by Jen Andrews
“Hola, Mija,” she replied cheerfully. “Where’s our Andy at? Did he not come with you?” My dad came into the kitchen and gave me a big bear hug.
“No, he’s not home yet. Things didn’t go so well in San Francisco. He still doesn’t know anything.”
My mom shook her head and muttered something under her breath in Spanish as she turned back to finish cutting up the meat. With my knowledge of the Spanish language, I understood that she called someone a fucking bitch.
Yes, she was where I acquired my foul mouth.
My dad and I chuckled when we heard what she said. I explained to them what happened with Andy trying to go to Michelle’s office and security getting involved. As I spoke, my dad sat shaking his head, unable to believe what was happening with Andy.
When my mom was finished with what she was doing, she washed her hands and turned to me. “I’m so sorry this is happening to both of you, baby girl. Andy is part of this family and it hurts to know we can’t do anything to help him. Just know we’re here for you and here for him when he comes home. Please let him know that.”
Tears flooded my eyes because my family had accepted him as one of their own, like they had me when I was adopted. “I will, Mom. He’s coming home today, so I’ll make sure he knows.”
As I helped my mom cook dinner, the rest of my family began arriving at the house. When it was ready, and everyone was updated on Andy, we gathered around the table to eat.
Jess sat next to me, leaned over, and whispered in my ear. “Is there something you need to tell me?”
I narrowed my eyes at her. What was she talking about? So much had happened since I saw her last.
She rolled her eyes at me. “Seriously, Z? I talked to Sasha.”
As visions of murdering Sasha went through my head, I let out a breath. “Fucking blabbermouth,” I muttered so only Jess could hear. “Later,” I whispered.
Jess let me get through dinner but cornered me in the kitchen when I went in for seconds. Yes, seconds. Again.
Of course, right as I heaped more food on my plate, Adam walked in the kitchen.
“Dang, Z, seconds again, huh? Looks like you’ve put on a couple pounds too.”
Yep, he was fucking brain damaged. I took the serving spoon full of refried beans I was holding and flung them at him.
A moment later, Angie walked in the kitchen and found her boyfriend covered in beans.
She shook her head at him. “What did you say this time, Adam?”
He unbuttoned his bean-covered shirt, pulled it off, and began wiping beans off his face and from his wavy, chin length hair with it.
“I said something I promise never to say again, that’s for sure. I don’t particularly enjoy wearing food,” he grumbled.
While he cleaned himself off, my mom came into the kitchen, took one look at him, muttered “idiota” then went about cleaning the kitchen.
After he was done, Adam walked over to me and squeezed me tightly. “You know I’m just messing with you, right, Z?”
I nodded. “Yes, and you know you deserved what you got in return, right?”
He kissed my cheek loudly. “Yep, I think we’re even,” he joked and left the room.
My mom sang while she cleaned, so Jess and I were able to talk quietly without her hearing. “Why didn’t you buy a pregnancy test yesterday? Are you crazy?” she asked in disbelief.
“Jess, I don’t see how I could be…you know…” I raised my eyebrows at her, willing her to understand what the fuck I meant. I was afraid to say the word pregnant now because it made me nauseous.
“I am calling the doctor first thing in the morning,” I said as I shoveled in a mouthful of food.
She looked at me and smirked, like she just knew I was pregnant. Frustrated, I tossed my fork down on the counter and jogged to the bathroom.
I heard Jess call my name before I slammed the bathroom door and locked it. With my two best friends convinced I was pregnant, I was beginning to second-guess myself too. I was positive I hadn’t missed any pills, and I was so careful taking them at the same time every day.
Oh God, what if Andy was right? There could be something wrong with our baby if I were pregnant. Would we be able to handle it?
There was a knock on the door.
“Z, I’m sorry,” Jess said quietly. “Please open the door.”
I unlocked it and let my best friend in. I sat on the lid of the toilet while she settled on the edge of the bathtub. I explained my newfound fears of a possibly sick baby.
“Oh, Zoey,” she cried. “I am so sorry. I didn’t think about that.”
After I unrolled a few squares of toilet paper for both of us, I dried the tears from my cheeks as she dried hers. “It’s okay. It’s all hard to deal with right now, especially without him here and not knowing anything about it.”
We talked for a few more minutes before my nephew Jake started pounding on the door because he needed to use the bathroom. We went back to the kitchen for dessert, but I took mine to go, instead of staying to eat it.
I was so over the day, and just wanted to go home. I hoped Andy was home waiting for me.
It took a while to say my goodbyes to everyone, but I eventually left to drive home. I pulled my Audi through the Dutch Bros. drive-thru and bought a small, decaf Cocomo.
Jesus H, now I was convinced I was pregnant and ordering decaf fucking coffee. I checked my phone while I waited for my order. Nothing from Andy.
As soon as I was home, I parked on the street next to my building and ran up the stairs. All I needed was to see him and tell him of my suspicions. I didn’t want to waste time messing around with the gates to get into the parking lot.
