“My baby’s home!” Christine shouts and hugs Bri tightly before she releases her and I give her a small side hug.
“How was your drive?”
“Good. Easy, since Grady drove. I got your text to come here first, though, so my stuff is still all crammed in Grady’s car.”
“He didn’t want to come in?”
“Nah. I think Tess would flip if he didn’t get home as soon as possible.”
“Ready for a break?”
“So ready! I know it’s only a long weekend, but it will be nice to not think much for a few days.”
“Want a bar?” Christine holds up the pan right in her face, and I wince again.
It’s obvious she’s sucking up.
“What happened?” Bri asks, lifting a bar and biting off a chunk. She rolls her eyes and groans. “So good,” she mumbles. “You have to make these for me every time you give me a care package at school, okay?”
“Stop talking about leaving again! You just got home!” Christine cries.
I chuckle and pull her into my side, kissing her on the head.
Bri watches us and smiles softly. “Relax, Mom. At least you have Andy and the boys here for you.”
“I’m outnumbered by boys! Don’t you feel the least bit sorry for me?”
I roll my eyes and turn to the fridge, grabbing a few bottles of Gatorade and a water when I notice the time on the clock. The boys should be getting home from football practice any minute now. Since we live close to the school, they’re able to walk home.
Bri settles in at the table, tucking her legs underneath her.
“Head’s up,” I shout before I toss her a water, which she catches quickly with a smile.
“When do the boys get home?”
“Soon.”
And before she can respond, Reece and Aidan come storming in the house. Stinky and hungry.
They don’t even notice Bri sitting at the table. They have one thing on their minds. Raiding the fridge and pantry.
“Boys.”
“Yeah, Dad?” Reece asks, head shoved into the fridge. He turns around with some lunchmeat and cheese in his hands before he notices Bri.
“Bri!” he shouts, setting down the food, causing Aidan to stumble out of the pantry.
They both run over and give her sweaty hugs. “Holy crap!” she says, pinching her nose.
“Yup,” I say, nodding my head.
They both sheepishly apologize but grin while doing it.
“How was practice, boys?” Christine asks, setting a bar on a plate for each of them.
“Good. Kicked our butts tonight. So many up downs.”
“Coach Mac is tough.”
“Freshmen football a little different?” Bri teases.
They both just smile around a mouth full of food before it hits them. “Wait. Why are you here?” Aidan asks.
“Fall break.”
“You suck! I wish we got fall break!”
“So, why was it so important to come here rather than the house?” Bri asks.
“Andy and I have some news, but we wanted you three to be here together.”
“Okay?”
I clear my throat before launching in and gesture so the five of us are sitting in the living room. Once settled, Christine in the chair and me sitting on the armrest beside her, I take a deep breath. “You kids know that we’re close.” I pause and look around to see the kids’ faces masked in confusion. “What I mean is, when a man loves a woman…” The kids groan. “I guess what I’m trying to say…”
“Dad. Just spit it out.”
“Right. Well it seems that we’re going to be a family of six.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Bri asks.
“I, um. Yeah. So, I thought this would be easier to explain, but it turns out not so much. Christine hasn’t been feeling the best lately, and after taking about a dozen tests and going to the doctor, we discovered that she’s pregnant. In about seven months, we’ll be welcoming a little boy or girl into our family.”
“You guys are going to have a baby?” Reece asks, eyes wide.
“Indeed, we are.”
“Mom?”
Christine nods her head.
“Wow. I’m sorry, but… how?”
“Can you have a girl?” Aidan requests.
“Yes,” I say as Christine, so knowledgeable, points out, “I can’t really control that, kiddo, and it’s already been decided.”
“Well, I want a baby sister.”
“Me, too.”
“Bri? You okay there?”
“I’m just in shock. I mean — are you happy? I know that sounds mean, but are you okay? Will the baby be okay? You’re not…”
“Young. I know. And we’ll go to plenty of checkups, and so far, everything is good.”
Bri blows out a breath. “Wow. I so didn’t see that coming. I thought maybe you were moving in together and getting married.”
I know Christine wants that, and so do I. I just haven’t found the right ring or the right way to ask her yet.
“I’m happy, Bri,” Christine says, reaching out to hold her daughter’s hand.
“I’m happy for you guys.”
“Boys?”
“Yeah?”
“How you feeling about all this?”
Aidan, ever the smart ass. “It seems like maybe you two didn’t pay enough attention in health class. You know what leads to babies…”
“Aidan,” I growl, but he just smiles that cheeky smile.
“We’re cool. This is actually exciting. We’ve never had a little brother or sister.”
“So, you guys are all on board with this?”
“Well, obviously it wouldn’t change anything if we weren’t, but yeah. This is kind of amazing. I’m finally gonna be a big sister!”
“Hey!” the boys shout in unison. I notice how Christine gets tears in her eyes immediately. In technical terms, we aren’t a family of five or known each other too long. But the kids have embraced our relationship as if they were siblings.
