Unclaimed (Kole Family)

by S. Brent

  “Pru,” I said in greeting surprising myself and I’m sure everyone else. Jonas was silent beside me as he shifted nervously on his feet.

  She turned her head when I called her name. She was perfect, exactly like I remembered. Big, brown eyes, plump lips, a few freckles across the bridge of her nose.

  I saw the panic flash through her eyes for only a second before a calm settled over her. I had to have her back. What had I done? Had she moved on? Was I too late? Maggie and Skyla turned to look at me. Neither of them seemed surprised to see me. They both stepped a little closer to Pru.

  She completely turned to take me in like I was her. Her breast seemed fuller then they had been. Then my eyes traveled down to her slightly bulging stomach. She saw where my eyes were and her free hand shifted to rest protectively over her belly.

  Holy Shit!

  “What happened to your stomach?” I yelled and every single person in the coffee shop turned to face me, eyes flashing between me and Pru but I only had eyes for her. She was glaring at me.

  “Well you’d know if you could figure out how to answer your damn phone,” she snapped back. Suddenly everything clicked into place. The never-ending phone calls. I always thought she was too proud to be so clingy. It wasn’t that she missed me so much and couldn’t function without me. She was pregnant. Pregnant with my baby. She had been trying to tell me for months and because of my stupid pride I had been ignoring her. I didn’t even question if it was my baby. I knew it was.

  I took the few steps between us and grabbed her arm so I could drag her to a table in the corner.

  “We need to talk,” I said between clenched teeth.

  “You think,” she snapped and jerked her arm out of my grasp and I saw more than one person shift into a better position to save her, including Jonas.

  “I’m not gonna hurt her,” I snapped to our audience.

  Pru closed her eyes for a moment. I wanted to pull her into me and hold her, make this all better for her but I didn’t touch her. I didn’t think it would be too welcomed.

  “I’m going to sit outside,” Pru said calmly after taking a deep breath. “I need some air. Why don’t you go get a drink and join me? We should talk,” she said. All I could manage to do was nod before she stepped around me careful not to touch me.

  “Try not to hurt her,” Maggie said as we all watched Pru step outside. “I think you’ve done enough damage already.”

  I turned to snap at Maggie then decided not to even bother. She was right I had done plenty of damage. I knocked Pru up, told her I loved her and I still did, but then abandon her when she needed me most.

  Prudence

  I sank down in the warm, metal chair outside and tried not to cry. The sun was beating down on the sitting area. It was probably a hundred out today. I pulled my sunglasses down to cover my eyes just incase my tear ducts started working overtime again.

  Lincoln was pissed, not that I could really blame him, but it’s not like I tried to keep this from him. I attempted to tell him over and over again. He was the one that kept himself in the dark. It was not my fault he didn’t know about our baby. He had no one to blame but himself. If anyone deserved to be angry it was me.

  We had been set up that much was clear. Part of me was grateful to my friends, since I clearly hadn’t been able to get a hold of him since I found out months ago. Part of me was furious. How dare they do this to me? They could have told me. I could have mentally prepared myself so I wasn’t sitting here like the emotional wreck I was now.

  Lincoln stepped outside coffee in hand and sat down in the chair opposite me. We were silent for a long time. He looked like Lincoln, messy hair, sinful silver eyes, soft tan, tattoos partly covered with a t-shirt, black barbell in his eyebrow and matching studs in his ears. But he looked tired.

  God, I missed him.

  “Should you be drinking that?” he asked finally motioning to my coffee.

  “It’s decaf,” I said forcing myself to stay civil when I wanted to snap that he had been involved for all of ten minutes so he needed to let me worry about things like my caffeine intake but I refrained.

  “Oh,” was all he said.

  “When I didn’t answer your calls why didn’t you try to come by?” he asked defeated still just staring at me looking lost.

  “I did.” Apparently he hadn’t gotten those messages. “I came by the shop multiple time and you never seem to be there,” I explained. “And I came by your place once. I talked to Betty. I refused to subject myself to that again.”

  “Betty?” he asked sitting up a little straighter.

  “Yeah, she answered your door in your shirt, then informed me that you guys were back together and that she would let you know I came by,” I told him. I hated how spiteful I sounded. I hated that he was with Betty, hated it. It just made it so much worse. Betty wouldn’t be in five hundred feet of my baby.

  Lincoln’s eyes were big. “I am not, nor have I been, with Betty since way before you,” he said as he held up his hands. “Guy’s banging her,” he explained.

  I let out a deep breath. I was relieved. Thank God. I felt the tears pool in my eyes.

  “Pru,” Lincoln moaned as he reached across the table and placed his hand over mine. I jerked my hand away. “Don’t touch me,” I snapped. He looked down at his lone hand resting on the table like he was at a complete and utter loss.

  I loved him but I had to protect myself. He left me. Broke up with me. That’s exactly what I was. Broken. I was barely functioning. I pulled myself together with the motivation that I had to for the baby even if it wasn’t here yet. I was only out today because I needed new clothes. Mine were all getting too small, although, I refused to wear maternity pants. Who knew they could make pants so ugly?

  “How far along are you?” he asked after he cleared his throat.

