by Nina Evans
I explained how Kristin and James had been having problems due to her inability to conceive as well as her drinking and the affair. I filled her in on the fact that she had been allowed to stay in the pool house indefinitely as long as she didn’t interfere with his life. I then told her how things had gone haywire when Kristin found out about me and James, and that she basically acted as though she couldn’t remember anything because of her possible Korsakoff’s syndrome. And last but not least, I mentioned the ‘Die Bitch’ note that she had left that forced James to send me into hiding.
What I didn’t tell her was who had called me that day, and what had happened to cause James to be AWOL for several hours. We hadn’t had any time alone together because my parents had monopolized my every minute in the hospital. James had called every day, but I was either too drugged or too stressed out from the tension between him and my Dad that he decided it was best to explain it all later.
When I finally told him I would be staying at my sister’s apartment, he offered to get me a place of my own. I told him that wasn’t necessary yet. Plus, because of my contusion, I needed to be monitored, at least for a little while. So he asked me to call him when I got settled at Angela’s.
“That way,” he had said, “I can come by and we can talk, just the two of us.”
I only hoped that I would be up to discussing everything. I really did miss him. And I really did need answers.
Once we arrived at Angela’s apartment, she led me to her son’s bedroom and said that he would be sleeping with her.
“I don’t want to put him out of his own room,” I told her.
She scrunched up the corner of her mouth. “Are you kidding? That little bugger is excited that he gets to stay with Mommy for a while. I’ve got a little toddler bed all set up out there. It’s no trouble, Aud.”
I hugged my sister and unpacked the small bag that James had brought by the hospital. He said he would bring more clothes by later. All I wanted to do was to settle into a bubble bath and not think about anything.
I sent James a quick text, letting him know that I had gotten home and that Angela had said he could come by after dinner. She would be taking Colton out for ice cream with a friend and would be gone for a few hours. I couldn’t wait to have James all to myself for two whole hours. Four days in the hospital seemed more like four years.
By the time he arrived, I was feeling like a new woman.
“Baby,” he murmured in my ear, wrapping his arms tightly around me. He picked me up and carried me to the couch where we sat quietly for five minutes. It felt so damn good to be back in his arms. How I wished I could go back home with him.
He gave me soft kisses all over my face while I sat there and grinned like a silly kid.
“They took very good care of you at the hospital, I think,” he said.
“Apparently they did,” I answered. “I have to go back to the doctor at the end of the week so they can check me again, though.”
Fortunately, my injuries weren’t severe, but they still wanted to keep a very close eye on me and the baby. James lightly stroked my face and kissed the tip of my nose.
“You know I wanted to be by your side every minute. It killed me that I couldn’t, that your father wouldn’t allow it,” he whispered. I clung my arms to him and nodded.
“I wanted you there too,” I said. “You have no idea how angry I am at him for making my life so difficult about this.”
James looked at me with sympathy. “I know, sweetheart. That’s why I backed off. Your parents were not going to leave you alone, and you did not need the stress of my presence. I’m just so glad that you’re okay, and that you’re able to stay with your sister.”
“There’s no way I could have gone back to their house. I was so glad when Angela came to see me and offered me a place to stay.”
James looked at my hands as I sat in his lap. His eyes were heavy, and I imagine his mind was filled with burdensome thoughts. Thoughts that he probably didn’t want to lay on me at the moment.
“I want you back at the house as soon as reasonably possible,” he said.
“James, I can’t—”
“I’m not asking you to come back tomorrow,” he interrupted. “But sometime before the baby is born. We have eight months to get all this worked out and to get Kristin…”
James stopped mid-sentence. I knew he was attempting to spare me from any emotional stress.
“It’s okay. I need to know what happened. I’m ready to know what happened, James.”
I scooted back on the couch as he gave me the blow-by-blow of how all the events unfolded when he left me at the hotel. First, he went back to the house to see if Kristin was there and to pack a bag for himself.
“After packing, I got to thinking… if I were Kristin, where would I go? I thought about her state of mind and the fact that she was supposed to be going into treatment within a few days. It occurred to me that she was probably at the lowest state she had ever been in. And what does an alcoholic do when they’re in that state of mind?”
“Hmm,” I said. “They drink?”
“Exactly,” James answered.
He said that he went to her favorite bar downtown. He knew that she wouldn’t want to drink alone in a situation like that. And sure enough, that’s where she was.
“I couldn’t even get a word in edge-wise,” he explained. “She came at me fully loaded.”
According to James, Kristin was in one of the worst states he’s ever seen her in. She accused him of having the affair, as though she had completely forgotten that it was she who had cheated and left. Then she threatened to kill me and James, and—here’s the kicker—she then said that my parents wanted him dead too.
“So what does that mean? She’s talked with my parents? How in the hell does she know who my—”
“Hold on a second, sweetheart,” he interrupted. “I’m getting there.”
I took a deep breath and rested my chin on my hands, cross-legged on the couch. My life was a soap opera, and apparently I had missed a couple of episodes.
