Mending (This)

by J. B. McGee

  A text came in but she decided to wait until she was at a stoplight before she read it.

  *I miss you Gabby girl. More than you know. Talk soon.*

  There was no need to reply. He was busy. But, she had an idea of how much he missed her. She was pretty sure she was free falling head over heels for him. On the one hand she was terrified, but on the other hand she was so excited. He treated her like a princess. How could she not enjoy it while it lasted.

  Chapter 13

  January, 2010: Hours Earlier

  Bradley picked himself up off the floor and sulked back into his apartment. He knew at this point he had to cancel his plans for the evening, as much as that pained him. He was not a man they typically cried, but tears streamed down his face at the loss of Gabby. He knew he would fight for her, but he wasn’t sure that there was anything he could do to fix this screwed up situation. The first thing he had to do before he even began to attempt to get her back was figure out what in the hell had happened with Veronica. He had been so careful. Even though she was on the pill, he also secretly kept track of her cycles and he knew the last time they had been together was too early in her cycle for her to have gotten pregnant. Something just didn’t make sense and he couldn’t place his finger on what it was.

  He grabbed his keys and cell phone and headed out the door. As soon as he was in car he called Joe.

  “Hello.”

  “Joe, are you around today?”

  “Yeah, what’s wrong?

  “I’m on my way. I need to talk to you. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

  “Alright, you sound upset. Be careful, dude.”

  “I will.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Bradley threw his car into park and hustled into Joe’s empty club where he was greeted with a worried Joe. “Dude, what is wrong with you?”

  “Veronica. She’s pregnant. Did you know?”

  “Shit man, you have got to be kidding me?”

  “No, wish I was.”

  “It’s yours?”

  “So she says but something’s not adding up with this.”

  “How far along is she?” Joe reached for the bottle of Goldschlager, poured a shot, and pushed it across the bar. “Here. I mean you two haven’t been together in forever.”

  “She’s due in March.” Bradley threw the shot back squinting as the warm spicy liquid burned all the way down to his stomach. “The timing is right, but it’s not. I can just feel it.”

  “Well, March means she got knocked up in June, and that would be right.”

  Bradley thought about how he had been so careful anytime he was involved with women. He knew there were a lot of women who would jump at the chance to entrap him by getting pregnant. He had worked too hard to be careless.

  “I know, but Joe she only had like three days cycles and she had just gotten off the day before and she was on the pill. It just doesn’t make sense.”

  “Well, I hate to say it but you know Mike from college. His wife got pregnant on the pill. It’s just not 100%, man.”

  “Ugh. Gabby was there when she came to tell me.” He cradled his head in his hands. “Veronica leaned in to kiss me and Gabby saw it. She bolted and I have no idea how to make things right with her at this point.”

  “I’m sure she just needs some time to comprehend.”

  Looking back up to Joe shaking his head, “I’m not sure comprehension is enough. I’m going to be a father.”

  Joe came from behind the bar and sat by his best friend. He just placed his hand on his shoulder blade and said, “I hear ya, man.”

  Bradley looked over at Joe. “Does Veronica come in here much anymore?”

  “No, I haven’t seen her in a long time.” Shaking his head, “Certainly haven’t seen her since she was visibly pregnant. I would have told ya.”

  “You know she wasn’t happy that I wouldn’t take her to the wedding. I’m glad I didn’t or I wouldn’t have had a chance with Gabby.” Thinking about the fact that he had already had a hard enough time with Gabby thinking Carmen was his girlfriend made a rare small smile form on his pouty lips.

  “Yeah, I do remember her coming in that weekend while you were gone. She was in a pissy mood.”

  “I mean you know me, I had no intentions of ever wanting anything more than what she gave me. Until Gabby.”

  “Yeah, and I know she came in after the wedding bugging the hell outta me trying to figure out where you were and if there was someone else.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that.” Bradley chuckled.

