by Delisa Lynn
“You will be back to normal soon. I can’t wait for the shower. Is Nikki coming out for it?”
“Yes, she will be here for a week. That’s if Brody will let her. She needs to get her dress altered and so do I. She is going to have a belly walking down the aisle. She texted me a pic of her ultrasound. I’ll show you.”
As I grab my phone, it starts ringing. I look down at the screen. At first I can’t pinpoint who the number belongs to. Then I realize it’s him.
“Holy fuck, it’s him, Meg.”
I freeze. She grabs my phone out of my hands and hits the speaker button.
“Hello, Lila’s phone. Can I help you?” she says, smiling.
“Umm. Hello, ma’am. My name is Evan Martin, and I’m returning Mrs. Ellis’s call.”
“Well, hello Mr. Martin. Give me just one second and I’ll see if Mrs. Ellis is available.”
She shoves the phone in my hands and whispers, “Talk to him, babe. It’s now or never. Don’t chicken out; I’ll hold your hand.”
She grabs my other hand. I can feel my pulse getting rapid and my heart fluttering. I clear my throat and take a sip of water. Meg squeezes my hand and nods, indicating I should speak. I can hear his breathing on the other line. I want to hang up. Now I’m regretting my decision. I turn the speaker button off.
“Hi, Evan. It’s me, Li-Lila. How are you and Tatum?” I ask. As soon as her name left my mouth, I wanted to kick myself for mentioning her.
“Hey, Lila. We are good. Thank you for asking. How are you and Liam doing? Is everything okay with the girls?” he asks.
Aw, he asked about my babies. I’m just going to blurt this out; that’s the only way I’ll be able to tell him without chickening out. God, I could really use some wine. In another month, I’m drinking the biggest bottle I can find.
“We’re good.” In one breath, I say, “I was calling because I’m pregnant and the baby might be yours. We will need to take a DNA test once the baby is here.”
I sigh once I get it all out.
He pauses. “Did you say the baby might be mine?” He pauses again. I know he is thinking about the last time we were together. “We haven’t slept together since you were here. How is that possible? You would be ready to have the baby by now; it’s been, like, nine months.”
“I’m due next week. I either got pregnant before New York, which would make Greyson Liam’s, or I got pregnant the weekend in New York, when you and I spent the weekend together.”
“And you are just now fucking telling me that you might be having my child next week? You haven’t thought to tell me before now? Is that what you are saying, Lila Rae?” he yells.
I can feel a lump in my throat. Evan never yells.
“Yes, that’s what I’m saying. I wasn’t sure, and the more I thought about it, I thought you should know. Liam will take the test when the baby is born, and then we will contact you if you want. Or you can sign your rights away.”
I know I shouldn’t have thrown that part in there, but hell, I wasn’t thinking straight. Hearing him yell made me even more nervous than I already was.
“I will be there, and I will not be signing any of my fucking rights away to anyone. If this is my child—did you say he?—he will be taken care of by me as well as you and your husband and my fiancée. He will get to know his siblings. Tatum is pregnant also. She is three months.”
Of course he had to throw that in there. Why the hell does he want my baby if his precious Tatum is pregnant?
“Oh, okay. Well, my due date is next Thursday. You both are welcome to come to the hospital. They can perform the test once I deliver.”
That’s all I say. Both of us get silent.
“Li, I will be there in a few days. I have to tell Tatum and see if it’s okay for her to travel. But I will be there, and if this child is mine, you two better not keep him away from me. Ever! Thank you for calling. I’ll be in touch soon. Take care of yourself and the baby.”
“Okay, Evan. Thanks, you too. Goodbye.”
I hang up the phone and fall into Megan’s arms, sobbing. I can’t believe this is happening. This baby might be his and he already wants to stake his claim. I should have known it wasn’t going to be easy; there is no way he would ever give his rights up.
“Shh, it’s okay, baby girl. Call Liam now, or do you need me to?”
