“Because you can want him all you want but he will never, ever be yours. He is my boyfriend. He is going to be my boyfriend until the day he becomes my husband. I love Tyler and he loves me and if you ever think about putting your lips on him again, I will become your worst nightmare, got it?”
Cath rolls her eyes and nods her head.
“Good now get out of my bakery.” I point towards the door again.
“You know there was a reason I came here today and it wasn’t to go all mean girls on you.” Cath says.
I sigh. “So what did you come here for?”
“To apologize to you.”
Okay...I didn’t expect that.
“What?”
“I came to apologize. To tell you I’m sorry. I’m not going to bother Tyler anymore. I’ve...I’ve actually met someone or I guess more accurately I sort of already knew him and we started talking at Dean’s birthday party and he’s really great.”
I’m not sure what to say to her. I’m not in the mood right now to be nice to her but I guess I should be since she was apologizing. She turns to leave and I call her name. She spins around.
“Thank you,” I say. “For apologizing and I hope you’re new relationship works for you.”
She nods her head. “Thank you and again...I’m sorry.”
“Okay, my favorite part of that was when you told her you would be her worst nightmare if she ever put her lips on Tyler again.” Caroline says, walking behind the counter to give me a hug.
“I said if she even thought about doing it! Have you been standing there the whole time?”
“Sort of. Juan P told me to come see how the case is looking and I heard you two. I figured I’d wait in the wings in case you needed some back up.”
Caroline jumps into a boxer’s shuffle and throws a couple of punches into the air. I laugh and shake my head.
“No, I can handle girls like her.”
“Clearly!” Caroling laughs. “Seriously though, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m tired and feel so disgusting but, you know, I’m fine.”
The front door opens and Chloe walks in and I can tell by the look on her face that she knows. Tyler must have told her after I left. I’ve sort of been avoiding everyone for the past few days. I’m not really sure why. I just didn’t feel like talking I guess.
“Tell me how it is that you are living at my place and I haven’t seen you in close to a week,” She says. “I want to talk to you for a sec. Can you take a short break?”
“I’m covering for Marci until she gets back.” I say.
“Go ahead,” Caroline says. “We’re caught up in the back. I can watch the front.”
I nod. “Okay, we’ll be right out front.” I turn to Chloe. “Do you want anything from the case?”
“No, I’m good.”
I turn back to Caroline. “Okay, Marci should be back any minute. Mrs. Tomkins is coming in for a cake. It’s in the big fridge with her name on the box. She already paid for it. I’ll just be out front if you need anything.”
I follow Chloe out the front door and we sit down at one of the bistro style tables in front of the bakery.
“Before you say anything, I’m going to take a wild guess that you already know?”
Chloe presses her lips together, looks down at her hands and nods. “I get why you didn’t tell me when you found out. It was only right for Tyler to be the first to know but I can’t believe you still haven’t said anything to me until right now.”
I sigh. “It wasn’t like I was intentionally keeping it from you. I’m not ready to tell mom and dad. To be honest I wasn’t ready to tell anyone. Did Tyler happen to tell you that I yelled the news to him while we were arguing?”
“No but speaking of him...” She trails off.
“My answer to anything pertaining Tyler is I don’t know.”
“You have to make a decision Abby. It’s only fair to the both of you. What exactly is it that is keeping you from getting back with him?”
I look down at my feet and chew on my bottom lip. “I’m scared.”
“Of what exactly?”
“That he’ll do it again, or worse, do more next time. It was so easy for him to kiss someone else and keep it from me. What if next time it is more than a kiss? What if he sleeps with someone else?”
“Abby take a look at that boy for five seconds. I’m fairly certain he isn’t even going to consider looking at someone from the opposite sex.”
I shake my head. “I’m serious.”
“So am I!” She laughs. “Look, guys make mistakes. They do stupid things. Jack broke up with me because he thoughts I was still engaged without even asking me if it was true. He acts on impulse. Let me ask you something. Are you more upset that Tyler kissed someone else or that he didn’t tell you.”
“Both!” I exclaim. “It’s not okay that he kissed someone else. It’s not okay that he decided to keep it from me. It’s not okay that I had to read about it in that weekly joke of a magazine. Ask him what he would do if the situations were reversed and I did those things. Do you think he would be in any rush to take me back?”
“I’m not trying to upset you.” She says cautiously.
“Then don’t! Look, I want to be with him. I want to spend the rest of my life with him and maybe I will but how can I be with him if I am afraid he’s going to do it again?”
Chloe smiles and sucks in her top lip.
“What are you smiling about?”
“Because that is the first time in a month that you came out and actually said that you want to get back together with him.”
“No, I didn’t...that’s not...”I trail off and sigh. “That’s the second time today I admitted that.”
“When was the first?”
“About twenty minutes ago or so when I was arguing with Cath.”
“Seriously though Abby, you can’t live your life being afraid he is going to get with someone else or leave you for someone else.”
“Can I ask you why you are on his side?”
