“Can I send a reply?” Britt asked.
“No,” I said. “I’m going leave it alone. He’s bluffing…I think.”
Sam gave me a look he must have learned from his military parents. “Think?”
“He…he may have been tracking me via my old cell phone, the one from Patrick,” I replied. “There’s no other way to explain how his man found me at the mall. They must have pinged me. Maybe they pinged this one too.”
“Ping? You mean to tell me that Patrick has the resources to triangulate your location?” Sam took the phone from Britt and popped off the case. “Begging your pardon, but that is not possible. He’s just a civilian.”
“Yeah, well, money talks,” I grumbled.
Sam pried off the back of the phone and continued his examination. “To the best of your knowledge, did he ever have access to this phone?”
“No,” I replied. “I kept it hidden at home, and I always took it with me when I left.”
“How do you know he never found it?” Sean asked. “Where was it while you were sleeping, or just away from it, say in a different room?”
“I kept it in a box of tampons.”
Sean burst out laughing, and my dour mood dissolved. He glanced at Britt and Sam’s confused faces, and explained, “Cin used to hide all sorts of things in empty tampon boxes, thinking that men would be too squicked out to ever look in them. It’s where she used to stash my birthday presents, overdue bills, her publishing contracts—”
I swatted his arm. “My point being,” I said, “is that I really don’t think Patrick ever saw this phone. He is apparently aware of it, but I don’t think he’s ever touched it.”
“If he never actually set eyes on it, then how does he know the number?” Sam asked.
“He—oh, crap.” I held my head in my hands. “I added the number to my email contacts, just in case I forgot it…and Patrick probably hacked my email. It’s all my fault he has the number.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Sean said, rubbing my back. “We’ll just toss the phone into the nearest trash can, and get you a new one.”
“Or keep it, and just block Patrick,” Sam said, then he handed me my phone sans case. “Any kind of pinging or triangulation requires the, uh, pinger to either have the owner’s permission, or some pretty high-level military clearance. Patrick’s just got your number, and is harassing you the old fashioned way.”
“What is wrong with him?” I turned the phone off and shoved it into my bag. “Does he really think that stalking me and sending me creepy texts is the way to save our marriage?”
Britt snorted. “No offense, Mom, but you two never had much of a marriage. To save something, first there needs to be something worth saving.”
Sean’s hand found mine under the table, and squeezed. We’d been through a lot over the past thirty-six hours; okay, we’d been through a lot over the past twenty-plus years. But once I scraped away the layers of shock over this unexpected pregnancy, and my worries over the future, two things remained: Sean, and how much I loved him. Our love wasn’t just worth saving, it was everything.
“You’re right, Britt,” I said, as I smiled at Sean. “You are absolutely right.”
Britt’s phone chirped, intruding on my moment with Sean. She set it on the table before her, and said, “Huh. Grandma sent me a text. Did you know Grandma can text?”
“Ma sends me texts all the time,” Sean said.
“Not your mother.” Britt looked up at me. “Your mother.”
Chapter
Twenty-Five
Cindy
Present Day
“Shit,” I said.
“Language,” Britt sang, repeating what I’d told her hundreds if not thousands of times. “This is a public place, young lady.”
“Shut up and give me the damn phone,” I said.
Britt handed over the phone, and I read the text from my mother:
Gran: Britty, have you heard from your mother? She isn’t answering her phone.
“Crap.” I set the phone down, and held my head in my hands. “Crap, crap, crap.”
“Maybe you should call her,” Britt said, then her phone buzzed again. I looked down, and read:
Gran: Patrick has called here twice looking for her. Do you know where she could be?
“Great. In addition to texting me, Patrick is calling my parents. Just great.” I looked at Sean, his mouth screwed up in a grimace. “What should I do?”
“Well, the last time we found out we were pregnant, we kept it to ourselves for about a week while you quietly freaked out,” Sean replied. “Then there was the incident at cheer practice when you got sent to the school nurse, and we had to spill to our parents before the school did.”
“What happened at cheer practice?” Britt asked.
“I fainted,” I replied. “It wouldn’t have been such a big deal, but your father was practicing on the same field. He saw me go down and ran over, screaming at everyone who would listen to get me an ambulance.”
“I was terrified you were hurt, the baby was hurt,” Sean said. “When it turned out she was fine, we decided that it was better to keep our baby safe than collect secrets.”
“Aww, you were lobsters even then,” Britt said. “Maybe you should call Gran, before she flips out.”
I blew out a breath, but Britt was right. Best to get this over with as soon as possible, and move on to the next crisis. I picked up the phone, and said, “Yes, that would probably be the best plan. May I use your phone?”
“Of course.”
I went outside, and hit the call button. My mother picked up on the second ring.
“Britt, honey,” she said. “Have you heard from your mother?”
“It’s me, Mom,” I said. “I was with Britt when you messaged her.”
“Then hello Cindy,” Mom said. “Are you at Britt’s apartment?”
“Ah, no. I’m at a restaurant in Connecticut.” I took a deep breath, and added, “I’m here with Sean.”
