How the hell had this happened? What was Teague doing? More importantly, why? Had he tried to commit suicide? AJ suspected it, but he didn’t want to voice it, certainly not to Hudson.
Hudson was shaking like a leaf as AJ pulled him out of the chaos, allowing the professionals to take over. He steered Hudson along until he saw Cam standing nearby.
AJ watched his brother as Hudson turned to Cam and Dare, the two people who knew Teague better than anyone else.
When Roan appeared a second later, Hudson’s hands started working: He needs help. Hudson nodded toward the water. Professional help. He tried to kill himself. I don’t know about you, but I am not willing to lose him.
Fucking hell. AJ had been hoping it was anything but that.
“I agree,” Cam said softly, his eyes searching Hudson’s face.
AJ stood there feeling useless. He didn’t know the first thing about Teague, other than the fact that Hudson obviously cared about him. As did the others. Teague was important to them, there was no doubt about that. They were a tight-knit group and AJ admired that about them.
“Think he’ll listen?” Dare asked.
“Don’t think he’ll have much of a choice,” Roan stated somberly.
Hudson signed: I’m going home to change, then I’m going to the hospital.
Roan nodded. “We’ll meet you there and we’ll talk more about this then. But I think we’re all on the same page. He tried to take his own life. Next time, we might not be there to save him.”
Knowing his brother was going to need as much support as he could get, AJ decided to go with him.
*
When Gannon called to tell her they’d found Teague, Milly broke down into tears. She had already gotten dressed to go searching the local clubs, eager to offer whatever help she could.
Thankfully, her help wasn’t needed, because they had found Teague. According to Gannon, he wasn’t doing well, but at least he was alive.
It took roughly fifteen minutes to pull herself together when she got the news. Once she did that, she went to the bathroom and washed her face before pulling her hair back into a ponytail. She looked like a woman who had been crying her eyes out for the past couple of hours. In all fairness, she had been. Plus, Milly was going to the hospital. She didn’t need to be all dolled up to do that because it really didn’t matter what she looked like.
An hour later, Milly was sitting in the hospital waiting room with Cam, Gannon, Roan, and AJ. Dare had gone back with Hudson to talk to Teague. Apparently, Dare was going to translate Hudson’s sign language so Teague would understand.
Milly knew that everyone who worked at the marina was learning sign language so they could eliminate the communication barrier with Hudson. It had been Dare’s idea, actually, and everyone else had jumped on board. While she didn’t know much, Milly had been getting a few lessons from Dare here and there.
“I still can’t believe he did this,” Cam said, thrusting his hands in his hair. “Why didn’t he come to us for help?”
Milly wasn’t sure who he was talking to. Gannon was the one to respond, but only by putting his hand on Cam’s back. A silent reassurance that he understood his pain.
This was the hardest thing she’d had to do as of late. Watching her friends hurting, knowing Teague was in even more pain. He had to be, right? To attempt to take his own life. She wanted to hug him, to tell him it would all be all right.
Granted, she didn’t know that was the case, because she didn’t know how to help him.
Her gaze cut to AJ.
This was the first time she’d seen him since the cruise. He looked good. Healthy, handsome. She wanted to curl up in his arms and cry. To feel safe for a little while. He’d made her feel that way on the cruise.
But she had ruined her chances with him by ignoring him, which meant she had to keep her distance. Thankfully, he hadn’t tried to talk to her. She wasn’t sure what she would even say to him. Apologize, maybe? For being an asshole?
His green eyes lifted and met her gaze. Milly sucked in air. He was a shock to her system. She could see the pain in his eyes, but she wasn’t sure if it was from her or the situation his brother currently found himself in. According to Gannon, AJ had been there to help pull Teague out of the water.
Her chest ached, the need to break down almost too much to ignore. She wanted to cry.
It was hormones, she knew. Although she hadn’t been to the doctor to confirm, Milly had missed two periods, which had prompted her to take a pregnancy test. According to the little plastic stick and those glaring blue lines, she was pregnant. Only, she wasn’t sure she believed it. And what would AJ say when she told him? He would likely tell her she was crazy. He would want proof, no doubt. Even though she hadn’t slept with anyone else for months before him and certainly no one after, she wouldn’t blame him for wanting her to prove it.
Except, Milly hadn’t told anyone. Not even Gannon.
She knew she would have to soon because she wouldn’t be able to hide it forever. Right now she wasn’t showing, but she could practically feel the baby growing inside her.
Milly was jerked from her thoughts when Dare appeared. He was alone, which meant Hudson was still with Teague.
The men got to their feet and walked over to him. Milly remained seated, needing to get her emotions under control. Her eyes strayed to AJ once more. His back was to her. His strong, muscular back. Those wide shoulders. The man would be able to take on her burden and probably help her through this.
If only she was strong enough to tell him.
Not yet. Not until you go to the doctor.
Milly wanted to be absolutely certain. The doctor would be able to tell her a due date, although, based on the math, she had already figured March. But that was important information to have. So, until she did that, she was going to keep her secret. From everyone.
When Hudson emerged from the mouth of the hallway a short time later, Milly forced herself to her feet.
