by Nicole Hart
Unfortunately, one shot turned into four. I’m pretty sure our waitress got in trouble for serving us so much alcohol. But it was too late now; I was way too buzzed and definitely not able to drive. Mackenzie had the giggles and I knew it was time for us to go.
“You ladies aren’t driving are you?” An older man, who I assumed was the manager, came over to our booth.
“Nope. I’m calling my friend.” I said, a little louder than I intended as I searched for my phone. I had a missed call from Moon. But I had to call Lainey first.
“Lainey boo boo!” I sang into my phone when she picked up.
“Sam?” She sounded worried instantly.
“I need a driver, momma,” I said, and realized I had a little slur. Damn.
“I’m grabbing my keys, where are ya?”
“Steakhouse. We drank too much,” I said quietly.
“I can tell,” she laughed. “Stay put, I’m on my way.”
“Lainey is coming to get us.” I said to Mackenzie when I hung up.
“Yay! I love Lainey!” Mackenzie yelled, as she threw her hands in the air like someone just scored a touchdown.
I couldn’t help but giggle as I sent Moon a text.
Me: Having a drink with Mackenzie. Call you when I get home
Moon: Alright darlin, be careful
Me: I love you
Apparently those shots gave me a little bravery.
Moon: Love you beautiful. Ur not drinking and driving are you?
Me: Laineys on her way.
Moon: Ok good
Me: Love you
Shit, I already said that.
Moon: Love you more
A few minutes later, we were in Lainey’s car headed back to my house. Mackenzie and I were singing along to Reba, but Lainey had a serious look on her face.
“Mackenzie?” Lainey said.
“Wait, this is my favorite part! She said just be nice to the gentlemen Fancy, they’ll be nice to you!” she belted out, and then giggled. But Lainey wasn’t laughing.
“What does Jake drive?” Lainey asked.
“What? Why?” Mackenzie asked; she stopped laughing immediately.
“What does he drive?” Lainey repeated.
“A silver Kia, why?” Mackenzie said.
A Kia? What a puss.
“I think he’s following us.” Lainey said.
“Are you shitting me?” I asked.
“Nope.” Lainey said. “I wasn’t sure at first, but yeah, he is.”
“I told you he’s been a jerk lately!” Mackenzie whined.
“Honey, that’s not being a jerk, that’s being a fucking stalker.” I said.
What the fuck? I mouthed to Lainey when she glanced over at me. She just shook her head.
The rest of the car ride was spent in awkward silence. Mackenzie sobered up pretty quick and I didn’t want to be the crazy friend and tell her she should dump the prick, so I kept my mouth shut. When we pulled into my driveway, Jake pulled in right behind us. I had a weird sense of déjà vu. But then I noticed that Jase was already sitting in the driveway. I looked over at Lainey.
“I texted him to meet me here when I first noticed he was following us, just in case.” Lainey whispered.
“Good call,” I said, as I opened the passenger door.
Jase met Lainey at her door and opened it for her. He stood in front of her when she got out. He was her protector, her shield. Jake opened his door and walked to the back of Lainey’s car. He glanced at Jase and stopped in his tracks. He waited for Mackenzie to get out.
“Let’s go, Mackenzie.” He said quietly.
“Why are you following me, Jake? I told you I was with Sam.” She said sweetly. She was being way too nice.
“Get in the car,” he said calmly, as he looked at the rest of us staring at him.
“Don’t do this.” Mackenzie pleaded with him.
“Get in the car.” Jake repeated. Mackenzie started walking towards his car.
“Are you sure you’re ok?” I asked.
“I’m fine.” Mackenzie said quietly. I could tell she was fighting back tears. What a dick.
The three of us just stood there in silence, watching and waiting for them to pull out of the driveway.
“What the fuck?” I said when Jake left a cloud of dust on the dirt road.
“She needs to get away from him.” Lainey said, and shook her head as Jase rubbed her shoulders.
“Alright y’all love birds; I’m going to call Moon,” I said, and blew Lainey a kiss.
