by Ashley Blake
I giggled as I rolled over on my side and propped myself up with my arm and looked at him.
“I could say the same about you!”
His eyes suddenly were serious. “You’re so beautiful, Kinsley. I wish we could just stay here forever.”
I looked at him and smiled and my smile slowly faded away as I realized those moments were our last free moments together before we had to go back home.
“Me too, but we can’t. Lucas, what are we going to tell our parents?”
He let out a deep sigh and looked up at the ceiling as he stroked my arm.
“I’m not sure we have to tell them anything. We haven’t done anything wrong, Kinsley.”
“I know, but it feels like we have. I’m feeling really guilty about what just happened.”
He sat up and looked down at me, his eyes unwavering.
“Please don’t say that. What just happened was amazing and I really hope that won’t be the last time for us. I want to see where things go and I hope you do too.”
“I do, I just don’t want to upset our parents.”
“How about we just try to stay under the radar for a little while and continue to get to know each other and spend time together. We’ll tell our parents when the time feels right. How does that sound?”
I thought about it for a few seconds and gave him a big smile.
“That sounds like a plan.”
I fell asleep in his arms that night and we had breakfast in bed the next morning. As much as I wanted to just hang out with Lucas forever, I had to get ready and make sure Sophie was ready on time so we wouldn’t miss the plane. Lucas gave me a sweet kiss and a quick swat on the butt and said he’d see me in a couple of hours.
When I walked into our room, Sophie was sitting on her bed with tears streaming down her face so I rushed over to her.
“What’s wrong, Soph? What happened?”
“That asshole, Paul, told me that I was a fun fling but he had no desire to see me again. He actually called me a fling! Can you believe that?!”
I hesitated before I said anything because I had to choose my words carefully.
“I know it’s not nice that he said that to you, especially with all of the time you guys spent together, but, well, Sophie you did say that’s all you wanted when we got here. You didn’t really mention wanting to really meet a guy you could have something with.”
She turned sad eyes to me and I felt so bad for her.
“I know. Who knew that I would actually fall for this guy?”
I put my arm around her and rubbed her back. “You’ll be okay. We’ll go back home and I’m sure you will meet an amazing guy.”
“I hope so.”
“Well, at least we’re flying back in style.”
That made her perk up.
“Really?”
“Yep, Lucas arranged for us to fly back with him and Zach on his jet.”
She instantly perked up with a huge smile on her face. “Oh my gosh, that is so nice!”
“I know, right?”
Her huge smile slowly turned to a question mark and her bloodshot eyes got huge. “Wait a minute, are you just now getting in from last night?” She wiped away the last of her tears as she gave me an incredulous look.
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the look on her face. You would have thought she had discovered the juiciest secret in the world.
“Yes, and we have to get ready so that we don’t miss our flight back home.” I started to get up off of her bed and she pulled me back down.
“Oh no you don’t! I want details missy!”
I didn't really feel like going into it right then, and I kind of wanted to hold on to what had just happened between us and keep it for myself for just a little while longer.
“I promise I will tell you everything, but we really do need to get ready. Seriously, I promise.”
I was hoping the sincerity in my eyes was enough and, thankfully, it was. We showered and got dressed, Sophie packed a couple of final items and when Lucas knocked on our door we were ready to go. It was just the four of us and a flight attendant on the plane so it was really intimate. Lucas and I spent almost the entire flight talking to each other so Zach and Sophie had no choice but to get to know each other a little bit better. I glanced over at her a couple of times and she looked like she was enjoying talking with him which was good because I wanted her to forget all about that jerk, Paul.
To say I was on cloud nine when we landed would be a complete understatement. I was in a full on state of perfect bliss. The previous 24 hours with Lucas had been magical and I couldn’t wait to see what the future held for us. Little did I know my life was about to change in a way that I never saw coming.
Chapter Eighteen – Lucas
When we landed in Chicago Kinsley and I were so caught up in our conversation as we deplaned that I didn’t notice there were two black cars waiting for us until she said something.
“Did you arrange for a separate car for us?”
I was confused for a minute as I answered her. “No. I don’t know why there are two cars here.”
The driver I recognized got out of the first car and as I greeted him, the back passenger window of the second car was lowered and I literally froze in place and couldn’t breathe. Sarah looked at me, her cat like eyes smirking at me.
What the hell is she doing here? It didn’t make any sense. I had not talked to Sarah in months. I looked at Kinsley who looked suspicious that a woman was meeting me on the tarmac.
“I need to go talk to her for a minute. I’ll be right back.”
“Who is that?” Her tone was not friendly.