“No…yes. I don’t know. Yes, call him. I need him.”
She calls Liam and I go check on the girls. They are both still sleeping. I text Nikki and tell her everything. She sends me a text back.
You did the right thing.
What have I done? I’m not only destroying my family, but Evan’s too. I can’t give him my child.
***
Liam
I’m sitting at lunch with the guys and just shooting the shit when my phone rings. I notice it’s Megan. I instantly pray nothing is wrong with Lila or my girls. Li is so close to delivering I hate leaving her alone.
I answer and Megan tells me everything is okay, but Lila talked to Evan and wants me to come home.
I excuse myself from the guys and head home. He better not have yelled at her. I wanted to be there when she talked to him. I knew this fucking shit was going to happen.
“Goddamn it,” I yell as I hit my steering wheel.
I just want to get home, hold my wife, and tell her everything will be fine. We’re going to get through this, but who the hell am I kidding? This shit is tearing me apart just as much as it is her.
All I can think about is him coming and taking my child, then my wife going with him. No way in hell is he getting my family. I will do whatever it takes to keep them. My phone starts ringing again. It’s Ashton.
“Hey, bro. What’s up?” I ask.
I didn’t say anything to him when I left the restaurant because Kade doesn’t know yet, but I’m sure Ashton figured out what was going on.
“Everything okay? Did Evan call?” Ashton asks. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of Kade.”
“Thank you for that. Yes, he called. I’m on my way home now. I don’t know what he said to her. I talked to Meg, so I’ll call you after I talk to Li. And Ashton, thanks for caring, man. I love you, brother.”
He sighs. “Anytime, man. I love you too. Please call me and let me know that Li will be okay. Should I tell Kade anything?”
“Yeah, explain it all to him. Everyone’s going to know soon enough and I’m sure he will ask questions.”
***
“Lila, babe, where are you?” I yell as I walk through the front door.
I’m worried about her. She went into labor early with the girls. This pregnancy has been smooth sailing, but I hate thinking he may have upset her or yelled at her. I will beat the shit out of that home wrecking bastard.
“Liam, oh baby. He called. I told him everything. He said he will be here next week and he will not sign his rights away, that he and Tatum will be in Greyson’s life. I was so nervous and I was just rambling. He was upset. He didn’t really yell, but I can tell he wanted to. He wanted to know why I was just now calling him.”
“It’s okay, baby. We will get through this. I will not leave your side. I’ll handle Evan; he won’t ever yell at you.”
“I don’t want you guys fighting. He has a right to be upset. I know I’d be upset if someone called me nine months after you slept with them and said they might be having your baby.”
I want to say that wouldn’t happen because I wouldn’t do anything like that, but I don’t. I don’t want to upset her any more than she already is. I hope he is ready to be confronted when he arrives. I’m not holding anything back. I’m telling him exactly what I think of him, about how much of an asshole he is for fucking my wife, not only once, but four times.
“I won’t fight with him, Li. I’m talking to him, though. About everything. So, as soon as Greyson is born, they can do the test, right?”
“Yes. I think I need to lie down. I’m not feeling so well,” she says as she grabs my arm.
I help her to the bedroom and lay her on the bed.
“Is that better, love? You look a little pale. Are you having any pain at all?”
I want to make sure she isn’t having contractions, she could go into labor at any moment now and that shit scares the hell out of me.
“I’m good. Just a little tired. Can you see if Meg’s okay and if she will take the girls out on the beach? I want you to stay with me.”
“Yes, Ashton and Kade are on their way here. Kade knows. I hope you aren’t mad.”
“I’m not mad, but he probably thinks I am some sort of whore.”
I wrap my arms around her and kiss her. I know she isn’t a whore. She’s only been with two guys.
“Stop, no one thinks that. Now rest, I’ll be right back.”
I pull the blanket over her body. Her belly is huge. I know Greyson will be here very soon.