Hudson started to sign and Dare translated for everyone who didn’t understand. Something about getting Teague checked into a hospital. One that would help him deal with his depression in a healthy way. That way he didn’t down a fifth of whiskey and end up at the bottom of a lake again.
Milly sobbed when she thought about Teague under the water, his life draining out of him. How could he not see how much they all cared about him? How much life he brought to their little family? He was an important piece and it broke her heart to think he didn’t realize that.
AJ turned to her and the next thing Milly knew, she was in his arms, her nose pressed against his chest. She let herself go in that moment, crying in earnest. Heartbroken for Teague. She wished she knew how to help him, but she didn’t.
She heard the others still talking, but she didn’t let go of AJ.
“Inpatient or outpatient?” Roan asked.
There was silence for a moment before Dare spoke. “He says outpatient, but we’ll let him make that decision when he gets there.”
Obviously those were Hudson’s words.
“Agreed,” Cam stated. “They have a partial inpatient program also. I’ve already contacted them, and they’ll gladly take him as a patient, either way. He’ll need to be evaluated by their doctors.”
Whatever Teague decided, Milly only hoped it was the right choice for him.
She was quickly learning that although they seemed right at the time, not all choices were for the best.
Certainly not in her case.
Seven
A happy accident
Five weeks later, September
AJ paced his living room.
Aside from the night in the hospital, AJ hadn’t heard from Milly. Not until roughly two hours ago when she texted him and asked if she could come over.
He’d been so shocked, he had instantly responded with, sure. Now he couldn’t stop thinking about what she wanted to talk about. Was she wanting to apologize for ignoring him for the past three months? Maybe seein
g him at the hospital had brought back good memories? Did she want to give this thing between them a chance? After all this time?
It seemed odd if she did. Still, Milly could’ve easily texted him with that. She didn’t need a face-to-face to get that off her chest. Either way, he would’ve accepted her apology and then proceeded to ask her out again.
That night at the hospital, when AJ had wrapped his arms around Milly when she started to cry, it had all come back to him. In short, he missed her greatly. He still wasn’t willing to move on without getting some closure where she was concerned.
So maybe it was a good thing that she was coming by. Having her face-to-face would mean she couldn’t hide from him. However, for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what she could possibly want to talk about.
He growled his frustration, then headed to the kitchen. He could make them lunch. Maybe she would stay and eat. But what did he make? Sandwiches? Soup? Hell, he didn’t have much of anything in his house. Most of the time he ordered takeout or delivery.
Perhaps he could order a pizza. What did she like on her pizza?
Before he could work himself into more of a frenzy, his doorbell rang.
AJ spun around and stared at the front door.
That was Milly. She had come over. She wanted to talk.
Answer the door, dumb ass.
Right.
AJ took the advice of that stupid voice in his head and went to the front door. Without looking to see who it was, he opened it quickly and stared down at the most beautiful woman in the world.
Her sunglasses shielded her eyes, but her smile was perfect. “Hey.”
AJ swallowed hard. “Hey.”
Milly glanced past him, then looked up into his eyes once more. “Can I come in?”
Shit. He was a dumb ass.
Stepping back out of the way, he motioned her inside. He closed the door slowly before turning to face her. Milly was peering around his house as she pushed her sunglasses on top of her head.
“This is nice,” she said, sounding somewhat surprised. “Not the bachelor pad I thought it would be.”
AJ didn’t have much in his house, but what he had was decent. His furniture matched and he’d long ago gotten rid of the mismatched crap he’d had in college. Granted, he didn’t spend too much time at home, so it still seemed somewhat sparse.
“Thanks.”
Milly turned to face him.
“Can I get you something to drink?”
“I … uh…” Her gaze shot to the floor. “Actually, maybe we should talk first. And if you decide not to throw me out, we can discuss the drink.”
AJ frowned. Why the hell would he throw her out of his house?
Gotta talk to find that out.
Since it was obvious she wanted to get right to the point, AJ motioned toward the sofa before he took a seat on the other.
He’d never been the type to get tongue-tied, yet that was how he found himself with Milly.
“So…” She sat on the edge of the cushion, as though she intended to bolt at any moment.
AJ watched her intently, silently urging her to spill it. If she wanted to apologize, he wanted to accept so they could move on. Perhaps he could take her out tonight. It was Monday, but they could still grab something for dinner. He would be going out of town tomorrow, but that didn’t matter tonight.
Milly’s bright blue eyes locked on his. “I know I’ve ignored you the past few months, and first of all, I want to apologize for that. It was rude and you deserve better than that. In my defense, I was scared. I’m not good at relationships, and I figured it would be better to not have one than to go through the inevitable heartache.”
“Milly—”
She effectively cut him off by holding up her hand. “Hold on. I’m not done.”
But he wanted to accept her apology. It was all he cared about.
“That’s not why I’m here, AJ.”
His hope sank instantly. So much for taking her to dinner.
“I have to just say it or I’ll never get it out,” she said, her eyes on the wall behind him.
“Okay. Say it.”
