by Stella Rhys
Anyone on welfare is going try to use her to get to your money. You know too well how that goes. Protect yourself. I replayed those words in my head. I thought of Evie’s mom. Her drug addict sister. I ran through all my cynical thoughts for the first two days that Evie was gone.
And on day three, I concluded that it was all bullshit.
She wasn’t some scheming, conniving con artist – I was just eager to find one. I was eager to believe that over the course of my career, all the walls I kept up, all the suspicions I had for everyone in my life weren’t just for nothing. That I was justified in my lack of trust for anyone – that I had always been right.
But the reality was that I wasn’t now, and I hadn’t always been.
“Asshole. There you are,” Emmett greeted me when I finally got out of the clubhouse and found him in his usual suite at the stadium. It was right behind home plate, and since that meant he had a fantastic view of me fucking blowing it tonight, I braced myself for some smartass dig. Rather, I hoped for one. It would mean that whatever he texted me about wasn’t actually as grave as it sounded – that everything that already resolved.
But since no dig or joke came, I frowned hard at him.
“What? What’s going on?” I asked Emmett. The way he rubbed his jaw and took a deep breath made the blood in my veins set on fire. “Emmett, what the fuck happened? Is she okay? You said she was in good hands.”
He had. And I’d believed him.
The morning that Evie left, the first person I had called was Emmett. Not her. Maybe a dick move on my part, but I wasn’t ready to talk to her. The first few days were when I was entertaining the dark side of my brain – the part that tried convincing me that Evie had been playing the long con, and that she was in this solely for the money.
So I didn’t trust myself to talk to her yet.
But I’d trusted Emmett, who told me she had gone to his and Aly’s house in East Hampton.
“Look, she’s likely fine right now,” he started evenly, but it set me off fast.
“’Likely’?” The word launched me from zero to sixty fast. “For Christ’s sake, Emmett, she’s pregnant – there’s no room for ‘likely!’”
“Well, if there’s no room for ‘likely’ then why the fuck haven’t you called her or come to see her yourself?” Emmett challenged, making my fists ball tighter. “How long were you planning on relying on the comfort of knowing that she was safe with us? Were you going to ignore her forever as long as she was under our roof?”
“I told you I needed time to get my fucking thoughts straight. Considering the shit that was going through my head, I can guarantee you I would’ve made things worse by talking to her.”
“Well, whether or not that’s bullshit, the fact of the matter is she hasn’t been at our house for three days now.”
“Are you fucking kidding me, Emmett?”
I wanted to choke him out, but instead I turned to storm out and find her – before realizing I had no idea where the fuck she was. With my hands thrust in my hair, I faced Emmett again.
“Tell me you know where she is,” I said, my voice shaking with fury. I already had a guess as to where she was, but I was praying for him to prove me wrong.
“She gave us a hotel name and we confirmed that she had a reservation there. But Aly went the other day and they told her Evie never checked in.”
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me, Emmett?” I demanded.
“Because Aly made me swear not to tell you shit,” he said, getting in my face. “You already proved to her what a piece of shit you were by not calling Evie the day she left, so she doesn’t trust you to do the right thing anymore. She told me she had it covered, but I know she’s struggling to find coverage at the restaurant. She wanted to leave to find Evie today, but she still can’t get away from work.”
“Fuck that. I’m going,” I said. I didn’t even realize my feet had begun walking already till I found myself in the hallway, Emmett trailing behind.
“Do you even know where you’re going?”
“Belfield. In Massachusetts.”
“That’s where she’s from?”
“Yes.”
“You think she’s with her mom?”
“I know she is, and there’s no way in hell I’m letting her stay there one more fucking day,” I ground out, my heart slamming in my chest as I thought of Evie living alongside an unpredictable addict while pregnant – with my child, no less. It immediately dashed my need to wait things out, to talk to her when I felt like I knew what I wanted to say. It lit a fire under my ass and reminded me that some things happened before you were ready – and this was a prime example.
Because while I didn’t know what I wanted to say, I knew I needed to feel Evie safe in my arms. I knew I loved her – that I loved everything about her, including the man I was around her. I knew I’d never forgive myself if anything were to happen to her.
Or our child.
And suddenly, I needed to tell her that in person. STAT.
37
EVIE
This morning, I ran into people I actually knew at the gas station, which would’ve been terrifying if it weren’t for the fact that it was the Bloom siblings - Carly, Ashlyn and Trevor - who had always cracked me up in high school because they were more preoccupied with arguing and one-upping each other than anything in the world. At least the twins were, whereas Trevor, the youngest, always stood there kind of stoned before eventually saying something breathtakingly weird and random.
“Evie, don’t listen to Kurt, the people in this town are so bored they will absolutely say anything to anyone about anyone. Trust nobody. No-bo-dy,” Carly said as Ash argued the opposite point.
“No one said anything about you, Evie! That newspaper emailed a bunch of us and I told everyone we’d agree on ‘no comment.’”
“You’re full of shit, Ash! No one emailed your ass!”
They went back and forth for awhile until, as usual, Trevor interrupted to say something that sounded super high and unrelated.
