A Perfect Homecoming

by Lisa Dyson

  “She might be pregnant,” Kyle blurted out.

  There was a long silence before Maddie finally said, “Might be?”

  “It’s too early to know,” he explained.

  “Oh.” Another long pause. “Is it yours?”

  “Of course it’s mine.” He practically yelled into the phone.

  “Sorry!” she said quickly. “You have been divorced for two years. How am I supposed to know if she’s been seeing anyone?”

  Kyle calmed himself. “I know. But if there’s a pregnancy, then it’s mine.”

  “Well, it’s good to know the two of you are getting along again.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” he told her.

  “Obviously you went far enough....”

  There was a teasing tone in her voice and his mouth softened into a smile. “You need to promise you won’t say anything to anyone. We don’t even know for sure yet.”

  “What if she is pregnant?” Maddie was serious again. “Is there any chance she’ll be able to carry it to term?”

  “The short answer is that I don’t know.” He ran a hand over the back of his neck. “During my free time at work last night I did an internet search for anything new in the field over the past two years.”

  “Did you find anything worthwhile?”

  “There was a woman in England with a weak cervix, identical to one of Ashleigh’s problems, who from five months on spent most of her pregnancy in a hospital bed with the foot of the bed elevated so her legs were higher than her head. She delivered a healthy baby six weeks early by Cesarean section.”

  “Wow,” Maddie said. “That takes determination. Would it work for Ashleigh?”

  “The problem is that Ashleigh has never gotten that far along in a pregnancy,” Kyle said. “The longest she’s ever carried was fourteen weeks.”

  “What about her endometriosis?” Maddie asked. “I know she had surgery a few months before that last pregnancy, but has she had any problems since?”

  “I don’t know,” Kyle said honestly. He and Ashleigh hadn’t talked about it. “Endometriosis often recurs and sometimes requires further surgery for a successful pregnancy.”

  “Does this mean you and Ashleigh are back together?”

  “No,” he said quickly. “I mean, nothing’s changed.”

  “But what if she’s pregnant?” Maddie asked. “Won’t you be there for her?”

  If she’ll allow it. But Kyle kept the thought to himself. Ashleigh had already told him she wouldn’t be sticking around.

  “We have differing opinions on that,” he said.

  * * *

  TOM ARRIVED AT Theresa’s apartment shortly after noon. He sat in his car, parked in the lot in front of her building and looked up at the third floor. He hadn’t called before coming over, taking a chance that she would be there. Giving her a warning probably wasn’t a good plan after she ran out of the restaurant last night.

  He reached for the bouquet of fresh flowers on the passenger seat of his car. Black-eyed Susans—the state flower of Maryland, where Theresa grew up. They were also her favorite.

  Walking across the parking lot, doubt kept nipping at his heels. What if she wouldn’t speak to him? What if she didn’t want to hear what he needed to say? What if she’s not even home? Or not alone?

  His heart thudded in his chest, so loud he was sure the man who jogged past him heard it. Tom took the two flights of stairs at a rapid but steady pace, not wanting to break a sweat or be winded by the time he reached Theresa’s apartment.

  He shifted his weight from one foot to the other in front of her door—3B. How many times had he stood in this very spot over the years? They’d enjoyed such good times together.

  He straightened his shoulders and raised a fist to knock on the door. He refused to give up without a solid effort.

  The door opened before he could knock.

  “Oh!” Theresa held a laundry basket overflowing with clothes in her arms. “I didn’t hear you knock.”

  “I was about to,” he said.

  “Oh,” she repeated.

  They stared awkwardly at each other and Tom finally stuck out his hand with the flowers. “For you.” Like a five-year-old who’d collected wildflowers to present to his first girlfriend.

  Theresa stared at them. Her hands were full and, after an awkward moment, Tom said, “Here, let me take that.” He set the laundry basket in the hallway and handed her the bouquet.

  “Thank you.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

  “I didn’t want to give you the chance to tell me not to come over,” he explained. “I want to work things out with you, Theresa.”

  “Oh.” She swallowed and said thickly, “How do we do that?”

  “First, I’d like you to look at the house I put an offer on. If you truly don’t like it, then I’ll withdraw my offer.”

  “You’d do that for me?”

  “Of course I would.” He wanted to reach out and touch her but was afraid of pushing too fast.

  “When?”

  “When what?”

  “When do you want me to see the house?”

  He was surprised at her urgency. “I can call the Realtor right now, if you want.” Theresa nodded her head and he pulled his cell from his pocket. The Realtor picked up on the first ring.

  “We’ll see you in an hour,” he said when the real estate agent told him that was the only time she had free. “Thanks,” he said, and disconnected.

  Theresa let out a gasp and covered her mouth with her free hand.

  “What’s wrong?” What had he done this time to upset her?

  “I need to shower and change,” she said. “I can’t go like this.”

  He hadn’t noticed anything beyond her gorgeous blue eyes and dazzling smile. Now he took in her ratty T-shirt and gray sweatpants. “Isn’t that my T-shirt?” The corner of his mouth turned up.