Those pretty blue eyes snapped to his face and she looked uncertain.
“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s fine, Milly.”
She shook her head. “I’m not so sure about that.”
“Well, I won’t know until you tell me.”
Milly nodded. “Fine.” She inhaled deeply, let it out slowly. “I’m pregnant.”
Pregnant?
AJ’s mind went blank. His entire world centered on that single word. He had to assume he was the father, otherwise, she wouldn’t be here telling him as much. Right?
“You’re not gonna say anything?” She sounded worried.
What was he supposed to say?
“Look,” she said quickly. “I’m really sorry. But I thought it was only fair that you know.”
“When’s the baby due?”
Milly’s eyes narrowed. “I assure you this baby’s yours, AJ.”
He frowned, confused. “I…” AJ inched closer to the edge of the cushion. “I wasn’t disputing that. I was curious when the due date is.”
“Oh.” She looked sincerely perplexed. “March eighth.”
AJ didn’t bother doing the math. If she believed he was the father, he had no reason to believe otherwise.
“So, that means you’re three months along?”
“Four,” she corrected. “Sixteen weeks.” Her gaze dropped to her belly. When she smoothed out her shirt, he saw the faint impression of a bump. Not much of one at all, but yeah, okay, maybe she would look pregnant if she was naked.
God, he wanted to see her naked.
*
Milly wasn’t sure what she’d expected AJ to say or do or even feel when she told him she was pregnant. However, it certainly wasn’t for him to sit there as though he wanted to inhale her.
The look in his eyes was primal. It had her body heating. Nothing to worry about. It was a normal reaction to the hottest man on the planet. No need to fret. When she left his house, she could go back to her normal, sexless existence.
Oh, God. She wanted to have sex with AJ. Right here. Right now.
Damn pregnancy hormones.
Milly had to remind herself that she wasn’t here to ogle him. She was here to relay the information so he was well aware he was going to be a father. What he did with that information would be up to him.
“AJ?”
“Hmm?”
“Are you going to say anything?”
“So … uh … do we know how this happened?” The second the words were out of AJ’s mouth, he looked shocked. “I mean … I know how babies are made and all that, it’s just…”
“We used condoms?” she supplied. “I was thinking about that. Did one of the condoms break, maybe?”
AJ shook his head. “Not that I know of. If I’d even thought so, I would’ve said something, Milly.”
“It’s just…” Milly felt her face heat with embarrassment. “I did some research and it said that with a piercing, there’s a better chance of the condom ripping. I mean, I don’t know for a fact. I’m not pierced or anything, you know.”
AJ grinned. “I get it. But no. Not that I could tell, anyway.”
She believed him. Not once had she thought this was anything more than an accident. A happy accident. At least for her. The thought of being a mother—while terrifying—filled her with an odd excitement.
“I know you would have,” she told him so he didn’t worry that she blamed him. “Some things happen for a reason, I guess.”
AJ nodded. “Yeah. I guess they do.” His green eyes cleared and he was once again focused on her face. “I wanna be a part of the baby’s life.”
Milly inhaled deeply as the tears threatened to fall. She cried at the drop of a hat these days, so it wasn’t unexpected.
“Really?”
“Really.” AJ pushed to his feet and joined her on the sofa. He cupped h
er face. “I’m not the one who was running away from this thing, Milly.”
True. But that didn’t mean he was ready to be a father. They had used condoms, so this was a fluke. Granted, she wasn’t going to come up with excuses, because she had long ago accepted the pregnancy. In fact, from the very second she thought she was pregnant, Milly had known this was meant to be.
“I wanna be part of the pregnancy, too,” he whispered. “If you’ll let me.”
How could she tell him no? She wanted him to be part of it all. Mainly because she was tired of being alone.
Not that she was alone. She had Gannon and Cam and the rest of the marina boys, but she didn’t have them the way she wanted AJ.
“So, doctor’s appointments?” she asked.
AJ nodded.
“Oh, wait.” Milly pulled away and grabbed her purse.
She searched deep until she found the small photo album she’d stuck in there. She pulled it out and opened it before passing it over to AJ.
“That’s the first sonogram. I didn’t find out for certain until … yesterday.”
AJ’s eyes darted from her face to the black-and-white picture. He turned it this way and that, likely trying to figure out what it was.
Milly pointed. “That’s her head, her rump, and one of her hands.”
His head snapped up. “Her?”
Milly smiled. “Well, we don’t know for sure just yet. The doctor said she can’t tell for certain until twenty weeks, but she said she didn’t see a penis … so, I’m calling her a she for now.”
For a second, she thought AJ was going to cry. She understood the overwhelming feeling. She’d been there when her doctor shared the news of the baby’s sex. Despite the fact it wasn’t absolutely certain, Milly had a feeling.
She remained quiet while he stared at the sonogram photo. She watched him, admiring the beautiful lines of his face. God, she’d missed him.
When he finally handed the album back, Milly tucked it into her purse.
“I just want us to be friends, AJ,” she said, hoping he would agree to the same.
“Friends?”
Milly nodded.
Clueless (Pier 70, 5) Page 5