I unlocked my door and went inside the apartment. I was expecting him to be sitting on the couch waiting for me, but he wasn’t. James was wandering around meowing for no apparent reason, so I picked him up and walked through the apartment to see if Andy was in another room.
When I walked into my bedroom, I found an envelope laying on my bed with my name scrawled across it in his handwriting. Next to the envelope was a key ring with a few keys on it and his cell phone. I dropped James down on the bed and picked up the envelope.
In my heart, I knew it was bad. Very, very, bad.
Inside the envelope, I found a long, handwritten note and the Tiffany & Co. receipt for my engagement ring.
Oh, please, no. No. No, no, no!
Anxious to find out what the note said, I sank down onto the bed and unfolded the paper.
Oh my God. I dropped the letter on my bed, picked up his keys, and ran out my front door as Will and Justin came out of their apartment. I skidded to a stop before barreling into Will. He reached out and gripped my shoulders to steady me so I wouldn’t fall down the steps.
“Zoey, what’s going on?” he asked, his voice panicked.
I shook him loose. “He’s fucking gone!” I cried as I righted myself then ran down the stairs and out the lobby door. I continued running until I hit the parking lot between the apartment building and the shop. There, I stopped.
His truck and trailer were gone.
Will and Justin were running behind me, calling my name, but I ignored them and began running again. I took the stairs up to his apartment two at a time until I missed a step and fell to my knees on the landing at the top of the stairs.
I picked myself up, my knees and hands stinging from my fall, and found the keys I’d dropped.
“Zoey, stop!” Justin called out to me as they made it to the bottom of the stairs.
I ignored them again, walked on shaky legs over to the door, and unlocked it. I paused because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to see what was, or was not, on the other side of it. I pushed the door open, but couldn’t force myself to go in. Will and Justin came up behind me and stopped.
“He’s gone. I can’t believe he left me,” I whispered as tears began to fall, and my heart shattered in my chest.
Will brushed past me, shooting me a sympathetic glance as he w
ent inside the apartment. Several minutes later, he came back out. I looked him in the eyes anxiously, waiting for him to tell me what I already knew.
He shook his head from side to side. “I’m so sorry, Zoey. All of his personal belongings are gone.”
Will locked up the apartment, and my friends walked me home.
They sat me down on the couch, one of them sitting on either side of me. I buried my face in my hands and began bawling.
“I knew he would leave, but I thought he would come back.”
The letter he left said he wasn’t coming back. Ever. Justin stood up and went into the kitchen, while Will sat with me as I cried. A few minutes later, Justin came back to the living room with three glasses of Johnnie Walker. He held a glass out to me.
“I can’t drink that, but thank you,” I whispered. He looked at me curiously and raised his eyebrows in question.
“Everyone thinks I’m pregnant, Justin,” I said and started crying again.
Will pulled me over to him hugging me tightly. They were having a silent conversation behind my back, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
“Call Sasha, the blabbermouth,” I muttered. “She’ll tell you everything.”
Justin stood up from the couch and went down the hallway to my bedroom. Ten minutes later, he came back out, made a cup of hot tea, and brought it to me. I finally calmed down enough to talk to them.
After a while, Sasha and Jess showed up. Four of my best friends surrounded me because my world was turned upside down, because my other best friend left me.
Andy was gone, and he destroyed my heart in the process.
The five of us talked through the night, in to the early morning. They were able to talk some sense in to me. I started the evening completely heartbroken, and by the time we all fell asleep at my place, I was downright mad.
I was mad at Andy for leaving the way he did. He fucking lied to me when he told me to go to family dinner without him. He said he’d see me when I came home, when what he was really doing was getting me away from my apartment while he packed up and left me.
I was mad at his ex for being the chicken-shit bitch, who was so fucking heartless she hadn’t told him about Emma. I was mad at him for leaving his cell phone, with no way for me to contact him.
All my life, I had lain down and let whatever happen to me, happen. I was no longer that person.
This time, I chose to fight. I was going to fight for Andy with everything that I had. I wasn’t going to let him go as easily as he had let me go.
I placed the palm of my hand on my stomach, and in my heart, I knew there was someone else I had to fight for.
To be continued…
The third and final part to Zoey and Andy’s story will continue in the upcoming book
“Beautiful With You”
Jen Andrews was raised in a small town in Northern California, and still lives in the same county where she was born. She is a self-proclaimed music and lyric addict. She grew up in a ‘car family’ so her life has been spent around old hot rods. She and her husband, Jake, even have a few of their own. In her spare time, Jen loves to travel wherever she can. She finally lived her dream of traveling to New Zealand to see her favorite rugby team, the All Blacks, play. Jen loves to do photography as a hobby and continues to write.
Find Jen here:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7762025.Jen_Andrews
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenAndrews
https://www.facebook.com/jenandrewsauthor
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20755729-the-reason
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22585630-just-say-yes
https://twitter.com/jennysnowflakes
Table of Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Author Bio