“It’s Sarah. I’ll be right back.” I kissed her on the cheek to let her know there was nothing to worry about and also to make sure Sarah saw that I was with someone.
I walked over to the car and looked down at her.
“What are you doing here, Sarah?”
“Is that how you’re going to greet me after months of not seeing each other? No kiss hello?”
Her ‘trying to be sexy’ little smirk didn’t work on me anymore. I let out a deep sigh because I didn’t have time for her games.
“Just tell me why you’re here, Sarah, I have to be somewhere.”
“Fine. I need to talk to you about something.”
“What? Why didn’t you just call? Why this big scene showing up at the airport like this? By the way, how did you know I would be here?”
"I called your father because it is really important that I talk to you. I have been trying to get in touch with you for the past week and he told me that you were in Mexico but would be back today. I want you to ride back to the city with me so that we can talk.”
"Absolutely not. Whatever it is call me on the phone." With that, I started to turn and walk away but her words stopped me in my tracks.
“I’m pregnant, Lucas.”
I felt the blood drain from my face and I quickly turned to make sure that Kinsley didn’t hear what she just said. Thankfully, she was in a deep conversation with Sophie and Zach so it looked like she didn’t hear a thing. I turned back to look at Sarah.
“And what does that have to do with me?” My eyes were cold as I stared at her. I would not put it past Sarah to be lying to me. I had really blown up in the past couple of months and she could smell money a mile away.
She looked at me in disbelief. “It’s yours and I’m keeping it. I am not going to have this conversation with you while I am sitting in a car and you are standing on a tarmac. Please get in so we can discuss this.”
“What is there to discuss, Sarah?”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “I know you’re not that much of an asshole.”
I let out another deep sigh. Fine, I would ride back to the city with her so I could get to the bottom of what was going on and then I would be rid of her. She wasn’t going to trap me into anything. I narrowed me eyes right back at her.
“I’ll be right back.”
My
mind was racing as I walked back over to Kinsley, Sophie and Zach. I had to think of something to say that would make sense and not sound suspicious.
“Hey guys.”
Zach looked at me and gave me a knowing look. “What is she doing here?”
Zach had never liked Sarah. He said he had her number from the beginning and new she was a gold digger and overall bad news. His question was actually the perfect opening that I needed.
“She’s having a personal emergency and says I am the only one who can help her. I am going to ride back to the city with her and let you guys take the other car.”
All three had the exact same look of confusion and I turned to Kinsley and gently held her face in my hands.
“Please don’t look like that. Everything is fine, I just have to take care of something really quick. I will give you a call tonight, okay?”
Before she could say anything I looked at Zach and told him I would hit him up later. I turned and went back to the car to avoid any questions and to deal with the bomb that had just been dropped on me. I know it was a dick move to leave Kinsley standing there like that but I couldn’t deal with what she might be thinking and the fact that Sarah had possibly just changed my life forever at the same time. It was too much. I needed to get things sorted out with Sarah so that I could get back to my life.
We rode in silence for 15 minutes and then I finally said something.
“Sarah, we haven’t been together in six months. How do you know this is my baby?”
She looked at me, her eyes filled with tears.
“Because I haven’t been with anyone but you.”
“How far along are you?”
“Six months.”
My heart fell to my toes. The last time we had sex was six months back when we hooked up that one night. Fuck. My head dropped into my hands as I pictured the way my life was going to change.
“I’m scared, Lucas. I’m not ready for a kid.”
“Do you think I am? We’re not even together!”
She was silent for a few seconds and then looked at me, her voice soft.
“We could be.”
I looked at her in disbelief. “What?! Two years Sarah, we were together two years and then you dumped me out of the blue. What makes you think I would want to even give you the time of day?”
“Well, we have this little being that we created and I don’t want him or her growing up in a broken home. Listen, I owe you an apology for the way I ended things, Lucas. I think I just was scared about how serious we were at such a young age and I didn’t know how to handle it. You didn’t deserve that and I am really sorry.”
I looked at her and I just didn’t believe her. “No, something more was going on that you are not telling me, Sarah. Tell me the real reason you broke things off.”
She looked at me batting her lashes. “I don’t know what you mean. I just wasn’t ready.”
“Really. And now just a little while later you all of a sudden are ready to commit to me because you’re pregnant?”
“That’s not the only reason.” She tried to grab my hand but I pulled it away. “Okay. Look, I fucked up. I know I did. You were the best thing that has ever happened to me and I have been trying to figure out the best way to apologize to you. Now that I am pregnant with our child I really want us to try again. It will be different this time. It will be even better.”
It was all just too much. I raked my fingers through my hair and raised my eyes to hers.