“Okay, I’m listening,” I said.
“So the bartender is kind enough to call the police, and they show up within five minutes. I was initially conflicted about pressing charges. But with you being pregnant, I didn’t want to take any chances. I went ahead and told the police everything that had happened that day, filling in the blanks with her possible health condition. Anyway, they took her to jail, and the next day, I agreed to drop the charges if she went into a ninety-day, in-house treatment facility. So that’s where she is now.”
“Ninety days? She agreed to that?” I asked, raising my brows.
“It was either that or face more jail time and a restraining order.” James shook his head quickly. “Look, I know Kristin. She’s not a violent person. It’s the alcohol that’s doing this to her. If she can stop drinking, we won’t have to worry about her behavior. Trust me on this.”
I did trust James. With all my heart I trusted him. I just wasn’t sure I trusted Kristin to stay in rehab and get the help she needed.
“All right,” I said softly. “I’ll trust you on this. But what about her and my parents? What’s the story there?”
“Right, so after Kristin was arrested, I went straight to your parent’s house to confront them about what she had said. Your dad denied ever saying that he wanted me dead. But I sure didn’t expect him to admit to it. I was, however, hoping for some kind of slip up. Which I got.”
My ears pricked up and I leaned close to James as he continued.
“You see, just as I was getting ready to leave, he muttered under his breath ‘anyone crazy enough to marry that broad…’ I didn’t catch the rest of his sentence, but it indicated to me that he had met her. Anyway, I wasn’t attempting to defend Kristin, but I did turn around and ask him to repeat what he had just said. Needless to say, things got heated and your dad came at me full throttle and started punching. I blocked his swings and your mom came out to stop
him before it got too ugly. But without realizing it, somewhere during the scuffle, I lost my phone.”
“My dad tried to fight you?” I asked, astonished.
To say that the image of my father throwing punches was a shock was an understatement. I had never in my life witnessed my dad get mad enough to punch anything or anyone. It made me seriously wonder about his emotional stability. This was definitely very uncharacteristic of him.
James nodded slowly. It took me a few minutes to absorb the information.
“You say that you lost your phone in the scuffle. How can you be sure you lost it at their house?” I asked.
“Because right before I pulled into the driveway, I heard the alert go off that you had just texted me. And now, I feel horrible that I didn’t respond right away. Though I don’t think it would have stopped you from having the accident. I still would have lost the phone, and you still would have gotten that phone call.”
I thought about it and James was right. It wasn’t his fault I was in the accident. I mean, ultimately, it was the person who ran the red light. But if you wanted to blame someone, you’d really have to blame the person whom I was supposed to meet at the Coyote Café.
“But if my parents had your phone, why wouldn’t they have said something at the hospital or at least given it back?”
I realized the stupidity of my question as soon as I asked it. My dad was not acting rationally at all these days. What made me think he would be nice enough to give James his phone back?
“I don’t know, baby. I don’t understand most of what they do. But I know without uncertainty that it fell out of my pocket at their house.”
“So that means that someone in my family called me to meet at the Coyote. It definitely wasn’t my mom. So who was it, James?”
“I have no idea, but I’m truly worried that your parents are not who you think they are, Audrey.”
I gazed in the mirror at my reflection, at my growing belly. Almost three months. I wasn’t really showing yet, but I could see the baby bump if I stared hard enough.
When my phone rang, I half expected it to be the obstetrician confirming my appointment for the next day. I couldn’t wait to hear the baby’s heartbeat for the first time. I sat for hours yesterday thinking about how real that would make it. Not that it wasn’t real now, but I’m pretty sure that being able to actually hear your baby’s sounds and movements takes on a whole new meaning.
I swiped the screen on my phone and answered.
“Audrey?”
The voice on the other end was familiar, but that was no comfort. Whoever it was instantly made my skin crawl.
“Yes?”
“Please don’t hang up. I need to speak with you.”
Why do people make bizarre requests like that when you first answer? I mean, why would I hang up without knowing who it is?
“Who is this?”
“It’s Kristin. But I promise I’m not calling to harass you,” she quickly spat out.
If it hadn’t been for the fact that two weeks had gone by and I’d had time to calm down about everything, I probably would have hung up on her. But for some reason, my instincts were telling me to listen. Go figure.
“What do you want, Kristin?” I said, trying to let her know I would hear her out, but I wouldn’t tolerate any crap she tried to toss my way. She let out a sigh of relief on the other end.
“First of all, I want to apologize for my behavior a few weeks ago. It was never my intention to harm you,” she said quietly. My body relaxed as she continued.
“Secondly, I know now that James and I don’t belong together, and I’m sorry for any trouble I caused between you two.”
“Um, okay. Thanks I guess.” It was all I could muster. I thought it was nice that she was reaching out to me, but I didn’t really know what else to say.
“Well, you probably know I’m in rehab, getting some much-needed treatment. And part of our twelve-step program is making amends. I’m not exactly at that step yet, but I just wanted to go ahead and get it off my chest, you know? I felt really bad about the way I treated you and my hus—I mean James.”
