by Julia Bright
“Hey, darling, why don’t you head home? Cliff and I can close up the shop.” Her mom gave her a tight hug before stepping away.
Rose didn’t argue mainly because she was exhausted, but she also wanted a few moments alone to pee on a stick. That stick would tell her if she was screwed over or free to figure out how to move on without Cam in her life.
The ride home was uneventful since most people were inside eating dinner or watching TV. She stored her bike in the garage, then raced inside and headed straight to the bathroom. With the box retrieved from the bottom of her bag, she stared at it, not even sure what she was hoping. If she was pregnant, that would change everything. It was Cam’s baby, no doubt about that, but would he want the kid? Would she even tell him?
Her head started pounding as she opened the box and stared at the instructions, not even reading any of the words. Basically, she just had to pee, but she was terrified of what would happen once she did.
The instructions couldn’t help her with reality, and her mother would be home soon. Rose wanted this test over and done. Spurred into action by the fear of her mom seeing the box or the stick, she dropped her panties, held herself over the toilet awkwardly and peed. It was the weirdest thing she’d ever done and once she pulled the stick up to where she could see it, she realized she didn’t want to look. She capped the top and finished up with washing her hands, trying to look anywhere but on the counter where the dammed little stick sat.
The front door opened, and she grabbed the box and the stick, shoving them in her purse. She tossed her bag in her closet and went to find her mom.
“Hey, what would you like for dinner?” Her mom sounded chipper and had a blush to her cheeks that Rose felt sure Cliff had put there. It was good to see her mom happy.
“I think I’ll just have some soup.”
“Really, are you feeling okay? Should you go into the doctor? I know—it has to be hard.”
“I’m fine. I’m just tired. I’m going to have some soup then head to bed. It’s been a while since I’ve worked at the store and I just need some sleep.”
Her mom moved to the pantry and started holding up cans. “Okay. I have tomato and chicken noodle.”
“Tomato sounds good.”
Rose sat at the table while her mom heated up the soup and popped leftovers in the microwave for herself. Rose picked at a napkin, aware she should mind her own business, but she wanted to know about her mom and Cliff.
“Why didn’t you and Cliff ever move in together?”
Her mom turned and narrowed her eyes at Rose before shaking her head. “I’m surprised it took you this long to ask.”
“So you are with him, right?”
“Cliff and I have an understanding. I like him for who he is, but we wouldn’t be able to live together. We’re both set in our ways. He has his own stuff, his own life, his own way of doing things, and I’m not willing to change. I also never want to be anyone else’s servant, and living with a man is hard. I’m sure there are some men out there who would value a woman, but I’ve been here long enough to know that if I actually lived with another man, I would eventually just be his cook, his cleaner, and his babysitter. Cliff and I have sex when I’m in the mood and then he goes his way and I go mine. I never have to wash his dirty underwear or clean up after him. I don’t have to wipe his nose or listen to him when he wants to ramble. I’m my own person and I like being me instead of Cliff’s woman who takes care of his shit because he’s too lazy to do it himself.”
Rose nodded and thought about Cam. He’d never once treated her like she was a servant. They’d both shared household duties. Sure, she’d cooked more than he had, but that was because he’d been on set late and couldn’t get home earlier. But when he’d been home, he’d done more than his share of chores. He had washed her clothes more than once, and he’d hung up her delicates instead of drying them.
“Are you happy?” Rose asked.
“Yes, I am. I think every person has to find their happy. Before your father passed away, I’d been happy, but finding two men in a lifetime who were great would be hard—maybe impossible. I think if you love someone, you should fight to make it work.”
Her mama met her with a pointed stare. She wasn’t saying those words just to say them, she was being real. Could she tell her mom the truth without it being blasted all over the state? Her mom believed that truth cut through crap and won out over everything else. The used pregnancy test sitting unseen in her closet was screaming at her, but she wasn’t ready to reveal everything to her mother yet. She didn’t want to confuse matters any more than they already were. If she were the type of person who thought litigation ever solved anything, she would have sued Amanda, but nothing would take back the lies she’d told. Amanda had fucked with Rose’s life without a care, selling a photo and fake story for cash instead of being truthful, and Rose had gone along with the lie. Now she was stuck in a position she couldn’t escape. Running wouldn’t solve anything, because really, she didn’t need to look at that test to know what lines would show up.
Her mom didn’t say much while they ate, and Rose wasn’t going to babble about her fears. She would have to figure out a fix on her own. Maybe it was time to start sending her résumé to the hotels on the beach. She loathed working there, but what choice did she have? Being a single mom was hard, and there were few opportunities where she would be able to care for her kid and afford to live.
After she washed out her bowl and placed it on the rack to dry, Rose gave her mom a hug, wishing she could share her fears but knowing now wasn’t the time to reveal everything. The walk back to her bedroom had never seemed so long, and once in the room, she stared at her closet for an extended period of time because fear kept her from moving. Eventually she opened the door and grabbed her bag to pull out the box before emptying the contents on her dresser. The stick was turned over, bottom side up so she couldn’t see the results. Her hand hovered over the stick for a long while before she huffed out a breath, angry at herself for being so scared.