“And that would be why Patrick’s been calling,” Mom said. “I see you took the advice I gave you at Britt’s wedding.”
“More than you know.” I paused for a moment, then said, “I’m pregnant.”
“Please don’t tell me it’s Patrick’s.”
“No! It’s Sean’s.”
Mom laughed. “Thank God for that.” I heard Mom muffle the phone, and tell Dad I was fine. “Okay, I’m back.”
“Did you tell Dad I’m knocked up?”
“I’ll leave that for after we hang up.” Mom paused, then asked, “What are you going to do?”
“Honestly, I don’t know,” I replied. “Have a baby? Live in Massachusetts again? Hope Patrick forgets I exist?”
“I think you can swing two out of three of those,” Mom said. “Cindy, your father and I love Sean. What’s more, you love him. Now, I can’t tell you what to do about Patrick, mostly because I have no idea what you should do. But we’re here for you.”
A cold tear snaked down the side of my nose. I sniffed, and wiped it away. “Thank you.”
“Anytime. If he calls again, is there anything you want me to tell him?”
“Just tell him I’m fine,” I said. “I don’t want him to worry. I just don’t want to go back to him.”
“All right.”
“I’ve got to go, Mom. Britt’s phone, and all. I’ll call you soon.”
“Okay. We love you, honey.”
“I love you too.”
I ended the call and slid the phone in my pocket, then I turned around and bumped into Sean; he must have followed me out of the restaurant. He pulled me into his arms, and tucked my face against his neck.
“You all right?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I replied. “I told Mom about the baby.”
“And?”
“And she told me she loves you.” I leaned back and looked at him. “Dad too.”
“Lot of love going around here,” Sean said. “Let’s get back inside, food’ll be
out soon. I ordered you a chicken salad and a bowl of soup.”
“Thank you.” We parted, and Sean held the door for me.
“Remember the last time we were pregnant, and your Dad grounded you?”
I laughed. “I hope that doesn’t happen this time around.”
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Sean
Present Day
When eight a.m. rolled around the next morning, Cin and I were up and ready for our complimentary breakfast. We stepped out of our room just as Britt and Sam exited theirs, which was conveniently located across the hall from us. Was it awkward, watching my eldest daughter leave a hotel room with a man, even though that man was her husband? It was, but I knew that man loved her, easily as much as I loved Cin. I could deal with that. That didn’t meant there weren’t a few other things I needed to discuss with Britt.
“Sam, why don’t you escort your mother-in-law down to breakfast?” I suggested. “I’d like to speak with my daughter.”
Sam nodded and gallantly offered Cin his arm, and the two of them went down the stairs toward the dining room. Britt glared at me for a moment, then she crossed her arms over her stomach and looked at the floor.
“I know what you want to hear about, and I don’t want to talk about it,” she said.
“Hey now, I haven’t even asked you anything.” I held my hands up and took a step back. “For all you know I want to talk about baseball, or the weather.”
“You don’t. Sam told me you called.” She looked up, a tear rolling down her cheek. “I…I really don’t want you to know about what happened.”
“Hey. Hey.” I pulled Britt into my arms, held her just as I had when she was little, and she’d fallen off her bike or skinned a knee. “You’re in luck then, because I don’t know what happened, not really anyway. Sam and Mama only told me the bare facts. Just tell me if you’re all right, and if there’s any way I can help.”
“I guess I’m all right,” she said. “I mean, I don’t have any gaping wounds or broken bones, so I guess I’m fine.”
If only all hurts were visible. “It happened back when you first met Sam?”
“Yeah.” She snuffled, and I think she wiped her nose on my shirt. “And you want to know the worst of it? It doesn’t even matter what they did, because their lawyers are going to get them out of jail. I’m surprised they’re still in there now.”
“How is that possible?” I asked. “Didn’t most of those girls end up dead?”
“I guess dead girls don’t matter when you have money.” Britt stepped back and wiped her eyes with the heel of her palm. “I mean, Sam and I have some money, but I don’t want to spend it on hiring a bunch of lawyers and go after them. I just want this to be over, forget the whole thing ever happened.”
“I hear you.” I draped my arm around her shoulders, and we walked toward the stairs. “If you want, I can beat them up.”
“Dad!” Britt swatted my arm. “Since they’re under some pretty tight surveillance right now, and, you know, in jail, that wouldn’t work out too well for you.”
“That is exactly what your mother said,” I said.
“She’s a smart lady.”
“Still, I’d really like to smack those ass clowns around a bit.”
“Me too.” After a moment, Britt said, “I’m glad you’re with Mom again.”
“Me too.”
***
Breakfast with the kids started out well. The bed and breakfast’s owner, my mother’s friend Suzanne, was off that day, so all the staff knew was that Britt was my and Cin’s daughter, and Sam her husband. As far as they were concerned, Cin and I had taken the newlyweds with us for a quiet New England getaway. I ate my eggs and sausage, pretending that there were no awkward girlfriends or scowling lawyer husbands interfering with my familial bliss. Then my phone vibrated in my back pocket, and reality tried ruining my day.