“Why did you wait so long to tell me?”
“After what I did to you I had to get up the nerve to contact you. I was terrified to tell you this because I didn’t know how you would react.”
This was horrible. It would be different if we were together and she got pregnant. I wanted kids someday so I would have been fine with it if it had happened while I was still with her. But this scenario? This was my biggest nightmare.
“I need some time to think, Sarah. This is a lot to take in right now. I have another big fight coming up and I need to focus on that. I’ll call you in a few days.”
“Seriously, Lucas? A few days? I have a doctor’s appointment in a couple of days and I was hoping you would come with me.”
“I can’t.” My tone was harsh and when I saw the look of sadness on her face, I felt bad and softened my tone. “Give me some time to process this, okay? You’ve had six months, I’ve only had about an hour.”
“Okay.”
We pulled up to her place first and she turned to me before she got out of the car.
“I know that we can make this work, Lucas. There was a lot of love between us at one time. Talk to you soon.”
I didn’t say anything as I watched her leave and when the car started moving, I stared out at the busy Chicago streets and thought about Kinsley. How was I going to tell her that my ex-girlfriend was carrying my baby?
I dropped my bag by the door as I walked into my condo and headed straight for my couch. I couldn’t believe what Sarah had told me and I had no idea what to do. Pregnant? With my kid? I looked up at the ceiling and ran my fingers through my hair. This is not happening. My thoughts went to Kinsley and the amazing time that we just had in Mexico and I had no idea how I was going to tell her that Sarah was pregnant. I was afraid it was going to ruin everything between us before we even had a chance to really get started.
Chapter Nineteen - Kinsley
I felt super uneasy when I found out it was Lucas’s ex at the airport, and the way he bolted left a really bad feeling in my stomach. Zach and Sophie tried to calm my fears on the ride back to the city but their words kind of went in one ear and out the other as I stared out the window trying not to think about the pit in my stomach. I was the first stop and I was so relieved when we pulled up to my apartment building. I said goodbye to those guys and went upstairs to unpack and try not to think about Lucas being in a car with his ex-girlfriend.
My mom wasn’t home which was no surprise because she had practically already moved into Arty’s mansion. I called her on her cell really quickly to let her know I was home and kept all of my answers really vague when she asked if I had a good time. She told me she wanted to talk to me about the wedding and she would meet me at the coffee shop near campus the next day after my classes. I assumed she was going to tell me they had set a date and then go over what she wanted me to do.
I unpacked my things and then pulled up a paper that was due soon, checking my cell every 15 minutes hoping to see at least a text from Lucas. After two hours of working on my paper I still had not heard from him and I tried not to feel sad about it but I couldn’t help it. Nothing good could come from his ex-girlfriend unexpectedly meeting him at the airport.
I went out to grab some dinner around 7:00 and when I got back I decided to call Sophie to see if she had gotten any info from Zach. I was surprised that she didn’t call me the second she got home. Her phone went to voicemail so I just left her a quick message asking her to call me back. She usually got back to me right away and when I didn’t hear from her by 9:30, I sent her a text. An hour later when I had not heard from Lucas or Sophie I decided to go to bed. There was no one else I could talk to about Lucas because Sophie was the only person who knew what was going on with us. She must have had a good reason for not calling because it wasn’t like her to not call when something major happened like an ex-girlfriend showing up out of the blue!
Talking to my mom about it was out of the question so I felt really alone. Before I spiraled into a pit of sadness I turned off the lights and climbed into bed. I told myself that everything would be better the next day.
The next morning the first thing I did was check my phone for any missed calls or texts. There was still nothing from Lucas but Sophie sent a text around midnight apologizing for not getting back to me sooner and said she would call me later. I got ready for class and the sadness I felt the day before was replaced with anger as I thought about everything Lucas had said to me that last couple of days in Mexico. I should hav
e known better. Lucas was still the same pompous asshole I thought he was when I first met him. I felt used, hurt, and pissed all at the same time. I should have never let Lucas Ryan touch me. I grabbed my bag and practically stormed out of my apartment. As I waited for the elevator I was seething.
I was done with classes around 3:30 and went to the coffee shop near campus to meet my mom. I really wasn’t in the mood to hear all about her wedding especially with everything that was going on with Lucas, but I didn't have a choice. I didn't even want to think about the fact that I would have to be around him for the wedding so I pushed that part out of my mind and decided I would deal with that later. She was waiting for me when I got there and I don’t know if I had ever seen her look more nervous. I thought it was really cute that my mom was nervous about getting married and I was going to tell her that but she started talking before I even sat down.