“You ok?” She asked.
“I’m fine.” I said with a smile. I needed to hear his voice.
“Ok, call me if you need me.”
I gave her a thumbs up and then turned around to unlock my front door.
Chapter 12
Moon
I was lying on my bed, waiting for her to call me back. Damn, I missed her so much. I’ve known for years just how much I loved her, but these last few weeks confirmed everything. I was going to marry her. One of these days, she would be my wife. I can’t live without her in my life forever. It’s just the way it was. She was it for me. Just then my phone started to buzz. FaceTime. Fuck yeah. I answered and waited for the connection.
“So fucking beautiful.” I said when I saw her face.
“Hey you,” she whispered. Her eyes were a little glassy; I could tell she had been drinking.
“Damn, I miss you,” I said, as I stared at her.
“Me too,” she said quietly, and then took her shirt off. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip as she rubbed her nipple over her bra with those perfect little fingers.
“Take the bra off,” I said. She put the phone down just long enough to do what I said.
“Fuck, I wanna run my tongue all over those titties, Sam,” I said, as I watched her rub them.
“Are you stilling wearing panties?” I asked. Sam pointed the phone down to her perfect pussy. It was shaved almost completely bare other than a small strip. I needed to touch it, to taste it.
“Rub your clit,” I said quietly; my breathing was already getting shallow.
Sam did as I said and let out a little moan. So fucking sexy.
“How does it feel?” I asked, staring at her move her fingers in a circular motion over her clit.
“Lonely.” She moaned.
“Is it wet?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said, as she let out another quiet moan.
“Rub it faster.” I said, and she did immediately. Her breath quickened and her moans got louder. Fuck, I couldn’t help but rub my hand across my swollen dick.
“Fuck, Moon!” She cried.
“Fuck yeah, baby,” I said, and I stroked my dick.
“Touch your cock,” she said. “Fuck, I want it in my mouth,” she said as she squeezed her eyes closed.
“Sam,” I said through gritted teeth. She was so fucking sexy.
“I’m going to come, Moon.” She said through a whimper.
“Show me your face. Look at me,” I said.
She put the phone up to her face and let out a loud cry. Just watching the look on her face when she came got me off. She was so fucking beautiful. The hot liquid spilled into my hand, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.
“Taste yourself,” I whispered to her. She put two fingers in her mouth and sucked them dry. Fuck yeah; I was going to marry her.
Finally.
This had been the longest six weeks of my fucking life, but this hitch was finally over. I sped down that dirt road; I couldn’t get to her fast enough. It was a good thing I knew these old roads like the back of my hand, because I had my foot on the floor. My truck did a little fish tail when I pulled into her driveway. Yeah, I was in that big of a hurry to see her. When I put my truck in park I saw her front door open and she came running off the porch. She was wearing a little black tank top and some tiny shorts with bare feet. God, she was a sight to see. So fucking beautiful. I jumped out of my truck as she leapt into my ar
ms. I kissed her hard as I scooped her up and she wrapped those tan legs around my waist.
“Fuck, I missed you,” I whispered, as I planted kisses on her lips, her cheeks and her nose.
“I missed you, too,” she said as she squeezed her legs tighter around me.
“I need you naked now,” I said, as I cupped her ass and she kicked my door shut with her foot.
“Well, hurry up,” she said with a giggle, as she kissed my neck.
Chapter 13
Sam
4 months later
Holy. Fucking. Shit. This cannot be happening. This cannot be happening. I stared down at the little stick with the positive sign staring back at me. I can’t do this. It had to be a mistake. But I knew it wasn’t. My period had never been late. Ever. I should have started three days ago. In my mind, I got the test to confirm that my period decided to take a breather. Just running a little behind. Holy Shit. I just stared at that fucking stick. For a minute, an hour, a week, I have no fucking idea. All I knew was that my life was fucking fucked. No other way to put it. I wasn’t Lainey. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t be a mom. I didn’t know how.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
How could this happen? We were always careful. We used a condom every single time. Moon was diligent about that shit. Oh my God, how could I tell Moon? Was I going to tell Moon? I couldn’t be a mom. Moon wouldn’t want to be a dad. Would he? Fuck. My mind was racing. I couldn’t think straight. Fuck.
