ass.”
I bark out a laugh. “Qualms? Really, Brett?”
“I’m serious. She’s my family. Don’t go down there and show your ass. Just get your woman and bring her home.”
“I gotcha.”
“Keep me in the loop,” he says before cutting the connection.
EIGHT EXCRUCIATING hours after I got the phone call from Sarah, I arrive at Savannah International Airport. I didn’t even bother to swing by my house on the way to the airport. I’ll buy whatever I need here. I’m reasonably sure Savannah has a mall or two.
It’s nine p.m. when my cab pulls up in front of her house. There is not a light in the house on, and for a second, I worry that she’s not home. But just as I walk up to the front door, the porch light flips on.
“Caleb Jones,” he drawls, pulling open the door. The shadow of a giant I know to be Alex lingers behind him.
“Hunter Coy,” I respond taking the final step to the door. “Where is she?”
“Sleeping,” he answers shortly but pushes the door wide as an invitation for me to enter.
“I want to see her,” I demand, stepping into the quaint townhouse.
“We won’t stop you. But I want to know where your head’s at first,” he says, and for the first time since I met the asshole, I feel something similar to respect for him.
“I honestly have no idea. I’m guessing, by this little show of solidarity, it’s true.”
“Sarah called earlier. I know you talked to her. Emma does not.” He moves to sit down.
“Where is she?” I ask again.
“Upstairs. In my bed,” Hunter says with wicked grin that has me rushing toward him.
“Slow you
r roll.” Alex throws a hand into my chest. “He sleeps on the couch. He’s just giving you shit. First door on the left.” He nods up the stairs.
I don’t give Hunter a second thought as I fly up the stairs. I gently push open the door, and the light from the hall illuminates the room. I stand for a minute and watch her softly sleeping. Her long hair is cascaded behind her, and her body is completely absent of any blankets, exposing her long, creamy white legs. I can’t take it a moment longer. I have to touch her.
I quickly toe off my boots and climb into bed behind her. Wrapping my arms around her waist and bending my knees into hers, I pull her tight against my body. She hasn’t even opened her eyes, but for the first time in months, my body relaxes. I drag my hand under the camisole she’s sleeping in and press gently against her belly.
“I’m not cuddling with you, Hunter. Take your ass to the couch,” she says, scooting away from me. Her words make me smile and extinguish whatever smoldering jealousy I had about their relationship.
I follow her across the bed holding her tight, and just as she begins to huff and try to move my hand away, I whisper into her ear. “Hey, Emmy.” Her entire body immediately goes stiff.
Very slowly, she rolls over to face me, nervously chewing on her bottom lip in the most unlike-Emmy way.
“What are you doing here?” she asks, but her bright eyes give her away.
“I’m here to take you home.”
“Where’s home exactly?”
“My house.”
Her eyes go wide before suddenly narrowing. “Who told you?”
“Sarah,” I say simply, and surprisingly, it doesn’t even feel like venom on my tongue.
“Fantastic!” she says with enough sarcasm to shut down an entire clown college.
“Were you planning on telling me?” I ask gently.
The entire way here, I thought this was going to be a fight. I’m bitter that I just found out, and it’s even worse that Sarah was the one who told me. But now, staring into Emma’s face, whatever anger I was harboring is completely washed away.