  “Damn, you know Bradley. She did leave with some guy the night of the wedding now that I think about it. I never mentioned it because you came back completely over her, smitten with Gabby.”

  “Hmm. Maybe the baby isn’t mine. I had already planned on asking for a paternity test first thing Monday.”

  “Yeah, I definitely think you need to do that.”

  “Did she ever come in with the guy after that?”

  Joe threw his head back as he recalled the week after the wedding. “She was with this guy named Ian for a little bit. He was really young. Everyone was calling her cougar.” Rolling his eyes, “Man that pissed her off!”

  Bradley’s eyes shot up at Joe and then he looked back down at the shot glass he had been spinning in place. “Nah that would be too much of a coincidence.”

  “What?”

  “I don’t know. The asshole that broke Gabby’s heart in Charleston’s name was Ian.”

  “Hmm. That would be a little too convenient.”

  “Did you happen to catch his last name?”

  “No. But, I know he was a big shot soccer player at Georgia Tech. He’d been using a fake ID. I recognized him and told him not to come back.”

  Bradley gave Joe a wild look and hopped up from his seat. “I gotta go.”

  When he got to his car, he tried to call Gabby. But, it kept going to her voicemail. He couldn’t blame her for not wanting to talk to him, but he really was very frustrated with her knee jerk reaction to assume the worst. She had not even given him a chance to try to figure things out for himself or them. He wished she would at least acknowledge that she was getting his calls and that she was ok. But, nothing.

  Finally, he realized he had to call Sam. He just stared at her number, dreading the call he knew he had to make. The thought of disappointing either of them, Sam or Gabby, made him feel like he was going to vomit. He finally tapped the screen to initiate the call and then tapped speaker. He waited for her to pick up and on the last ring before voicemail he heard the click and her hello. “Sam. It’s Bradley.”

  “I know who are you, Bradley. Caller ID. What’s up?”

  “Something’s come up, Sam.”

  “What do you mean? About tonight?”

  “Yeah, it’s not happening. She left and is on her way home.”

  “Oh.”

  “Listen, she won’t answer my calls. She’s hurt. Not physically, emotionally. Can you see if she’ll at least answer your calls and let you know that she’s okay?”

  “What did you do?”

  “I just need you to cancel everything for tonight and call her to make sure she’s ok. I can’t get her to answer. I’ll explain everything later. Just do it, okay.”

  He hung up before she had time to fire back. He knew he was in trouble with her. He didn’t have time to worry about that though at this particular moment. He quickly glanced over his shoulder and threw the silver 370z into gear and out into traffic.

  He used the voice command to call Veronica.

  “Bradley, I was worried I wasn’t going to hear back from you.”

  “Are you home?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you alone?”

  “Of course, I’m alone.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  He hung up quickly and threw the phone to into the passenger seat. He was driving like a bat out of hell, but he didn’t care. He swerved in and out of lanes because he couldn’t get to her place fast enough.<
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  Chapter 14

  October, 2011 ~ The Past

  Gabby was pretty sure she was head over heels in love. There was no denying it. She wasn’t sure when it happened. She pondered it often. Looking back she wondered if it could have even happened the night she met him, if there really was such a thing as love at first sight. But she knew it for sure when she had not been able to think about anything else since she left him after spending her first night with him in Thomson, Georgia. The reasonable side of her kept telling her this was just lust, but it seemed so much deeper than anything she’d ever had. Even with Ian.

  When she was not with him, he was all she could think about. She wondered how his day was going. She longed to be able to surprise him with lunch, but the distance prevented the normal daily interactions most couples took for granted. She would daydream about him in class and he was the first and last thing she thought of every day.

  It was nice that money was no issue for him, though. Over the last several months, they were spending every possible moment together. Whether it was on the phone, through email, or on the road meeting in different places, they were only able to stay away from each other long enough to work and go to school. Even if the meeting was only for a couple of hours, they would shop, have dinner or breakfast, or just go to the park and enjoy each other silently while reading or napping on a blanket. Every moment she spent with him she cherished.