And of course this would be the exact moment I heard his truck pull into the driveway. I couldn’t answer the door. Who was I kidding? He didn’t knock. It wasn’t even locked. Fuck. Maybe I could lock the bathroom door and just be quiet. Maybe he would leave. Who the fuck was I kidding? He would break this fucking door down if I didn’t answer and he thought something was wrong.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
“Knock knock!” I heard, as he opened the front door.
“Sam?” He yelled when I didn’t respond.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
“Sam?” He repeated when I didn’t answer.
“Just a minute!” I yelled, while trying to keep my voice from shaking. I threw the test and the box in the cabinet. My whole body was shaking. Things had been perfect with Moon and I for months now. Too perfect. I should have known better. What was I going to do? Do I tell him? I didn’t think I could get an abortion, but I couldn’t rule it out just yet. Because I couldn’t be a mom. I couldn’t be. What if Moon took off and left me alone with a baby? What if I couldn’t handle having a kid and I took off? The bitch did it, what if that blood ran deep? I wasn’t ready to tell Moon yet, I knew that much. I wanted to talk to Lainey; she was my best friend and the one I always went to. But I couldn’t, not about this. Not when she was about to have her own baby, she would never understand.
“Are you ok?” Moon said outside the door. I was crouched down on the floor, with my knees to my chin. I don’t even know how long I had been sitting there. I had to move. I had to act normal. I could do this. So I got up, looked myself over in the mirror and opened the bathroom door.
“Holy shit, Sam. Are you ok? You’re white as a ghost!” Moon said, as he stared at me when I walked out of the bathroom. So much for my fucking poker face. That bitch betrayed me. He walked over to me and put his hand on my forehead.
“I’m fine,” I said, with the most normal sounding voice that I could manage.
Moon glared at me, he knew me too well, even though I didn’t like to admit it.
“What’s wrong?” He asked.
“Nothing,” I said quietly, and walked around him.
“Don’t lie to me. I know you, Sam.” He said behind me.
And he did. There was no point in trying to hide it. I couldn’t. I was about to lose it, and I couldn’t pretend I wasn’t. The tears started to fall and my body started to tremble. I crumbled to the floor in a heap. Moon was immediately on his knees, with his arms wrapped around me from behind.
“What is it? Baby, what?” He asked desperately. I could hear the fear in his voice. I couldn’t speak, I just cried and shook. What the hell was I going to do?
“Sam, you’re scaring the shit out of me. Talk to me,” Moon said, as he scooted around so he was facing me. He was stroking my hair and I could feel his eyes staring a hole through me.
“Sam, please.” He begged.
“I’m pregnant,” I whispered, when I could finally get the words out. I was staring at the floor. I don’t know if it was because I didn’t have the strength to lift my head or I couldn’t force myself to look at him. I waited for his response. He didn’t say a word. I couldn’t look up. I didn’t want to see him look at me with anger or disappointment. I felt enough of that on my own, without getting it from him, too. But I kept waiting, it seemed like forever. Not a word.
“Did you hear me?” I said, as I finally looked at him. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
“Are you fucking smiling?” I said through a hiccup. He was smiling. Those bright blue eyes of his shining. How could he be happy about this?
“Hell yeah, I’m smiling,” he said with a little laugh, as he wrapped his arms around me.
“Damn girl, I thought you were dying or something. You fucking scared me,” he said, and then kissed the top of my head.
“So you’re smiling because I’m not dying?” I asked. What about the part about me being fucking pregnant?
“Well, yeah,” He said with a laugh. “And because we’re gonna have a baby, darlin.”
“What? You’re happy about it?” I said. I was in shock.
“Yep,” He said with a smile “I think I’ll be a good fucking dad.”
“But I can’t be a mom,” I said before the tears started falling again.