She rolls her eyes and looks at them. “You know what I mean.”
“Still…” Aidan grumbles.
My heart feels like in the Grinch movie when it just keeps expanding and growing. I didn’t know that I could be so full of love until now.
“And then there were six,” Christine says wistfully, placing her hand on her stomach. I cover hers with mine and lean down to kiss her on the lips.
“Gross! That’s what got you two into this in the first place!” Reece laughs.
30
Christine
“Hey lady! What’s happening?” I ask, bringing Carly in for a hug. We haven’t seen a lot of each other lately with Balance getting ready to open, school back in session, and me not feeling the best. Not to mention the amount of time I spend with Andy and the boys, and visiting Bri when we can. When I pull back, I take a look at Carly and notice that her normal smile is missing.
“What’s wrong?”
She looks away then back to me.
“Can we go to your office?”
“Um, okay? Yeah. But you’re making me nervous.”
“I’m sorry. I just think we need some privacy.”
I wring my hands together as we make our way to the office, and I take a seat on the couch next to her.
“What’s going on?”
“First, I need you to know that I don’t like gossip, and this seems like gossip to me, but…”
“Just say it already,” I tell her, trying to keep the growing nervousness and fear from my voice.
“I know what happened with Todd.”
“What?”
“I said…”
“I know what you said. But I want you to clarify what you meant. From the beginning, Carly. What the hell are you talking about?”
“Heather. She’s been talking. And maybe she’s just feeding everyone a line of bull crap because, let’s be honest, she’s not really known for her honesty but… I don’t know. I think, maybe�
� is it true?”
“What’s she saying?”
“That she and Todd had an affair,” she whispers sadly.
I feel the blood drain from my face and sweat start beading on the back of my neck. I lean over, not knowing if I’m going to throw up or pass out or possibly both.
“I don’t… what did she say exactly? Where did you hear this?”
She licks her lips and reaches over to grab my hand in hers. “First, you need to understand something. Heather is crazy. Everyone knows this.”
I nod my head, hoping she’ll just get on with it.
“Tess is the one who told me. She said she wanted you to hear it from me. Heather came into her shop the other day, saying she was looking for an interior decorator.”
My breathing goes shallow at the thought of Heather being back in town. Of messing with the boys’ lives. With their hearts. “What? She’s back? Like living here?”
Carly shakes her head. “No. Thank goodness. Tess said she wouldn’t work with her and didn’t travel that sort of distance anyway. I guess she’s living in Illinois or something. Anyway. I don’t think that’s why she was here anyway. The vindictive slut.”
I purse my lips together because hearing Carly use any sort of swear word always cracks me up.
“So yeah. She wasn’t here searching for a business relationship. She was here to spread craziness. She said that the day Todd found out he had cancer, you found out he was sleeping with her.”
I gasp. It’s true — well, partly — but it stings. Hearing the words from someone else’s mouth. Even after all these years.
“Christine. It’s worse.”
“How can it be worse?” I part groan part screech.
“She said that the only reason you’re with her husband, is because she was with yours.”
31
Andy
Everywhere I look, eyes are on me. At the grocery store. Filling up my pickup with gas. When I pulled up to the school to get the boys from practice.
My phone rings, and I look down and see Barrett’s name lit up. I swipe to answer immediately.
“Hey, Barrett! What’s up?” I say by way of answering, scrunching my eyebrows at two moms standing next to their car, glancing at me every so often.
Would I get in trouble if I flipped them the bird sitting in the school parking lot?
“Uh, man. We got troubles.”
“Shit. What’d Gavin do now?”
Gavin has been screwing up left and right lately. Well, no, that’s not true. He’s been screwing up since we hired him. Lazy shit.
“It wasn’t Gavin.”
“Okay, then what?” I ask irritably. All the looks I’m getting starting to piss me off.
“It’s Heather.”
I groan and throw my head back against the head rest and pull my beanie off my head, tossing it in the passenger seat.
I scrub my hand through my hair and down my face.
“What’s she doing now?”
“Flapping her tongue. In a big way. It’s bad, Andy. Catastrophic.”
“What could she be flapping her tongue about? Divorce is done. Final. Has been for months.”
“Christine.”
“No. We were never together until the divorce was finalized. Why the hell do you think I waited so long to get with her? Wasted months not being with her.”
“That’s not what I mean. She’s flapping her tongue about Christine,” he explains, then continues on after a beat of silence, “and Todd.”
I sit up straighter in my seat and lean over my steering wheel, looking to see if the boys are coming out of the building yet.
I don’t see them, so I figure I’ve got a few minutes to clear this shit up before they get here.
“Spit it out, Barrett. What the hell are you talking about?”
“Man. You know I joke around a lot about hating secrets and loving to know everything and spreading it around, but I’m not really that way. I mean, I am with the fun shit, but this… dammit. I would never. This isn’t me gossiping. You need to talk to Christine.” I hear him blow out a breath. “Apparently Todd cheated on her. Did you know that?”