“I’m not on anyone’s side but he was a good friend to me when Jack and I broke up and I am just returning the favor. I don’t think anything happened between him and Cath aside from that kiss. I don’t condone what he did at all but I believe him when he said that it was a mistake and he won’t do it again. Obviously you need to do what is best for you and the baby but I think you should give him another chance.”
Chloe scoots her chair closer to mine. A huge grin spreads onto her face. “Now, let’s move on to the fact that I am going to be an aunt. Have you told mom and dad yet?”
“Heaven’s no. The only people that know are you, Caroline and Tyler.” I say.
“Jack, Noah and Dean know and you better not have told Caroline before you told your own sister.”
“I didn’t tell her actually...she guessed.”
The door to the bakery opens up and Caroline pops her head out. She pushes a strand of her long blonde hair behind her ear.
“Hey Abby, sorry to interrupt but there is someone on the phone that wants to book a cake tasting for a birthday cake. I’m not sure where your diary is.”
Chloe stands up. “I have to go anyway. Jack and I have to go over the list of caterers his parents sent us for the wedding. I was just supposed to run out to get a bottle of wine. I made a tiny little detour to come here.”
She holds her hand out to me. I take it and she helps me up to my feet. She pulls me in for a hug and kisses my cheek. “You’re an over thinker Abigail Jayne. Don’t over think this. Just do what feels right.”
Do what feels right...that’s the problem. I don’t know what feels right. I am being pulled into so many different directions that I don’t know what I want to do or what I need to do or what I should do.
Chapter Twenty – Tyler
Someone knocks at the door and a small, feminine voice calls out “We’re leaving.”
I look up from the sheet music in my hands to see Marie, Ann and Cath wa
lking into the room. I set the sheet music down on top of my floor tom and stand up.
Marie walks up to me and I pull her in for a hug.
“I’m going to miss you guys.” She says.
“We are going to miss you too love.”
She laughs as she steps back.
“Alright Sticks.” Ann says.
“Alright Pipes.” I say back.
“You stay out of trouble.” She wraps her arms around my shoulders and pats my back affectionately.
“Always.”
Cath makes no attempt to hug me and I make no attempt to go anywhere near her. Instead, she simply waves.
“Goodbye Tyler.”
“Goodbye Cath.”
She turns to follow Ann and Marie out the door and I sit back down on my stool.
“I’m over it you know.”
“Excuse me?”
“It as in you. As a matter of fact, I’ve found someone else.”
“That’s great Cath.”
She nods once and turns to walk out of the door. I breathe a sigh of relief as I feel all of the drama from the past few weeks leave with her. I move the sheet music aside, grab my drum sticks and just start playing whatever beat comes to my mind. I am so into my playing that I don’t even notice that Dean, Noah and Jack have come into the room until Dean grabs one of my crash cymbals.
“Didn’t you say Abby has an appointment at one thirty?” He asks.
“Yeah.” I pull out my cell phone and glance at the clock.
One fifteen.
I jump up, silently cursing at myself as I grab my keys and rush out the door. I don’t stop running until I reach my car. I quickly slide into the driver’s seat, jam the key in the ignition, turn on the car and peel out of the parking lot. I can’t miss this appointment. Thankfully, there is minimal traffic but I am still nearly fifteen minutes late.
I hastily park my car, jump out and dash inside the Women’s Health Pavilion. I don’t see Abby in the waiting area and panic causes my heart to drop down into my stomach. I rush over to the reception area.
“May I help you?” the woman sitting behind the desk asks.
“Um, yes, I’m looking for Abigail Carver. She’s got an appointment at one thirty.”
The receptionist clicks a few buttons on her computer and gives me a friendly smile.
“Yes, she has already gone back. You may have a seat and wait for her if you like.”
“No,” I say shaking my head. “No, I have to be back there with her. I can’t miss her appointment. She’ll think I’m not reliable. She said they might hear the heartbeat. I have to be in there in case they hear the heartbeat.”
“What’s your name dear?”
“Tyler McDermott.”
“Jeanne, can you knock on room five and ask Miss. Carver if she wants a Tyler McDermott to come back?”
A young, thin girl with mousy brown hair nods and walks down the hallway.
“Thank you.” I say to the receptionist.
I take a seat, staring nervously at the door. Abby already knows I am late. What if she decides she doesn’t want me back there? No, she’s not like that. She wouldn’t do that...but what if she does? She doesn’t have to let me in there. It feels like an eternity has passed and I am about to give up hope when the door opens up and Jeanne sticks her head out.
“Mr. McDermott, you can come back.”
Oh, thank God!
I spring up from the chair and follow her down a short hallway. She gives two quick knocks onto a door marked with the number five before opening it up and letting me in.
Abby is lying back on the exam table, dressed in a blue and white hospital gown. I rush over to her side.
“You’re late.”
“I’m so sorry. I got here as quick as I could.”
“The doctor should be here in a minute.”
“How are you feeling?”
She shrugs. “A little nauseous but okay I guess.”
A knock raps at the door before it opens and a middle aged woman wearing a doctor’s lab coat walks in.
“Hello Abigail,” The doctor smiles warmly as she turns to me. “And you must be the reason we are all here today.”
“Yes, I’m Tyler.”