  “18 weeks.”

  “Do you know the sex?”

  “Not yet but the ultrasound is in a few weeks.”

  “Can I come?”

  “Of course, I won’t keep the baby from you,” and I meant that especially with the issues in his life. It had never been my intention to keep his baby from him. Lincoln would be an amazing father.

  “Thank you,” he said as he cleared his throat again. “And us?”

  “What about us?” I wanted him to clearly tell me what he was asking. I was not about to assume anything.

  “I love you Pru. Will you give me a shot to make it better?”

  I let out a bitter, little laugh. My heart hurt. I wanted to hear those words from his lips for months and now that he was saying it, it just wasn’t enough. I loved him too but he had a funny way of showing it.

  “No. I won’t keep your baby from you but there is no us. You made sure of that,” I said as I stood up. My words were simple but my tone was full of venom. I had months to grow bitter about our break up. My eyes were starting to water. Damn pregnancy hormones. I had to get out of here, away from him before I became a complete sobbing mess.

  “Pru,” Lincoln said as he started to reach for me again. I jerked away like his touch would burn me.

  “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. I had never seen Lincoln act so depressed, so desperate, so unsure. I couldn’t let myself care. He had closed me out. He had done this to us, to me, to himself.

  “Me too,” I took a deep breath and didn’t even pretend to fight the tears that were freely streaming down my face. “I’ll be in touch. Maybe next time I call, you’ll answer your phone,” I said and turned to walk away. I had to get out of here.

  Lincoln

  I never felt as horrible as I did right now. I went to stand up to follow her when a hand clamped down on my shoulder stopping my pursuit. Jonas.

  I watched, crushed, as Maggie put her arm around her and guided her out of sight as her entire body shook from her sobs. Skyla took her bags from her as they ushered her out of my sight and I felt a few tears find freedom. I dropped my head down and buried my face in my hands.

  �
�How long have you known?” I asked Jonas.

  “Awhile. She’s been coming into the shop for a few months looking for you. It became obvious not too long ago.” Jonas told me countless times that she had come by and I ignored him. He had been hounding me for months to just call her. Skyla kept telling me that I needed to call her and I just ignored her. They had no idea the hurdles we faced. Apparently they knew more than I did.

  “She asked us not to say anything. She wanted to tell you,” Jonas explained. I could see that. I was the world’s biggest ass. I had been avoiding her for months. I had abandoned her. I was no better than my father.

  “You set us up,” I stated the obvious.

  “Sorry man. You just couldn’t seem to see reason.”

  He was right. I don’t know if I ever would have called her back. How long would I have ignored her and regretted it?

  I ran my hand through my hair and leaned back in my chair. Leaving Pru had been my biggest regret and now it was ignoring her.

  Jonas sat with me while I was lost in thought.

  “I love her,” I finally blurted out.

  “I know,” Jonas said.

  “I want her back.” I did. I wanted her back even before I knew she was pregnant and now even more so. My mother would tell me it was fate.

  “What are you going to do about it?”

  “Whatever I can.”

  I had given her up so easily after her parents had so carefully planted seeds of doubt in my head but not anymore. I loved Pru and I knew that she still loved me even if she denied it. Then it dawned on me. She had never denied loving me. I would do any and everything I possibly could to win her back.

  Chapter 18

  Prudence

  It had been two days since I’d seen Lincoln at Starbucks. Two days and since I had felt my hopes be built up and broken all over again. I wasn’t sure how I felt. I was beyond confused.

  I loved him. I truly did. I thought that I moved on, well, maybe not moved on but at least come to terms with it. I hadn’t. I had only fallen more in love with him. Apparently absence does make the heart grow fonder.

  Even though I still loved him I was not ready to forgive him. I didn’t trust him. He crushed me. He had let my parents get to him and destroy us. Then he hadn’t even looked back. I had called him at least once a day for months and he didn’t even answer or return my calls. Love or not I was still angry with him.

  When he asked about us and told me he loved me I wanted to leap into his arms and tell him the same. Pretend like the last few months hadn’t happened but I couldn’t. I was finally starting to act semi normal instead of walking around like a zombie. When he broke up with me it crushed me. My heart was completely broken.

  I had to protect myself. I couldn’t survive that again and this time I had more than myself to think about. I had to worry about our baby. The baby I already loved whole-heartedly. I would never keep him from the baby. I knew he’d be a wonderful father but I had to protect my heart. I just couldn’t do that to myself again.

  It was a good thing that he hadn’t tried to call because I probably wasn’t strong enough to push him away for long. If he called and made any attempt I probably would have crumbled but he hadn’t called. It was also very possible that I might have had the complete opposite reaction and would have been a complete bitch. All that hurt was still very close to the surface. I was very hot and cold these days. I could picture myself freaking out on him just to push him away and protect myself. I didn’t know if I wanted that either.

  I was thoroughly confused.

  Maybe he was giving me space. I told him I’d call him.

  Maybe he realized that he didn’t really want this.

  I wanted him to call. I didn’t want him to. I wanted him to give me space. I wanted him to hold me and make all the hurt go away, make everything better. I was so confused, even more lost then I had been days ago when I was facing the reality of doing this alone.