I sit for a few seconds wondering what I’m supposed to say to that. I don’t want to betray Christine by spilling her secret, but it sounds like he already knows. Still, I say nothing.
“I take it by your silence this isn’t new news to you. Did you also know that when he cheated it was… shit, man, it was with Heather?”
“What?”
I touch my chest to make sure it’s still beating because his words feel like it stopped my heart.
He continues on as if he hasn’t just rocked the ever loving shit out of the already rocking boat I was sitting in. “And she’s saying the only reason Christine is with you is revenge against her. Christine’s with her husband because she was with Todd.”
And just like that, my world falls out from beneath me all at once.
Memories of Christine’s words describing her husband’s affair rush back to me but never once do I remember her mentioning anything about it being with Heather.
Is it possible?
Did I misread her this entire time?
Was she holding on to that much anger over Todd cheating that she’d actually get pregnant on purpose?
I can’t believe I’m in this situation all over again.
With a liar.
Except this time?
I got the girl pregnant before I discovered her betrayal.
Christine’s known this entire time that Heather has been a cheater for years.
And not only that, it was with her husband.
She… what? Thought the ultimate way to get back at Heather was to make me fall in love with her?
Prove to Heather that she’s the better woman?
Did she really plan to get pregnant?
We were stupid and never discussed birth control, but still…
The questions that are rolling through my head are endless, as is the anger boiling up inside.
“Dad! Hey, you okay?”
The sound of Reece’s voice and the door closing jars me back to reality.
I didn’t even realize that I’d hung up on Barrett. My phone is resting on my thigh as I look blankly out the windshield.
“Dad?” Reece’s hand is on my forearm, and I look over at him, then to Aidan in the backseat. Both have confused looks on their faces.
I clear my throat and try to give my best, most reassuring smile. “Yeah. Bud. I’m good. How was practice?” I reach over and clap Reece on the shoulder and squeeze once.
They both give me weird looks. “Good, Dad. Practice was good. So was school. Are you sure you’re okay?” Aidan asks, leaning forward in his seat.
“Just a bit off today, boys. I’ll be fine. Ready to head home?”
“I’m starved!”
“Is Christine coming over?”
Shit.
Christine
I get in my car and drive as quickly as I can to Andy’s house, wanting to be there when he gets home.
I don’t want him to hear it from anyone else but me. And if Heather is running her mouth, he’s bound to hear it.
I open the garage door using the opener he gave me and notice he’s already here. I park on the opposite side of his pickup and shake out my hands, trying to calm my nerves.
The second I step out of my car, Andy is pushing through the door to the house, marching toward me.
“Is it true?” he growls.
All I can do is nod.
“You… this is all revenge on Heather?” he asks, genuine shock covering his face. His gaze drops to my stomach, that’s now rounded slightly, and points. “You did this all to get back at some bitch who means nothing?” This time his voice isn’t holding back the venom.
I stumble back a few steps, shaking my head wildly. “Andy, no. Let me explain.”
“Oh, I know enough. Trust me. I get it. I can’t believe I fell for another liar,” he scoffs, scrubb
ing a hand down his face.
“No, you don’t get it. Please,” I plead with him. “Where are the boys? Are they inside?”
“They’re next door at Nolan’s house. I was getting ready to come over to you when you pulled up.”
I nod my head. “Let’s go inside. You have to let me explain this.”
“Explain what? That you found Heather — my ex-wife — having sex with your husband and didn’t think you should tell me? And then, by some random stroke of fate, I came into Dreamin’ Beans, and you latched onto your one chance to get back at the bitch your husband cheated on you with all those years ago?”
“That is not how it happened. You know this, Andy. You know my heart. It wasn’t like that at all. Yes. Heather is the person who Todd had an affair with. That part is true. Yes, I admit I hid it from you. Not just from you, though. From everyone. You know I didn’t want to tell anyone about it. It wasn’t important.”
“Not important?” he screams. “How can me not knowing years ago that my wife was cheating on me be not important?”
I stay silent, not knowing how to get through to him.
He already knew. He admitted that time and time again.
So, the fact that I knew Heather cheated is not what’s got him so angry.
The misguided idea that I got pregnant on purpose — all for some crazy revenge against Heather years later — is what has him ready to end everything.
“Please. Just listen to me,” I whisper.
“I’m done listening.”
“What?”
“I said, I’m done. I’ll be there for the baby. She’s a part of me, and whether you planned to get pregnant as some sort of twisted revenge plot or not, I would never take that out on our precious baby girl. But you and I? We’re done.”
“We are not done, Andy. You won’t even listen to me!”
I cover my mouth when my sobs begin to come out uncontrollably. I rest my hand on my belly, praying for the baby to calm my ever-growing nerves.
He stalks over to me and leans down to get in my face. Not in a menacing way, but in a way that is sure to keep my attention. “Oh, we so are, Christine. I was screwed over by one woman before. Duped into thinking that I had to stay with her for the sake of my children, but I know better now.”
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