When she couldn’t put it off any longer, Rose turned the stick over and froze. Her body heated and she thought the soup was going to come right back up. A big plus sat in the center of the view window. Pregnant. Cam was going to be so pissed—that was, if he ever found out. Could she keep this from him? There was no question in her mind that she wouldn’t tell him now. They were too fresh off their split, too mixed up to contemplate what her being pregnant would mean. Waltzing back into his life would be fraught with danger.
No one would believe them now with their pregnancy story. It would be awkward too because she’d become pregnant while she’d supposedly been pregnant then lost the baby. Who would believe that she’d gotten pregnant immediately after losing the baby? And the bigger question she had was would Cam even want her back? Would he care to ever see her again? What if he hated her and didn’t care that she was pregnant with his child? Had he been faking his emotions the whole time? How hard would Cam fight for custody? She didn’t have the money to win a prolonged legal battle, and there was little doubt in her mind that she’d end up looking like a bad person if she had to go in front of a judge. There was no way she would ever look better than Cam in a legal fight, because Cam had, or would have money, and she had nothing.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Cam got Zach settled at the house they’d both shared before he went back to his new place and picked up a few clothes. Maybe he could get Andrew to find new renters for his place. There wasn’t any way he could live there missing Rose so much. They’d had a good but short relationship there and he’d fallen in love with her. Every room held memories of their time together.
Maybe he was stupid for thinking that what they’d shared had been special. A few weeks of living in bliss wouldn’t make a relationship. He needed to go to South Carolina and see her. He needed to end this the right way if that was what she wanted, but first, he had to make sure Zach didn’t do anything stupid and get himself killed.
/> Once back at Zach’s place, Cam settled in. It took Zach forty-eight hours to do more than grunt at him. They were sitting at the table, Cam eating a salad, Zach pushing soup around in a bowl.
“I have a problem,” Zach said.
The words shocked Cam so much he had no reply. Zach looked up from his soup, his eyes rimmed with red as he stared at him. His brother looked so pathetic that Cam felt sorry for him.
“I can’t do this anymore. Something has to change. I know that now. I called mom and dad last night and asked if I could come stay with them for a few months. They said yes.”
“Oh, I didn’t know.” Cam set his fork down.
“I’m listing this place. I want to sell. I may move back here once I get my shit together, but I’m not sure if that would be wise. I can’t keep doing what I’ve been doing.”
“No, you can’t. I’m glad mom and dad are okay with you coming home for a while.”
“Since we both bought this place, we’ll split the money from the sale. I know it’s gone up in value, so you should have enough to buy a small place, if that’s what you want.”
Cam’s heart swelled. His brother really was his best friend. Maybe he’d forced Zach into his binge that had pushed him over the edge. They’d both needed to change though. “You know I really love you.”
“I know. You’re the best brother I could ever have. You showed me that I didn’t have to be a drunk asshole. I fought cleaning up the whole way. I didn’t want to believe you. I couldn’t let go of the parties and the girls, thinking that would make me happy, but I haven’t been happy in a long time. I want you to go find Rose. I don’t know why you came up with that pregnancy story, but Cam, you’ve never been happier in your entire life and you haven’t been the same since she left. Go fight for her. Don’t give up because I know she loves you.”
His eyes started to sting. “Do you really think she loves me?”
“Have you seen the way she looks at you? She’s head over heels for you.”
Zach’s statement made Cam smile. He had fallen for Rose and living without her was miserable. He didn’t care what the tabloids thought. He was going to go find her. He had two days of filming to do with Mia starting in the morning. After that, he’d hop a plane to South Carolina and fight for Rose. And when he found her, he sure as heck wasn’t going to play fair.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Rose rode her bike to the store, just as she had for the last few days, but today she was terribly winded from the ride. It wasn’t that hot out, but the humidity combined with the sun had beat down on her, causing her head to swim.
Working at the store gave her plenty of time to think, and that was the problem. She was overthinking how bad she had it, how horrible she was for not calling Cam immediately, and how sad she was that she had no one to share her news with. She really was going to have a baby—Cam’s baby.
Around noon, the store got busy and she didn’t take a break to eat lunch. It was about three before she even had time to grab a cracker, and then she only got two bites in before she was needed back at the register. A storm had knocked out power to a large number of residents and it had done some damage to fences and windows. She rang up more hammers and nails as well as plywood to cover the damage than she had in most weeks. By the time five thirty and closing time rolled around, she was beat. The storm had left leaves and branches scattering the road, but the rain was over. She started riding home before she realized that she hadn’t eaten enough throughout the day. Halfway home, she had to get off her bike and walk. When she stopped at the corner to lean against a pole, her mind blanked and she woke up on the ground with some guy hanging over her. She tried to get up but he held her down.
“Shh, just lie still. The ambulance is on its way. You passed out. Are you okay?”
Rose heard the words, but it took a long moment for them to sink in. The sound of sirens filled her ears, and she closed her eyes, wishing the pain away. Nausea overwhelmed her, and she rolled to her side, dry heaving as the emergency workers got to her.
