Breathe (Sway Part 2)
Page 27
“I thought I might be able to before she lied to me.”
“What’s the horrible lie she told?”
“She said she saw you and Justin holding hands a few days before my mother showed me the pictures.”
“She told me she didn’t know what Valerie was planning.”
“She told me the same. I’m not sure I should believe her.”
“Maybe she used Katie the same way she used Justin. At least Katie’s remorseful.”
Ryan reached out and took my hands in his. “I’m sorry I screwed everything up so bad. I pushed away the one person I loved most in this world. I still can’t believe I doubted you. That in those few minutes when I made the choice to believe the lie, I changed the course of everything for both of us. I wish I could go back and make it right.”
“Even if you could go back, it doesn’t mean we would have stayed together. Maybe you were right for not trusting me. I wasn’t honest with you about Justin. I kissed him when you were in Colorado.”
Ryan’s hands pulled away from mine. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was afraid you wouldn’t want me to see him anymore. Nothing else happened between us until after…”
“You love him,” he muttered.
“Of course I love him. I wouldn’t have—” “Slept with him if you didn’t.” Ryan’s eyes met mine. “Justin filled me in yesterday.”
“My feelings for Justin have always been there. It’s not something that’s ever going away.”
“You’re choosing him,” Ryan said numbly.
“I love you, Ryan. I always will, but I can’t give up everything for someone who wouldn’t do the same for me.”
Ryan bowed his head. “I’m sorry for everything I did wrong.”
“You did what you thought was right at the time.”
“No, I did things I knew weren’t right. I did things to be mean and to hurt people.”
I leaned closer to Ryan and touched his cheek. “Maybe you did what was best for both of us. I have the most amazing memories of what we shared when we were together.” Tears rolled down my cheeks. “I won’t ever forget them. I won’t ever forget you, but you and I don’t belong to each other anymore. You should go home, Ryan. Forgive Katie. Work on your marriage. Raise your son. Be happy.”
Ryan wiped his eyes, and then looked into mine. “Justin’s good to you?” he asked.
I nodded yes.
Ryan stood up, took my hand, and pulled me back into his arms. “This is so hard,” he breathed. Tears spilled from my eyes again, my heart aching. It was hard, one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do, but at the same time, I knew I’d done the right thing, not just for me, for all of us.
Ryan released me and wiped the liquid from my face. “I’ll always be here if you ever need me,” he said. I pulled closer to him and kissed his mouth for the last time.
“Goodbye, Ryan.”
“Goodbye, Annie.”
56
Annie
When I got home, Justin was sitting on the steps to our apartment. I smiled at the sight of him.
I sat down beside him and held his hand as we both stared straight ahead.
“I didn’t make it off campus before turning around,” he said. “Sorry I was kind of an ass earlier.”
“Me too,” I said. I’d been a bit of an ass myself.
“So, who’d you pick? Me or Mullins?”
“My coming home didn’t give it away?”
“For all I know, you could be here to dump me. I need to hear you say it.” He smiled, repeating my line.
“Well, my declaration isn’t going to be nearly as grand as yours, but I’ve told you before, Bishop, you’re the one person I’m always going to want in my life, so you’re kind of stuck with me.”
“I could think of worse things,” Justin exhaled. “Eating asparagus is one of them,” he added, making me laugh.
“I’m glad you’re here,” I said.
“I’ve always been here, always will be.” Justin stood, took my hand, and helped me up. “So, let’s start this thing off right,” he said and scooped me into his arms.
“What are you doing?” I laughed.
“I’m going to carry you inside our home, and since I’ve bailed on all of my classes today, I’m going to spend the rest of it loving you.”
Five Years Later
Annie
I was sitting on a bench in Lehman Park, waiting for Justin when a baseball bounced into my lap. A dark haired boy ran toward me, holding his gloved hand open. I hadn’t thrown a ball in years, and waved him closer instead.
A man wearing a Phillies ball cap came running up from behind him. “Sorry about that,”he said, and then he made eye contact. “Annie?” he asked.
I smiled at Ryan and stood up.
“Wow.” He smiled.
“I know. I feel like a house. I’m overdue.” My fingers were so swollen that I could barely get my wedding ring on and off anymore.
“You look beautiful,” he said.
“Thanks,” I said shyly. “My doctor told me that walking could help induce labor. I’ve been here every day this week. I think he’s a liar.”
“Can I have the ball, Dad?” Jacob asked.
“Oh, sorry,” I said, and handed it to him. “It’s funny, I still think of him as a baby,” I told Ryan.
“Yeah. He’s six now.”
Jacob spoke up. “My daddy’s teaching me how to throw a slider.”
“Wow, a slider. That’s a pretty advanced pitch. You must be good.”
“Yep, but not as good as my daddy. He plays in the majors,” Jacob said before running a few feet away and throwing his ball into the air and letting it drop back in his glove.
I smiled. “Who are you playing for?”
Ryan tipped his hat. “Philadelphia. I start in a couple weeks.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” Ryan looked over at Jacob still playing with his ball. “Believe it or not, Jake’s paternity is the one thing my mother didn’t lie about, which makes me feel that you and I weren’t sacrificed for nothing.”
Before I could respond, I heard a woman calling my name “Amelia Anne.” I looked around, and then this little
girl about three with blond curls dove into Ryan’s legs and grabbed hold.
My eyes flashed to Ryan’s. Amelia Anne was my name—my great grandmother’s name.
“We call her Amy,” he said. I smiled, pinching myself to keep from crying. I was already hormonal. It wouldn’t take much to turn me into a sobbing mess. Ryan picked up the little girl and she looked back at me with his green eyes. “She’s beautiful.”
“Thanks. She’s into everything, but you’ll have a terrible two-year-old on your hands soon enough.”
“I’m beginning to doubt it. This baby seems to be comfortable where it is.”
“She’s fast. I couldn’t catch her with all this.” Katie looked at Ryan. She was pushing a stroller full of stuff, and then I realized she was about six months pregnant.
“Hi Annie,” Katie said.
“Hi. Congratulations,” I motioned toward her belly.
“You too.” She smiled and then spoke to Ryan. “I’ll take the kids to the swings.” She took Amy from Ryan’s arms and chased after Jacob.
“You two worked it out,” I said.
He nodded. “It wasn’t easy. We came clean about everything, forgave each other, and started over.”
“Does she know her daughter has my name?”
“Yes, she does.”
I smiled. “How are your parents?”
“My dad’s married to a great woman, who’s not my mother.” He snickered. “My mom has also remarried. I don’t see her much though.”
The baby kicked me and my hand automatically settled on the spot.
“Do you know what you’re having?”
“No, we wanted to be surprised. It’s been driving Pam crazy. She says I’m hexing her nesting.” I laughed. “We had to chang
e the locks to keep her out of the house so she can’t get her hands on the nursery. It’s yellow. She thinks yellow is gross.” Ryan laughed, and then his eyes rested on me for a long moment. “It was great seeing you. You seem happy.”
“I am. You seem happy, too.”
“I am. It took a while, but I got there. Tell Justin I said hi, if he still doesn’t want to punch me.”
I laughed. “I think he’s over it.”
“Okay.” Ryan smiled and we stared another moment. “I got my Amelia Anne Mullins after all,” he said, before turning and walking away.
The next morning, Justin and I welcomed a healthy baby boy. Henry Wyatt Bishop.
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