After she continued talking, I sat quietly, listening and processing what she had said and how I wanted to respond. It was kind of hard to know what to say to someone who, just a few short weeks ago, acted like she wanted me dead.
“Thank you, Kristin,” I replied. “I appreciate you reaching out to me, but you’ll have to forgive me if I seem a little wary of your motives right now.”
“I completely understand,” she said. “I honestly wouldn’t blame you if you hung up on me right now. But I feel like you deserve to know the truth about your parents.”
My heart fell in my chest. What truth was she talking about?
“Audrey? Are you there?”
“I’m here,” I answered, not really sure if I wanted to continue the conversation. The truth was, I didn’t know who I could trust at that point. My parents had backed off since my release from the hospital. And they didn’t seem crazy about the fact that I was staying with Angela, but they sure didn’t bother to invite me back home. Their behavior was strange to say the least.
“So, do you want to know what’s really going on?” she asked.
James let his fingers trail up the front of my tummy, stopping only at my breasts to tease and pinch my nipples. I let out a sigh and arched my back to get closer to him, then buried my face in his chest. His little hairs tickled me and I wiggled my nose before slowly crawling up on top of him.
His lips found mine and our tongues danced as he slid his rigid cock between my wet folds. I teased him for a moment, moving up and down over the head without letting him fully penetrate me.
“Mm, you little tease,” he murmured.
I gave him a sly smile. “You love it,” I said softly, knowing that teasing him would only make him fuck me with that animalistic rage of his.
He cupped my ass and guided himself in slowly, lingering, until I was the one silently begging for more. With my eyes tightly shut, I waited patiently for him to plunge all of himself into all of me.
When he did, it took my breath away. Our thighs slapped together as he drove himself in and out of me, my body wild with lust and heady desire. I needed him to fully possess me like this, to consume me and make me forget about all of life’s problems, all of my worries.
I laced my fingers in his and pushed upward, gaining the leverage I needed to make myself come. His cock showed no mercy to my dripping pussy, and within minutes, he had driven me all the way to O-town.
My heart pounded in my chest as I thundered through an orgasm. James grabbed me tightly as he plunged deep inside, squirting his hot seed as far as it would go. When I collapsed on top of him, he held me still until our breathing returned to normal. I loved the fact that James didn’t always jump up and rush to the bathroom after we made love.
I was bummed that Angela would be back soon, and James would be leaving me to go back home. And I was still burdened with Kristin’s phone call earlier that day.
At first, I wasn’t sure if I would tell James about it, but ultimately, I decided against it. I wanted to hear what she had to say, and I knew that James would not be happy about me talking to her.
The bottom line was that I really couldn’t deal with him getting upset with me. I needed some down time with him, time for the two of us to just… be.
“You seem terribly pre-occupied tonight,” James said.
I snuggled up to him a little closer and threw my legs over his.
“I know. I’m just thinking about my doctor’s appointment tomorrow,” I lied.
“Nervous?” he asked.
I nodded quietly and James ran his fingers through my hair.
“Everything will be all right, my love. You’ll see. I’m so proud of you for taking care of yourself.”
I looked down, ashamed of the secret I was keeping from the love of my life. I told myself that I was just going to get a little information. Nothing mo
re, nothing less.
“I’m not really doing anything to take care of myself, except resting and having sex,” I said. James laughed and kissed me on the forehead.
And all night, all I could think about was the father of my child holding me tight and kissing me. I tossed and turned, thinking about every reason why I shouldn’t trust Kristin, and every reason why I should give her a chance. She was still in rehab after all. It’s not like she could do anything to harm me.
When we talked yesterday, she explained that she “background-checked” me after seeing me sitting in the kitchen that first morning that we met. That was the same morning I had told James I was pregnant. Once she found out that I was expecting—which she had learned by rummaging through some papers in his office—all she had to do was get my name, address, and everything else on my resume. According to Kristin, everything’s been locked down tight since James told her about the two of us. But by then, it was too late. Kristin had already gone to visit my parents to tell them about the pregnancy. And she had told me about Dad’s reaction.
“He made some random comment that he was going to kill that bastard when I told him you were pregnant. At the time, I took him seriously. That’s why I told James your dad had threatened him.”
The sad part was that I could picture Dad saying that now, especially in light of his recent behavior. But I knew that he would never really hurt anyone. But then she added that she had reason to suspect he might be involved in something corrupt, and she felt a sense of obligation to let me know about it.
If she knew things about my family, I needed to know. James would never approve of this. But I wouldn’t say anything until I found out what I needed to know. And by then, maybe the baby would be here, and the three of us would be so blissfully happy that he would forgive me and the whole incident would be like water under the bridge.
The next morning, I waited on Kristin’s call. She said that I wouldn’t be able to reach her, so I kept myself busy with a scrapbook I’d started.
By the time she called, it was thirty minutes before I had to leave for the doctor’s. I had about given up, and a small part of me felt relieved, like maybe I had escaped yet another one of Kristin’s grand schemes to avenge me.