“Ma’am, are you okay? Do you know what’s wrong?”
She nodded and tried to keep from getting sick all over again. Just then she heard a car door slam and then she heard her mother’s voice.
“Rose. Oh, Rose, what happened?”
Someone stopped her mom, a cop or someone else, she didn’t know, but she could still hear her mom calling her name.
The EMT placed her on a gurney, and she was wheeled into the back of the ambulance. The doors closed and the guy smiled down at her.
“So, hon, what’s going on? Did you take something? Are you sick?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m pregnant.”
“Okay, well, it looks like you have a small bump on your head. I think we need to transport you. Are you okay with that?”
She nodded and closed her eyes. By some miracle, she still had insurance, so the ambulance ride and emergency room visit wouldn’t wipe her out, but she would need to figure out a way to keep insurance since she was having a baby.
“My name is Ed, and I’m going to start an IV. It will just be saline, no medication. I’m going to inform the hospital that you’re pregnant so they have an obstetrician waiting. Do you know how far along you are?”
“No, but I’m not far. It hasn’t been long.”
“Okay. I’m going to prick your arm and get the IV started. Then I’ll place the call. You’re going to be fine.”
Rose closed her eyes as Ed placed the needle in her arm. He hooked her up to a bag that was hung from the ceiling as the ambulance started to roll. She wanted to cry, but she pushed away the emotions. The last thing she needed was more rumors spread about her.
The ride to the hospital was quick, and she was ushered into a private room in the emergency department. She was alone for about two minutes before a woman stepped in and closed the door.
“Hi, my name is Samantha. I’m the obstetrician on call. Ed told me you thought you were pregnant. We’re going to draw some blood and see how it’s going. For now, I don’t want to start you on any medication. We’ll just see how the saline sits with you. From just looking, you seem a little dehydrated. A bag of water will help with that.”
“Thank you, Samantha.”
“That bump on your head doesn’t look bad. Your eyes look fine. I don’t think we need to do a CT scan, not with you being pregnant. If you were throwing up and had other issues, I would recommend it, but I think you’re fine. Is there anyone we can call?”
“No. I’m sure my mom will be out in the ER waiting room causing a ruckus by now. Could I have a little privacy until you get the lab results back from the blood draw?”
“Sure, we’ll delay her for a while. Don’t worry, we have your back.”
“Thank you.” Rose relaxed until another person walked in the room. He was dressed in scrubs and reminded her of Cam. It wasn’t so much how he looked, but the way he smiled at her and how he moved.
“I’m Dash. I’m going to draw some blood, just a few vials, nothing much.”
“Okay.” Her hands were shaking and she felt like an icicle had landed on her chest.
“So, it looks like we have a good vein here on your left arm. It’s going to sting a little, but I swear I will be gentle.”
“Thank you.”
Rose closed her eyes as Dash drew her blood then placed a bandage on the spot he’d stuck. “We’ll have this worked up as soon as possible. Just rest for a while, darling. Are you cold?”
“A little.”
“Here’s another blanket. Sleep if you can.”
She had no choice but to rest since there wasn’t anything else she could do. Her mother was probably beyond pissed by now, but Rose couldn’t deal with having someone she knew know the truth about the baby. About thirty minutes later, Samantha came back in.
“Okay, so you are pregnant, about four weeks along based on the hormone levels in your blood. Everything looks good, but you’re dehydrated and I imagine you h
aven’t been eating enough.”
“I think I skipped a meal today.”
“You can’t skip meals, and you have to drink more water. I would cut back on the caffeine because it will dehydrate you, but if you want a cup of coffee, you can have one. I would like to set up an appointment for two weeks at my office for a follow-up. Once that follow-up is done, we can set you up on a regular schedule for prenatal care.”
“Thank you.”
“So you stay here and rest while that bag finishes dripping into you, and then we’ll let you go.”
Rose sat up, her eyes wide. “I don’t want anyone else to know I’m pregnant.”
“I’ll make a note on your chart. Do you want your mom to come back? She’s being a real stinker out there.”
Rose rolled her eyes. “Sure, you can send her back, but she doesn’t need to know about the baby.”
“Okay, but you know you’ll have to tell her eventually, right? It’s going to be obvious after a while.”
Rose nodded and lay back. She shut her eyes, drifting into a state of near sleep before her mom came in. The door opened, jarring her out of her rest. Her mother was in rare form as she stepped in.
“They wouldn’t let me back here. I can’t believe they wouldn’t allow me to see you. What is wrong? Are they treating you okay?”
Rose sighed and nodded, hating that once again she would have to lie to her mother. “Mom, I’m fine. I’m just a little dehydrated. I didn’t take a lunch break and I’m paying for it.”
Her mom straightened and her eyes narrowed. “Oh, why didn’t you eat lunch?”
“We were busy and I had to stay on the register.”
Her mom shook her head and came closer, grabbing her hand. “That is plum crazy. You should have eaten. We can make the customers wait if it means you get food. And you have to be aware of this humidity. You can’t go for long stretches without getting in some water. You know that. You grew up here. Water is your best friend.”