  I headed into my apartment rubbing my little baby belly. I had been apartment searching, secretly. I hadn’t told Maggie or Skyla I was moving out. This apartment was home but how was I to bring a baby into this. Maggie and Skyla didn’t need a baby running around plus where would it sleep. Where was I going to put the baby’s things? My things barely fit in my room. Did they honestly think I could cram a baby in there too?

  My hunt had been a bust. Everything was either out of my price range, since I refused to take any money from my parents, or I refused to live there.

  I had changed my account so my parent’s monthly deposits were no longer coming in but I kept my trust fund. They were either going to accept me or they weren’t. Either way I didn’t want them supporting me and what they viewed as my poor career choice. I was a grown woman. I could and would do it on my own. I kept the trust fund though because I figured I earned it. I took their crap for 21 years. It was mine.

  I opened the door and found the living room covered in bags from every store you could think off. Someone had done some major shopping. They were everywhere.

  “Ummm…what’s going on?” I asked Skyla when I saw her looking at one of the bags. She jumped and smiled at me. She looked….guilty?

  “These are for you,” Skyla said as she motioned to all the bags.

  “For me?” I asked. Huh? She nodded. “Why?”

  She just shrugged but was smiling. She still looked guilty but for an entirely different reason. She knew something. She had something to do with this.

  “Who are they from?” I questioned skeptically rubbing my belly. I had come to find it comforting even though it was barely there.

  “Open them,” Maggie said as she popped her head around the corner.

  I couldn’t help but be a little excited so I grabbed the first bag. Inside was ten little board books.

  I sat down. My heart was racing. My breath caught in my throat. I felt tears start to build up in my eyes. These were for the baby. From who? There was no note, no receipt, nothing that would give me any clue as to who sent this stuff.

  I grabbed another bag. Inside was a bunch of baby toys. Again no clue as to who brought it by. How did all these bags get in here anyways? Maggie or Skyla had to be in on this somehow.

  Another bag. This one was full of maternity clothes. Maternity clothes I actually liked. All dresses. All styles I would definitely wear. All the right size.

  I continued to go through the bags. There was stuff for the baby: monitors, diapers, bottles, etc., and stuff for me: maternity clothes, the ridiculous chunky jewelry I liked, books, and so on. I couldn’t help but smile.

  “Who is all this stuff from?” I asked after I had torn through each bag without a single clue.

  I was smiling, really smiling for the first time in months. I felt like I was going to cry again but happy tears.

  “You really don’t know?” Skyla asked as she dropped down onto the floor next to me.

  I had my guesses but I refused to get my hopes up too high without any proof. If I was wrong I would be crushed.

  Skyla handed me a box, this one had a large red bow on it, none of the others had been wrapped. Skyla had her hand in this. It could only mean one person but I refused to get my hopes up without any proof. I grabbed the box and opened it inside was a pair of perfect heels. They were closed toe pumps in black and white plaid with metallic golden threads running through them. I loved them. They were the perfect size even.

  I kicked off my heels and slid the new ones on. Perfect. I let out a deep sigh as I stared down at my feet.

  Maggie joined us on the couch with her coffee in hand pushing bags out of her ways so she could sit.

  Skyla handed me an envelope. I hadn’t even noticed her holding it. I had been too wrapped up in my new shoes.

  My name was scribbled on the front. I instantly recognized the writing. My heart began to pound and tears welled up in my eyes. Lincoln had done all this.

  I slowly opened the envelope and slipped out a homemade card, well as homemade as an
y man makes. It was a piece of paper folded in half with a picture drawn on the front. It was of cherry blossoms, just like the ones on my side. Sitting near the top of the blossoms was a little fairy. She was holding her legs against her chest and her hair was blowing in her face but I recognized the eyes peaking through the hair in her face. My eyes. Lincoln had drawn me as the fairy. He had done that often when we were together. The card was beautiful. I was already tearing up and a little afraid to open it.

  Skyla leaned into me and nudged me with her shoulder. I had completely forgotten I wasn’t alone. Maggie was rubbing small circles on my back while they waited. I was so nervous I was shaking.

  I opened the card.

  Pru, My Lovely Fairy,

  I can never express how much I regret these past few months, how incredibly sorry I am. I have been miserable every day since I lost you. When I lost you I wanted to die but I thought I was doing what was best for you. I let you go because I let the differences in our worlds come between us. Sadly enough I did it because I love you. I wanted what was best for you and I didn’t think that was me.

  But it killed me. I have been broken up inside ever since. I all but shut down. I threw myself into work, anything to distract me from you but I could never seem to escape you. I saw you in everything I did: what music I was listening too, what tattoo I was working on, everywhere I went and everything I did.

  I’m done. I can’t stay away from you any longer even if it’s probably best for you. I don’t want to. I tried. I really did but seeing you the other day made me see what a fool I am. I miss you. I love you. I’m selfish enough to do everything in my power to try and keep you.

  I want us to be a family. You, me, and our baby. I love you and our baby. I always will. I will do anything for the both of you. All you have to do is ask.

  I hope all of this stuff will work out. I hope it fits.