I go down stairs to ask Meg to take the girls out, but she and the kids are already walking around the beach. Ashton and Kade pull into the driveway. When I meet them at the driveway, I can tell Ashton already told Kade by the way he’s staring at me.
“Hey, brother. Everything okay?” Ashton asks as he gives me a bro hug.
“Yea, Li is tired. I’m going to lie down with her for a while. Meg has the girls on the beach. Why don’t you get AJ and come back and I’ll grill some steaks and chicken.”
“I’m going to find Meg,” Kade says, smiling.
I laugh. “No public affection in front of my babies.”
He shakes his head and heads to the beach.
“I’ll get AJ and come back,” Ashton says. “You need anything?”
“No, I think we have everything. I’m going to lie back down with Li. She looks really worn out and miserable.”
***
I walk back in the bedroom and find Li sitting in the middle of the bed with a box of pictures and a baby book. I can tell she’s been crying. I smile at her. Then I walk over to our ginormous bed and sit down next to her. Still not saying anything, I pick up one of the pictures and notice it’s a picture of her and Addison, probably from when they were around ten years old. In the picture, they’re wearing feather necklaces and have microphones in their hands.
“What’s all of this? I thought you were tired, beautiful?” I ask as I put my arm around her and place a kiss on her wet cheek.
“I was. Well, I am. I just wanted to find some pictures for Greyson’s baby book. Ads and I were, like, ten and thought we were country singers. We were singing “Jolene” by Dolly Parton. This picture came from your Aunt Nancy’s album. Do you ever wonder what Addison would be like now? How the girls would be around her?”
“Ahh, you know my aunt loves her country music. You little ladies were adorable. This picture reminds me of our girls and how inseparable they are. I do wonder what she would be like…Well, she would be a mother herself. I know she would have loved the girls and her child. She and Eric would already be married. She would probably be in jail, though. She would have beat the shit out of Christa for doing what she’s done.”
“Yeah, she would have killed her for sure. I know Eric has to miss her as much as we do. I hope he never forgets about her and how much she loved him. I keep thinking about the day she found out she was pregnant. Liam, she was so happy, and she was already glowing. What pictures should we use in the baby book?”
“Well, I think this picture is perfect. Let’s see what else is in here.” I flip through the album and point to a picture on the right corner of the fifth page. “Oh, I remember this one. That was the day of graduation. We had a great summer that year.”
I look through the pictures with her until I come across a picture of Lila with Evan and Addison. I try to hide my sadness, but Lila notices instantly.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t get rid of it. I know you hate him, but he was one of my best friends. Addison liked him. She threatened to cut his balls off if he hurt me,” she says with a laugh.
Even though seeing him all loved up next to my woman upsets me, I reply, “It’s okay, you don’t have to get rid of his pictures. I mean, I don’t want to look at them every day, but you can keep whatever you want.”
This picture was taken while I was laying in that hospital bed, thinking about Li and praying that I would find my way back to her. All that really matters is that I did find my way back.
She smiles. “Thank you. I’m so lucky. I couldn’t ask for a better husband or father for our children. I know this sounds cheesy, but you are a one of a kind. If Ashton and Kade want to be like you, they have a lot of work to do.”
“I’m pretty lucky myself. I think I snagged a pretty fine lady.”
“Pfft, look at me. I look like a cow,” she says, motioning in front of her.
“No, you don’t; you’re beautiful. I’m going to miss how big these are.” I put my hands on her boobs. She smiles.
“Yeah, you and me both. They’re going back to normal soon. I’m not tired anymore. Is Meg still downstairs?”
“Yes, and we are having a cookout, so go put your bikini on,” I say, slapping her ass.
“Ha, ha. Funny, Liam. I’ll stick with this sun dress. These things are so comfortable.”
“Hey, I tried. If it was up to me, you’d be walking around, naked, all day. But my cousins and your friend are here, so keep that dress on. I’ll see you downstairs.”