  Gabby had little time for anything other than school and Bradley. She missed her sister and felt bad that they weren’t getting to spend a lot of time together. But, Sam was all consumed with school. Gabby would talk to Sam a lot on the road trips to see Bradley.

  This particular weekend, Gabby was beyond excited. Sam was coming to Atlanta with her. Bradley had said it was time for her to meet his parents. Since Gabby didn’t have parents, he said it was important for them to also meet Sam. But, Gabby knew this was partially an excuse to finally get Sam to come to Atlanta. He had been dying to introduce Sam to Ryan, Joe’s older brother, who’s a resident at Emory. Bradley had gone on and on telling Gabby how perfect they would be together. Gabby would just laugh when he talked about it. He would get so animated and excited.

  Sam had driven to Columbia to ride with Gabby to Atlanta. Because they both had Friday classes, it was late afternoon before they were able to leave. They had brought along a few snacks because they knew Bradley had planned on taking them out to dinner when they got to Atlanta. The sisters were excited for some alone time before the big weekend. Gabby gushed about Bradley and Sam told Gabby about how school was going for her.

  “So, Bradley is trying to set me up with someone you said?”

  Gabby glanced over to Sam smiling, “Yes, his name is Ryan. He’s in his residency at Emory.”

  “Did you tell Bradley that I don’t have time to date, especially a resident in a totally different state?”

  “Hmph, yeah. This is Bradley, do you think he’s going to back down that easily?”

  Sam looked out of the window smiling, “It’s sweet that he is thinking of me, I guess.”

  “He says you two would be perfect for each other.”

  “Yeah, we’ll see about that. How does he know this guy again?”

  Gabby started flipping through the stations. She hated commercials on the radio. “It’s his best friend, Joe’s, older brother.

  “And why not set me up with his friend, Joe?”

  Gabby busted out laughing, “Trust me.” Gabby rolled her eyes. “You do not want him to hook you up with Joe.”

  Sam whipped her head back to Gabby. “And why is that little sister?”

  “Because Joe makes Bradley’s playboy days look tame, that’s why.”

  Sam sighed, “Why am I not surprised?”

  Gabby shook her head, “Don’t get me wrong. He’s a great guy. He just is a bit wild. He owns a very nice upscale club downtown.”

  “Well, I’ll entertain your man. But, I really have no intentions of getting into any kind of relationship with a man right now. Certainly not a long distance one. Let’s change the subject.”

  Gabby giggled. “Tell me about the whole not looking for a long distance relationship thing. Um, I do believe we’re driving to see my boyfriend, who is four hours away!”

  Sam chuckled, “Precisely my point, Gabby.”

  The girls had spent the rest of the trip catching up on how their classes were going and Sam’s new life in medical school. Gabby gushed over Bradley and how romantic he always was to her. The car ride passed rather quickly.

  Gabby called him when she got fairly close to let him know they were there. He had said he would meet them downstairs.

  Sam looked up and around at the location of Bradley’s apartment. “This is a nice place, he has here.”

  “Yeah, it’s definitely a bachelor pad, but it’s very nice.” Gabby stretched when she got out of the car. She had pulled her hair back for the ride. She reached up and pulled her tie from her hair, knowing that Bradley loved her hair down and curly.

  As she was about to reach into the back to get their bags, his arms were around her waist. He turned around, “I’ll get those.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck as he leaned down to kiss her. “Thank you.”

  He was still holding Gabby. He looked over to Sam, who was now smiling rolling her eyes at their public display of affection. He winked, “Welcome to Hotlanta, Sam.”

  “Hi Bradley.” Sam giggled.

  He released Gabby. “Let me get these bags and let’s get inside.” He reached to the back and pulled their bags. “Is that everything?”