“It’s nice to meet you Tyler. I’m Dr. Sarianno,” She turns to Abby and flips through her chart. “How have you been feeling?”
“Good, a little nauseous and pretty tired but all in all pretty good.”
“Good, how about we take a peek and see if we can get a look at your baby and get a date for you. You’re probably not far enough along yet for an abdominal ultrasound.”
Dr. Sarianno pulls a white wand off of the ultrasound machine and my eyes nearly pop out of my head.
“Wait...are you...are you gonna put that...in her?”
The doctor looks as if she is trying her hardest to not laugh at my question. “It’s perfectly safe. It’ll help us see your little one this early. It won’t harm Abigail or the baby.”
She turns the screen toward us as some gray and white image pops up. She points to a little white fuzzy spot that sticks out a bit from the rest of the white fuzzy stuff.
“See that right there? That’s your baby.”
I stare at the screen, squint my eyes and cock my head to the side. I don’t see it. Is she saying that white fuzzy blob is my baby? I point to the fuzzy blob.
“That’s our baby?”
“That’s your baby. It will be a lot easier to see when you have your twenty week scan.”
Well, that’s a relief!
“You’re measuring at seven weeks, three days which will give you a due date around the twenty eighth of December. The heartbeat is one thirty eight, which is nice and strong. You aren’t far enough along yet to hear the heartbeat but check this out.”
Dr. Sarianno presses a couple of buttons, the fuzzy image zooms in and red pulsating lines appear on the screen.
“Is that the heart beating?” Abby asks her voice full of emotion.
“That is your baby’s heart beating.”
My heart stops. I glance slowly from the screen to Abby in amazement. I reach my hand down and grasp hers tightly as I lean in and kiss the top of her head.
She’s having my baby. I love this woman and she’s having my baby. I have to make things right between us.
Dr. Sarianno clicks a couple more buttons and hands a piece of paper to Abby. “Here’s a picture for you to take and also a packet of information. We’ll see you back here for a checkup in four weeks but please give us a ring if you need anything or have any questions before then.”
After making sure we don’t have any more questions, the doctor leaves the room. I glance down at Abby, who is staring in awe at the ultrasound picture.
“I’ll wait outside for you while you get dressed.”
I walk back into the waiting room and stand there staring outside the window. I can’t believe I am going to be a father. I wonder if she has told her parents yet. Something tells me she hasn’t seeing as though I’ve had no threatening phone calls or surprise visits from her father.
“Your first?” a guy sitting by the window asks.
“Yes...is it that easy to tell?”
Yes, but it’s only because you have that positively frightened look on your face.”
“I am!” I laugh. “Is this your first as well?”
“Noooo...my fourth.”
My face blanches and he laughs at my reaction.
“Yeah I get that a lot!”
“Ty?”
I turn around to see Abby walking up to me. She holds out her hand and gives me a small white card. I glance down and see that it has the date of her next appointment on it. I stick it in my pocket, wave goodbye to the man I was chatting with and follow her out the door.
“Do you need a ride anywhere?”
She shakes her head. “No, I’m okay.”
We stare at each other awkwardly. Abby reaches a hand up to her hair, curling a long strand of brown hair ar
ound one of her fingers.
“I...uh...I’m glad you came.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry I was late.”
“It’s okay well...I guess I’ll see you later.”
Why are we acting like strangers? It’s like we haven’t been in a relationship with each other for the past year and a half. Abby turns to leave and I reach out to grab her slender arm. She turns back to look at me, her brown eyes are welling up with tears. Sliding my fingertips underneath her chin, I tilt it up and brush my lips softly against hers.
“I’m going to fix this.” I whisper just loud enough for her to hear me.
Without saying a word, she nods, turns around and hurries off. Pulling my cellphone out of my pocket, I dial the number to the bakery. I am praying Marci answers the phone and am pleased when she does.
“Marci, its Tyler. I need your help with something.”
Chapter Twenty-One – Abby
I don’t know if it’s the fact that my hormones are in overdrive or if it is the fact that I am just missing Tyler but my heart has felt broken, sad and heavy since I walked away from him earlier. That kiss he gave me didn’t help either. It was a nice kiss it just made me realize how much I miss the way his lips feel against mine, so soft and warm. He keeps saying he is going to prove to me that I can count on him and he is going to make things better but I’m still waiting for whatever this master plan is that he’s developing.
For now, though, I have my pajamas on and I am lounging on the couch with the television set to some reality show where the people’s lives are actually more dramatic than mine is. I’m just starting to get into it, munching on some saltines to settle my stomach when my cell phone starts ringing.
“There’s a problem with the oven,” Marci’s panicky voice says. “I’m so sorry, but is there any way you can come?”
I sigh. This is the last thing I need. How can there be a problem with the oven? It’s a brand new oven!
“Yeah, give me twenty minutes.” I say.
I trade my pajamas for a pair of jeans and black and white striped tank top and slip my feet into a pair of flip flops. Chloe and Jack are on a date so I scribble a message letting them know I have to run out.
Marci is leaving the bakery just as I am approaching it.
Always in my Heart (The Subzero Series, #2) Page 15