“What do you mean?” He asked quietly, but there was an edge to his voice.
“I mean, I don’t think I can do it, Moon. I can’t have a baby.”
“We’re in this together, Sam,” he said, as he grabbed my hands.
“It’s my body, Moon; I don’t think I can do this.” The truth is I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was too confused. I don’t even know if I could go through with an abortion. But what kind of life would I give a kid? Could I even love it?
Moon stood to his feet and started pacing back and forth rubbing the back of his neck. He was pissed.
“This isn’t just your decision, Sam. It’s my baby, too.” he said firmly, but he wasn’t looking at me.
“I know,” I whispered. “I just need time to think.”
“Ok,” he said, and then walked out the front door. I listened for the roar of his truck starting but I didn’t hear it.
I curled up in a ball on my living room floor for at least an hour. I couldn’t move. My mind was going in a thousand directions. When I felt like I had cried out all my tears, I finally sat up. My eyes were swollen and my face felt stiff. I’m sure I looked like hell. I stood up and walked over to the living room window and peeked out. Moon’s truck was still sitting in the driveway. I opened the front door and there he was. Just sitting on the porch with his head resting against the pillar.
“I thought you would have left by now,” I said, and I walked over and sat beside him.
“I told you a long time ago darlin that I wasn’t leaving you. And I won’t. So think about whatever it is that you need to think out, but please don’t make any hasty decisions. Will you promise me that, please?” He said, as he looked at me, his eyes pleading.
“Ok,” I whispered, and grabbed his hand. I really did love him, no matter what.
“And you don’t have to be scared. We’re in this together. I’ll take care of y’all, I promise,” he said, as he squeezed my hand.
“But what if I’m the one who can’t take care of it?” It.
“You’re not her.” he said bluntly.
My eyes filled with tears again. I thought those mother fuckers were finally gone.
“Sam, I don’t think you give yourself enough credit. You love harder than anyone
I’ve ever met. You’re as stubborn as they come, and that drives me fucking crazy sometimes, but it also makes me love you even more. It’s what makes you so strong. You don’t do anything half-ass. You will be a good mom, trust me on this.”
All I could do was put my face in my hands and cry. Again. I was an emotional wreck.
“Look, it’s getting late, why don’t you try and get some sleep.” Moon said.
“Ok.” He was right. I was physically and emotionally drained. I didn’t want to be alone, though.
“Will you stay with me?” I asked.
“I ain’t going anywhere, darlin. Come on,” Moon said; he grabbed me by the hand and led me back inside.
Chapter 14
Moon
My eyes fluttered open, but it was still dark outside. I glanced over at the digital clock on Sam’s nightstand. It was only 4 a.m. Sam didn’t have to get up for work for another 2 hours. I’m surprised she was sleeping, but I think her body just gave out. She tossed and turned most of the night. Her body was tense and I kept hearing her sniffle, and I knew she probably finally cried herself to sleep. I gave her space, not physical space because I kept my arm draped across her all night. But I tried to let her process this in silence; I knew that’s what she wanted. But I still couldn’t help the grin that crept across my face. She was going to have a baby. My baby. That made me a happy mother fucker. She was just scared right now, but I knew she would be ok. Sam was the toughest person I’ve ever met; she would do just fine. She was just letting her worries get the best of her. But I knew in my gut that she would be a great mom. I just prayed she didn’t do anything crazy before she realized it. I couldn’t even imagine her getting an abortion. She didn’t say the word, but I knew she was thinking it. But I knew Sam, she couldn’t do it. She wouldn’t. Not if she actually gave herself the chance to think this through. I needed to get her away for a few days. I slid out of bed and grabbed my phone out of my jeans on the floor. I walked as lightly as I could to the bedroom door. It wasn’t quiet enough for Patch, though, because I heard him prance right behind me. Once I had the bedroom door closed behind me, I let him out into the backyard and walked over to the coffee pot while I dialed my dad’s number. He was awake every morning at this time so I knew it would be ok.