  Gabby smiled at him, “Yes.” She reached up and planted a kiss on his cheek and put her arm around his neck. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  He looked down with a sideways grin. He whispered, “You have no idea how much I have missed you, but I’ll be happy to show you tonight when your sister isn’t being grossed out by us.”

  “Is that a promise, Mr. Banks?”

  “Oh, you better believe it is.”

  Bradley put Sam’s bag into the guest bedroom and carried Gabby’s to his room while Gabby gave Sam a quick tour of the place. Bradley found them and walked up to Gabby from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist. He nuzzled her neck, causing Gabby to close her eyes while leaning back into his arms.

  “You girls about ready to get dinner?”

  They giggled and spoke in unison, “Yes, I’m starving.”

  Bradley

  “Where are you taking us?” Gabby asked.

  “It’s called One. It’s a really cool place.” He glanced over to her. She was seated beside him and Sam was in the backseat. They had driven Gabby’s car because his car was a two seater. He smiled, “The foods excellent. I thought you two would enjoy the menu.” As he spoke the last sentence, he looked in the rear view mirror and smiled at Sam.

  Gabby was turned around bracing the side of the seat as she and Sam spoke about Atlanta. Gabby would point and show her different places Bradley had taken her. Bradley just smiled and would glance back and forth between the two of them as he drove them to dinner.

  He had planned the entire weekend out for them. He was very excited. Not just because he had been dying to set Sam up with Ryan since he had really gotten to know her on the phone in August, but because this was the weekend he’d introduce Gabby to his family. He’d never really brought a girl home since high school. He knew it was a necessary next step in the relationship. He had fallen in love with Gabby and he needed for Sam and Gabby to see that this relationship was important to him.

  “This used to be an old warehouse. They turned it into a chic and beautiful restaurant.” He parked the car and cut the ignition. He stroked the side of Gabby’s face with the pad of his thumb thinking how beautiful she looked tonight as the lights from One reflected off her delicate skin. She was glowing. “I hope you’ll like it.” He whispered.

  She reached up and stilled his hand smiling, “I’m sure we’ll love it.” As sh
e nodded back to Sam. “Let’s try not to totally gross her out tonight.” Gabby giggled.

  “Hey, I am in the car and yeah – stop with all the lovey dovey stuff.” She giggled back.

  He went to Gabby’s side, helping her out of the car and then helping Sam climb from the back. He put his hand in the small of Gabby’s back as they walked inside. He had already made reservations and it wasn’t like the staff didn’t already know him. This was one of his favorite restaurants in Atlanta. He knew Sam would really like the décor, so he had saved bringing Gabby until a weekend Sam could come along with her.

  As soon as he walked in he saw his buddy, Dave. He had called him earlier to arrange for the reservations. He was a little shorter than Bradley, very attractive, with dark hair and dark eyes. Occasionally, he would work out with Bradley and Joe. He was wearing a black button up shirt with One embroidered on the left corner pocket and black slacks. He caught Sam blushing. He would have to remind her that he would not be a good fit for her. There was a reason he, Dave, and Joe had all been such good friends. He personified the bad boy stereotype, even though he had his act together professionally. “Hey Bradley, we have your table waiting. Good to see you, man.” He leaned in and gave him a quick pat on the back as they shook hands.

  “Thanks, good to see you, too.”

  “Who are these two lovely ladies you have with you tonight?”

  Bradley put his arm around Gabby’s waist pulling her close. “This is my girlfriend, Gabby.” He motioned to Sam, “And her sister, Sam.”

  “Girlfriend, huh?”

  Bradley gave Dave a condescending smile, “Yep, girlfriend.” Bradley was rubbing Gabby’s back trying to help her relax. He could sense her tensing up over the awkward situation.

  When they reached their table, Bradley pulled the chair out for Sam and he and Gabby scooted into the booth on the other side of the table. After Dave had walked away, Bradley shrugged, “He’s really a nice guy.”

  Sam and Gabby looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders, too. “Whatever you say.” Gabby fired back sarcastically.