“I heard someone’s comin’ to get you, Evie,” he giggled while making eyes with a bag of Fritos. We all paused and turned to look at him funny, but he didn’t look up till Carly smacked him hard on the arm.
“Trev. Why do you always have to say such creepy shit when you’re high?” she snapped before turning to me and rolling her eyes. “Sorry. We watched scary movies last night.”
“It’s cool,” I laughed as I saw another car pull in outside. As harmless and actually enjoyable as this interaction was, I didn’t want to risk any more unexpected run-ins today, so I quickly paid for my things and started backing out. “Guys, I gotta get going but it was nice seeing you again,” I said, as all three Blooms stopped yelling at each other to wave and sing bye as I walked out.
I wore a vague smile on my lips as I got in the car and started driving, because I needed that laugh this morning.
Badly.
Last night, I had stayed longer than usual with Mom because we were having a conversation about all the things she’d help me do for the baby. Kaylie came home, heard the baby talk then started slamming drawers in the kitchen, eventually accusing me of eating something in the fridge that she’d been saving for herself.
Mom stormed in there to quiet her down and before I knew it, we were all in there screaming at each other.
The night ended with me in tears, and Mom also in tears, but still putting on her calm, soothing voice as she told me to go to the motel and come back the usual time in the morning.
“Tomorrow will be a fun day, promise. I’m going to have a surprise for you,” she said in the driveway, holding my cheeks and kissing my forehead before watching me get into the car.
We ended on a nice note but I felt horrible as I pulled up to the house today because I knew she’d probably been up all night dealing with Kaylie’s wrath. It was probably why I got her the usual from the store but also bought out pretty much all the chocolate bars Kurt had in stock. I want
ed to make it up to her for last night.
“Mom?” I called when I tapped open the creaky front door of the house. I stepped over something or another and spotted that the closet door in the den had been left open, with a bunch of old boxes and board games spilling out.
“In the kitchen, Evie.”
Right away, I felt like her voice sounded strange, like she was reading from a script. I smirked because I had a feeling this meant she had her surprise for me in there, and I was pretty sure it was the box of yarn and all the knitting needles she said she’d dug through the closet to find.
“Mom, I hope it's not just pink and purple yarn you’ve got, because I have a feeling this kid’s gonna be a - “
I shut up the moment I stepped into the kitchen.
Right away, every part of my body froze, my heart stopped like a floating rock in my chest. The blood drained from my cheeks as I simply stood there and stared.
Because sitting with Mom at the tiny kitchen table, on the “good” crown back chair that would actually hold all his weight, was the last man I’d ever expect to see in Belfield, Massachusetts.
“Evie.”
I dropped my bags at just the sound of Drew’s voice saying my name.
“What are you doing here?” I breathed as he rose to his feet.
From the corner of my vision, I saw Mom cover her mouth the way she did right before she cried, and only then did I realize that I had started it. Tears were already welling in my eyes from barely a second of standing in front of Drew, because I was so immediately overwhelmed.
Looking at him, I was somehow as angry, confused and embarrassed as I was completely relieved. Apparently, it was still my instinct to feel comfort, relief when I saw him because my body was still trained to want to be near him. It still wanted to melt into his chest, and even now, I had to stop myself from running straight into his arms.
I had to remind myself of the way he looked at me last. Like he didn’t trust me and never should have - like perhaps this whole time together, I’d had ulterior motives.
“Please tell me what you’re doing here, Drew.”
My breath rattled in my throat as he came closer to me. It was too bizarre to see him in my childhood home - the place where I’d dreamt and fantasized and wished for a different life. It hurt more to see him here than it did somewhere else, and despite the fact that he’d clearly come all the way to Belfield to find me, I refused to get my hopes up for what he was about to say.
Clearly, he’d passed some of that famous Drew Maddox cynicism to me because a part of me was preparing myself to hear him say that he’d come to write a check to buy my silence on the baby, or maybe he was here to sue me for somehow breaking my NDA.
But when I felt him cup my face, his thumbs stroking my cheeks, I knew I was wrong and I immediately burst into tears.
“You know why I’m here,” he murmured, wiping my tears as he kissed me on the forehead.
“Just say it,” I whispered.
“I’m sorry. I fucked up that night when you told me, and if you’ll forgive me, I’m here to take you home, baby.”
The words alone made me cry into his chest for who knows how long. Mom was up at this point, standing a few feet away with her hands pressed together in front of her lips, waiting for the moment when she needed to step in and take care of me. But she didn’t, instead standing back and smiling through her sniffling because apparently, I was in good hands. And she could tell.
“Trust me, I let him have it when he first got here,” she said the moment our tears wound down enough to make room for talking again. “I didn’t make it easy on him.”
“She didn’t,” Drew smirked as I looked up at him in awe. I could’ve sworn I was dreaming. I still couldn’t believe he was here.
“How did you find me? Even Aly doesn’t know this address,” I asked when Mom went into her room to give us privacy in the kitchen.
My voice was still shaky, and I was still trying to keep at least some of my guard up because Drew was touching me so tenderly, pushing locks of my hair from my eyes, and it made me want to forget everything he’d ever done to make me question him.