  Her bare face reddened and she put her free hand on her hip. “What if it is? It doesn’t fit you anymore anyway.”

  He lowered his voice. “I always loved seeing you wear it.”

  Her gaze moved to his lips and he found himself leaning in to her.

  “Well good afternoon, you two.” The elderly, hard-of-hearing woman across the hall spoke loudly as she exited her apartment and locked the door. “It’s nice to see you both again.”

  “You, too,” they said in unison.

  After she disappeared into the stairwell, Tom and Theresa looked wide-eyed at each other and laughed.

  “Why don’t you grab a shower and I’ll put these in water.” He reached for the flowers and their hands touched.

  “I’ll be quick.” She took off before he could put into motion any other ideas he might be entertaining about spending the afternoon in her bed.

  Hours later they found themselves at a coffee shop not far from the house. They’d spent a lot of time looking at every inch of it, but Tom had no clue whether Theresa liked it or not.

  “It has a nice backyard,” Tom said tentatively when they settled at a table with their coffees. “Good for a dog.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “A dog?”

  He grinned. “Sure.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “A dog that needs to be walked and fed and cleaned up after?”

  “Of course.”

  “Since when?” she asked.

  He wasn’t sure what to say, so he was honest. “Since I realized I can’t live without you.” He sucked in a breath. “And if it takes a dog or a house or anything else to make you happy, then I’m prepared to do that.”

  She stared at him.

  “What do you think of the house?” he asked. “I know it’s not anything like the one you found, but we can change w
hatever you don’t like about it.”

  He waited anxiously for her to say something. Anything. All he wanted was some sign that she was willing to start over with him. Her silence caused him to fill the void. “Or we can keep searching until we find one you like.” He started to reach out to take her hand, but instead he spoke from his heart. “I’m so sorry, Theresa. I know I’ve hurt you. I know I never listen, but I promise I’m trying. I can’t guarantee I won’t ever be a jerk and disregard your feelings, but I’m working on it. Tell me what I can do to make up for my mistakes.”

  Finally, her mouth slowly widened into a grin. “I love it!”

  He stumbled over his words. “You do?”

  Her head bobbed vigorously, her eyes wide with excitement. “I do!”

  He couldn’t believe it.

  “I love the backyard, the updated kitchen, the finished basement for when we have kids—” She stopped suddenly and put a hand to her mouth. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to jump—”

  He reached out for her hand. “If you’re jumping, then you’ve finally reached the point where I’ve been waiting for you for quite a while now.” He smiled at her. “I love you and I want us to spend our lives together.”

  Her shoulders relaxed and she put her other hand over the one covering hers. “I love you, too.”

  * * *

  KYLE THOUGHT LONG AND HARD after speaking with his sister until he came to a decision. He and Ashleigh needed to be proactive. They needed to discuss the possibility of a pregnancy and what they’d do if she was actually pregnant. No holds barred.

  There were too many unknowns floating through his head. How had her health been over the past two years? Had her endometriosis returned? How far would she be willing to go to protect this pregnancy? What kind of role did she see him playing?

  Was there some way to convince her to stay in Grand Oaks if she turned out to be pregnant?

  The idea of her going back to Richmond hit him squarely in the gut. He’d gotten used to speaking with her at least a few times a day and seeing her in person often. How would he deal without her in his life in some capacity? How would he deal with losing her again?

  He needed her in his life.

  It was a shocking revelation. He was falling back in love with his ex-wife, no matter how much he’d tried to avoid that exact thing.

  How had it happened? And what was he going to do now?

  Too many questions and not enough answers. He picked up his cell phone and sent a text to Ashleigh. Call when you have a minute.

  Not two minutes later, his phone rang.

  “Hey,” he said. “That was quick.”

  She chuckled, a sound that lightened his heart. “You caught me at the right time. I just finished with my last patient of the morning. One to two is supposed to be lunch, but I have a few calls to return before I begin afternoon appointments.”

  “Don’t forget to eat.” He snapped his mouth shut as soon as the words came out. She was sure to be angry if he kept nagging her about eating, but he couldn’t help it. Skipping meals had been her standard operating procedure during her internship.

  “Don’t worry. Cammie already ordered lunch for me.” Luckily she wasn’t offended by his concern and once again she let his worry pass without a bad reaction. There was shuffling on her end of the line. “Hold on a minute.”

  After muffled conversation, Ashleigh came back on the line. “I’ve got to take another call. Can I call you back?”

  “Sure. I actually wanted to get together and wondered if you were free for an early dinner tonight.”

  “I can’t tonight, how about tomorrow night?” she suggested.

  “Sure. Saturday’s better anyway because I’m off all weekend.” Then he added, “I’ll talk to Emma about watching the boys.”

  “That’s great,” she said. “Gotta go.”

  They disconnected and he was satisfied with the outcome. He called Emma right away to make sure she was free to babysit, but she wasn’t.

  Instead of scrapping the plan altogether, he took a chance and called Ashleigh’s Aunt Vivian.

  “I’d love to watch the boys!” Her excitement was obvious when she said loudly, “All right!”

  Kyle chuckled. “What time would you like them?”