***
On the way downstairs, I think about how lucky I am. Not only is she a wonderful wife and mother, but she’s a kindhearted woman who would do anything for anyone. She gets upset when our mothers try kidnapping our girls, but she lets them go because she knows it makes our moms happy, and that makes Lila happy. She and her mother aren’t as close as they used to be. I think it has a lot to do with her mother’s new husband. Lila likes him, but I know she misses her dad.
I walk into the kitchen and pull out ten steaks and ten chicken breasts. Rosa has been doing most of the shopping. She always stocks up for us. I thaw the meat and prepare the marinade. Lila walks in with a big smile on her face and opens the pantry. She brings out a box of tri-colored noodles. I know what she’s up to.
“Hey, handsome. It isn’t a cookout unless we have Aunt Nancy’s famous pasta salad. She gave me the recipe. I hope we have everything for it. Did Rosa get produce too?” she asks, searching the refrigerator and pantry again.
I laugh. “Now, when has Rosa ever not bought produce?”
“Yeah, I love when she shops. Found them! I’m going to start chopping the veggies for the pasta salad. Then I’m going to find my babies.”
“They’re in the water with Meg and Kade. Ashton should be back soon. He went to pick up AJ.”
Lila looks out the window and says, “Look how cute Megan and Kade are together. She likes him; I know she does. What do you think about hooking them up?”
“I don’t think they need our help. Anyone can see that they like each other, but Kade doesn’t do relationships. I know my cousin. He’s like how Ashton was in high school.”
“Well, from what I know about Meg, she doesn’t either. I know she has her ‘friends with benefits,’ as she calls them,” she says in a serious tone. “But that can always change.”
“Get to making that pasta salad. I’m going to light the grill.”
I wrap my arms around her waist and place small kisses along her neck.
“Um, you better go because I can’t have sex for seven long weeks and I can’t handle you kissing me like that without being inside of me,” she says, moving out of my arms.
I wink. “Fine. We can do other things, though.”
Chapter Nineteen
Lila
“Mommy, mommy, mommy. When is the baby going to fall out of your belly?” Maddison asks.
“Hey, pumpkin. Where’s your sister? Well, baby Greyson will be here next week. We have to go to the doctor’s and they will take him out of my tummy. Are you ready to be a big sister?”
“I’m right here, Mommy!” Addison says. She rou
nds the corner and runs onto the patio. “I like Aunt Meg. She like to swim wif us. Is Aunt Nick and Uncle Brody coming to see our baby Greyson?”
“Aunt Meg is pretty cool, isn’t she, sugar? Yes, Aunt Nik and Uncle Brody will be here. They are going to have a baby soon too. Not ’til next year, though. Then you two and AJ will have another cousin to play with.”
“The doctor will take Greyson out of your belly and he will cry,” Addison says.
“Yes, that will happen. He will probably cry a lot, for a few months. You two sure did.”
I pull them in for a hug. I love my girls. They are so much like Liam and me. I can see more of his sweet and caring side in them. They have my looks, but his eyes.
“You feeling okay, babe?” Meg asks as she grabs a beer from the small patio fridge. “You look a little better.”
I sigh. “Thank you for everything. You know I love you and appreciate all of your help.”
“I know you do. I love you too. What do you think about Kade and me hooking up? Nothing serious. I just want a piece of him.” She laughs.
“Umm, that’s between you two. But don’t make things awkward. He seems to really like you and you deserve better than one night stands, my friend.”
“I don’t do relationships. I’ll never be loved. It’s all just fun to me,” she says, but I see a hint of sadness in her face.
“Meg, tell me about your family and where you grew up. I’ve known you for two years and you never mention your past.”
“I grew up in a small town in Kansas. I moved here when I was seventeen to start college and to begin my career. My parents are dead. I have one sister, but she has her own life and we don’t speak often.”