But I couldn’t do that. Not just yet.
“I Googled you, Evie,” Drew answered my question with a laugh. “Apparently all I needed was your name and hometown. That said even the GPS couldn’t find your street when I got here. I had to roll my window down and ask someone. Not that that really helped. He was high off his ass.”
“Ohhh...” I wanted to ask if that someone’s name was Trevor Bloom but I highly doubted Drew asked for a name, and I had far too many other questions to ask. “Drew...” Of course, despite all the questions, I barely knew how to start. “Drew, the last time we spoke, you were - “
“An asshole,” he finished, quietly but firmly. “I was... shocked. And overwhelmed. My instinct was to question. But that’s not an excuse, Evie. It was knee-jerk reaction because I still have a lot to fix with the way I think. It’s habit for me to question everyone in my life, and I know it’s fucked up but I’ve already started turning some of it around.” His Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed and brought his gaze from our entwined fingers to my misty eyes. “And it’s solely because of you – there’s no denying that. Just being around you showed me that people can be good. Hell, I enjoy everything around me more when you’re by my side. My world’s just better with you in it, and I don’t want to go back to how it was before you came, Evie. I love you. I love you too much to let you go.”
I was crying again and he had me sitting now - propped up on the shoddy kitchen counter I barely trusted to hold me. But my legs were too weak to stand and if I fell, I knew Drew would catch me.
I hiccupped as I tried to get out my words.
“The baby though, Drew...” I could barely look up at him as I said the words. “I’m going to keep it.”
“Evie, I want you to,” Drew said, sounding urgent now. Emotion tightened his voice as he held my cheeks and forced me to meet his eyes as he spoke. “Look at me. I want this with you.”
“If you’re just saying that to – “
“I’m not saying just anything to win you back, Evie,” Drew interrupted me, fire in both his eyes and his voice. “I’m saying everything I know in my heart because I’m not hiding anything from you anymore. I’m done with that,” he said vehemently, his insistence far too strong for me to fight. “Believe me when I tell you that I want this with you. I want every step of this journey with you. I want to see that little bump of yours wearing a Drew Maddox jersey when I win a championship in October. I want to make your life as good as you’ve made mine.”
He was gently squeezing the backs of my calves now, and I was suddenly giggling delirously through my tears as he cracked a grin.
“I know you’re a little better than me in the massage department, but I swear I’ll fucking blow you away with my foot rubs. I’m going to make you the most pampered mom in the city,” Drew said, making it feel like my heart was swelling too big for my chest. “And the best part,” he laughed as he feathered kisses on my lips, “is that our kid’s going to be older than Emmett’s, which means he’s going to be automatically better.”
“Drew!” I smacked him though I was cracking up hard now, wiping happy tears from my eyes. I was suddenly thinking of Drew and me raising a child alongside Aly and Emmett, and it made me want to bawl with pure joy and disbelief. I imagined beach days with them in East Hampton, and bringing the kids to the restaurant to try their first lobster roll.
I was so over the moon I had to control myself, sniffling for a few seconds before tilting my head up curiously at Drew.
“You said ‘he.’ You think he’s going to a boy?”
“No, you do. I heard you about to say that when you thought it was just your mom in here,” Drew laughed, his thumbs skimming my cheekbones. “Speaking of your mom, she really let me have it when I first got here. She almost didn’t let me in.”
“She can be pretty tough to
her family members, let alone a non-related male. I’m surprised she even allowed you to sit in the kitchen,” I mused.
“Yeah, I groveled a bit on your porch,” Drew laughed at himself. “But we managed to have a nice talk before you came. And she said she can’t wait to be a grandma.”
I swallowed. I knew Mom couldn’t – she’d said it a million times to me before – but hearing the words from Drew’s mouth as he wore that quiet smile made my heart twist a hundred different ways.
“I want her to be in the baby’s life, Drew,” I said softly. “I just need to say that now. I don’t know how to make it work, but I want it.”
“If you want it then we’ll find a way,” he murmured, looking me in the eye. “That’s my promise to you. Do you believe me?”
“I believe you,” I whispered, letting him kiss me again before hearing my mom’s stirring in her room. “We have to stay a little longer to talk to my mom. But after, you’ll take me home?”
There was a smile of content as he nodded down at me, brushing the hair from my face.
“Baby, you know I will.”
38
DREW
I always woke up when she woke up now, because there was no ignoring the feeling or the sounds of her stirring on my chest, her cheek still pressed to my skin as she yawned and stretched.
It always put a smile on my lips before I so much as opened my eyes.
Usually, after that, she’d get up and giggle at how I groaned over the void she left on my chest. I felt it every damned morning and yet I still hated the feeling. Of course, I made up for it by waiting to hear the water run before following her into the bathroom and making her late to work.
Three weeks later and fucking Evie in the shower was still my preferred way to start the day. I was pretty sure I was growing dependent on starting my morning with kissing her as she washed her hair, and as I leisurely soaped up her tits. I was always rock-hard and jacking it by the time she stood with her eyes closed under the water, rinsing away the shampoo and all the suds from her body.