  They spent a few minutes discussing the arrangements before disconnecting.

  Next, he considered what he would cook for them. Ashleigh tended to eat light, avoiding red meat except on rare occasions. So he settled on an Asian chicken salad with peanut sauce that she loved.

  He dug through a drawer in his kitchen for the recipe he’d saved but hadn’t made since before their separation. He jotted down a grocery list. He could stop at the store on his way home from work in the morning.

  With a free afternoon before he had to go to work, he cleaned his apartment and went for a long run. By the time he showered it was time to head to the hospital.

  As long as he kept busy, he didn’t have time to stop and overthink any life-changing events that might or might not happen.

  * * *

  ALL DAY SATURDAY, Ashleigh had been both nervous and excited about spending time alone with Kyle. Their relationship had gone in all different directions since she’d come back to town. They’d fought, they’d made love, they’d possibly made a baby.

  She sucked in a breath.

  Kyle would want some kind of agreement about their future. She was pretty sure that’s what he had in mind to discuss over dinner. He wouldn’t want to be left out of any decisions that affected him, but she didn’t want to face it.

  What did she want? She didn’t have a clue, except to avoid the heartbreak of another miscarriage.

  By late afternoon, Ashleigh was on her way to drop off the boys. Aunt Viv had asked to have them spend the night, maybe hoping to give Ashleigh and Kyle more time alone.

  Mark and Ryan had stuffed their backpacks with pajamas, clean clothes and all the necessities, as well as a few toys they couldn’t live without.

  Ashleigh laughed at their excitement. They couldn’t wait to go see Aunt Viv’s animals, chattering about them the entire trip.

  After a brief visit with Aunt Viv, Ashleigh left for Kyle’s, but first she had a quick stop to make. If Kyle was going to press her for decisions, then she needed to get answers. Specifically, was she even pregnant? That was the operative question.

  She pulled Paula’s minivan into the hospital staff parking lot, hoping she wouldn’t get towed since there wasn’t a sticker on it. Her errand shouldn’t take more than a few minutes as she hurried to the basement level where the lab was located.

  “I need to have some blood drawn,” Ashleigh said to the young woman who greeted her. She handed the technician the request that had been signed by Rosy earlier in the week, with the provision Ashleigh wait at least seven days to have the pregnancy test done.

  Today marked a week since she and Kyle had made love. A week of agonizing and wondering and waiting.

  “How long before I can get the results?” Ashleigh preferred to not use her temporary position at the hospital to get special treatment. The fewer people who knew about her possible pregnancy the better. Hospital gossip traveled faster than the speed of light.

  “We’re pretty backed up right now,” the tech said. “You might hear from your doctor later today or tomorrow but most likely Monday.”

  Not fast enough for her stomach to stop doing flips.

  * * *

  ASHLEIGH ARRIVED AT Kyle’s apartment complex and found a visitor spot for the van. She’d never been in his apartment—hadn’t made it farther than this parking lot the other day.

  Why were her nerves jangling? This wasn’t a date or anything. They were simply meeting over dinner, two friends who used to be married and who now might be having a baby together.
<
br />   How strangely civilized was that?

  She made her way to his door and raised a hand to knock. She drew in a deep, calming breath. No need for him to know how anxious she was about being here.

  Would he see through her facade and discover her feelings for him were deeper than either of them expected?

  She knocked briskly on the door and he opened it within a few seconds. His warm smile greeted her and her heart melted even as it pumped her blood faster.

  Nothing like a combination of love and lust in one smooth blast.

  “Hi,” she said as he moved aside for her to enter his apartment.

  “Hi.” His dulcet tone washed over her. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “Water would be great.” Her mouth was suddenly parched from nerves, making speech difficult.

  “Please, sit down and relax.” He pointed to the living area and stepped away into what she guessed was the kitchen. The apartment was very masculine in its decor. There was nothing to soften the plain lines of his contemporary furniture. No pillows, no photographs, no touches of nature like flowers or sticks or even rocks. Nothing that said, This is Kyle Jennings’s apartment.

  She chose one end of the black leather sofa closest to the matching recliner. Kyle appeared with two large tumblers of ice water and he handed her one before choosing to sit in the recliner.

  She took a long drink and looked around for coasters but didn’t see any. When he set his drink directly on the glass coffee table, she did the same.

  She needed to find a topic of conversation. They’d barely said more than a few words to each other since she’d arrived—not that it had been awkward. More like comfortable silence with someone you share a history with. “I like your apartment,” she finally said.

  “It serves its purpose.” He gestured around. “I haven’t spent much time decorating, as you can see.”

  She smiled, secretly glad he hadn’t dated a woman who’d taken on the project.

  “Would you like a tour?” he asked. “It would take all of a few minutes. Things aren’t quite back in place after I painted last week, so excuse the mess.”

  “Sure.” She rose from her seat. As they went from room to room, she didn’t recognize any of his furniture. She’d left most of their furnishings for him, only taking a few items with personal meaning like the bedroom furniture passed down to her from her parents. When they got to the second bedroom that he’d made into his office, she finally asked, “Where’s all the furniture? I mean, our furniture?”