“It’s Emily,” I said when I read the screen. It was like she and Patrick knew when me and Cin were having a nice meal, and wanted to ruin it. I wondered if they were acting in collusion with each other.
“Well?” Britt said. “Answer it, already.”
I did, swallowing hard as I put the phone to my ear. “Yeah?”
“Where are you?” Emily demanded. “Your mother told me you haven’t been home since Monday.”
I looked at Cin, my heart torn in two. I didn’t want to lie to Emily, just as much as I didn’t want to have this conversation over the phone. “I’m down in Connecticut. I’ll be back later today.”
“Okay. The girls are still with your mother, she said it was fine if I picked them up tomorrow. Unless you want to get them tonight?”
“I’ll leave it up to Ma,” I replied. “She loves having her little princesses over.”
Emily laughed, a bright gay sound that made me remember why I’d fallen for her in the first place. “She sure does. If we’d had twin boys I bet they would have gotten lost with the rest of your family.”
It was my turn to laugh; no one in my family had daughters except for me. The only way the rest of the O’Rourke clan got women was by marriage. I put my hand on Cin’s, and wondered if we’d have another girl. Although, a boy would be wonderful too.
“Will you be home tonight?” I asked.
“I have a night class, so I’ll probably end up studying late and staying at my sister’s,” Emily replied. “Why? Miss me?”
“I want to tell you about where I’ve been,” I replied.
“Oh. Is Britt there?”
“Yes.”
“Okay,” Emily said, with that tone that told me she’d rather ignore the issue than deal with it. “So if not tonight, then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See you soon.”
Emily ended the call. I set my phone on the table, and held my head in my hands. “I am an asshole.”
“You are not,” Britt said.
“There’s a lot going on here,” Sam said.
“At least you’re not sleeping around on your spouse,” Cin said for the win.
Britt looked up at Sam. “I’m sorry. I should have told you that my parents are terrible people before I burdened you with this whole marriage thing.”
“S’all right, angel,” Sam said as he kissed her forehead. “I love you anyway.”
“I never meant to hurt Emily,” I said. “She’s never done anything wrong.”
“That’s crap, and you know it,” Britt said. “She lied to you about her age, about being on birth control, and who knows what else. You’ve been paying her way for years, and she only had the twins to keep the golden goose laying those big fat eggs.”
I glared at my daughter. “Did you just call me a goose?”
“Gander is the male equivalent,” Cin said. Man, those two were like carbon copies of each other. Maybe if the baby’s a boy I’ll finally have someone on my side.
“Goose, gander, whatever,” Britt said. “Just don’t be so hard on yourself. When you break the news about you and Mom to Emily she’ll be mad, but you won’t break her heart.”
I glanced sideways at Cin. “Smart like her mama.”
“Don’t you forget it,” Cin said, then she pushed some food around her plate. “It looks like tomorrow will be interesting.”
I fingered the handle on my coffee cup. “Sure does.”
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
Cindy
Nine Years Ago
I was driving north on Route 5, on my way to pick up Britt at Sean’s store. Britt had stayed with Sean while Patrick and I were away on one of his business trips last week, and during that time the store had had its grand opening. I couldn’t wait to see the place. Sean had wanted to own a comic shop since he was a kid, and I was beyond happy that he’d made his dream a reality.
I wasn’t so happy that he’d used almost all of his lottery winnings for the shop, but that water had flowed under the bridge some time ago. Sean had moved on with his life, just as I had. We both needed t
o accept the choices we’d made, and make the best of our new situations. It was what adults did.
That’s what I said when I was lying, both to myself and others. The truth was that I missed Sean so much sometimes I woke up drenched in sweat and calling his name. That had led to some very awkward mornings with Patrick.
When I reached Sean’s store, identified by the neon Rocket Comics sign blazing away, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Of course Sean had given me the address, and I’d figured out that the store was in one of the old Victorians on Route 5, but I hadn’t realized exactly which old Victorian it was. The place was huge, maybe five or six thousand square feet, with a fancy slate roof and gorgeous rose garden rambling across the southern side. It looked more like a castle than a house, or a comic book store for that matter. The house even had a cupola, and this amazing wraparound porch that you just couldn’t get in the twenty-first century. When I was a kid I’d fantasized about living in that very place someday, mainly because it was painted cobalt blue with purple trim.
Sean had bought my dream house, and stuck his dream store right inside it. God, if my guilt over leaving him doesn’t kill me, living with Patrick will drive me to jump off a bridge.
I parked, and entered Rocket Comics for the first time. The store was packed with customers, and it took me a moment to find Sean. He appeared soon enough, hauling a box out of the back room. “Cinnamon,” Sean said, as he set down the box. “You here for Britt, or to do some shopping?”
“Maybe both,” I replied.
Sean walked up to me and took my hands, and I readily grasped his. We really shouldn’t hold hands anymore, but my sexless marriage had me touch starved.
“Come on, I’ll show you around. We’ve even got some real books in stock, the boring ones you like with no pictures.”
I laughed and let Sean lead me to a few shelves with a selection of popular paperbacks. When I saw the titles on the center shelf, I gasped.
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