Tangled: Emerson Falls, Book 1

by Harlow James

  “Please, call me Stacy. It’s so nice to meet you too, Kane. If her permanent smile is any indication, I’d say it seems my daughter is quite taken with you,” she winks.

  “Well, the feeling is mutual, I assure you.”

  “So, you two work together, right? How has that been going?”

  Olivia and I glance at each other, realizing we should probably come forward about our relationship to principal North.

  “We’ve been extremely professional at work, if that’s what you’re worried about, Mom. But we’re going to say something to our boss once we get back to school next week.”

  I nod in agreement.

  “I think that’s wise. So Kane, why aren’t you with your family today?” Stacy asks while gliding around her kitchen.

  “My parents live up north, and Olivia invited me here. Plus, I really wanted to meet her family. We’ve gotten to know so much about each other over the past few months, I felt like this was the next step.”

  Olivia’s mom looks me up and down before tilting up the corners of her mouth in a smile. “I couldn’t agree more. I think it was time we met too.”

  I sit in the kitchen for a few minutes, watching Olivia and her mom move around, preparing dishes and cleaning as they go. The other night she got to peruse me while I cooked, and now it’s my turn. I can’t say I’m not enjoying it. I know Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday and you can see the serenity on her face as she mixes ingredients, teases back and forth with her mom, and looks so at ease—like she is one-hundred percent herself in this moment. And the image is captivating.

  “Have you always helped your mom cook?” I ask while taking a sip from the glass of water Olivia filled for me moments ago.

  “Yes, as soon as she would let me. My mom and my grandma used to bustle around each other in the kitchen every Thanksgiving and I wanted to be just like them so badly.”

  “Yeah, so we finally relented and let Olivia help us when she was about eight, I think,” her mom continues. “But I believe that year we ate green bean casserole with Barbie shoes in it.”

  Stacy’s story makes me nearly choke on my water. “Barbie shoes?”

  Olivia rolls her eyes but there’s a slight blush to her cheeks of embarrassment. “In my defense, Barbie was just trying to help, but walking around in heels is uncomfortable.”

  “So she kicked them off in a fit of joy and they landed in the green beans?” I tease her.

  She shoots me an angry glare, but there’s humor behind it. “Apparently so.”

  “So that year, we made it a game that whoever found Barbie’s shoes got an extra piece of pie,” Stacy chimes in. “I’ve never seen Cooper eat that much green bean casserole in my life. And then he almost choked on the shoe.”

  I laugh uncontrollably, loving hearing these stories about this woman.

  The more I study her, watch her, get to know her—the more I’m falling and the more I see a future with her and can’t imagine another day of my life without her in it. I can feel those three little words take shape in my mind, but something is holding me back from saying them. That fear that I’m putting all of my faith in what we have rings loudly, making me cautious that I might end up hurt again.

  If you had asked me two months ago where I thought I would be right now—it sure as hell wouldn’t be in the kitchen of a woman I’m falling in love with, getting ready to spend the holiday with her family. And at that exact moment that thought enters my mind, she looks up and wrinkles her nose at me, giving me a knowing grin and twisting my insides even more with the notion that I know without a doubt.

  I love her.

  “Hey, boys,” Olivia says, catching me off-guard as I turn and see two men this time—her brother, Cooper, and another man who I can only assume is her father.

  “Ladies,” her father nods at them before focusing on me. “You must be Kane,” his deep voice fills the room as I stand and motion to shake his hand. Olivia’s dad is tall and built, an older version of her brother for sure. It’s crystal clear her family has strong genes.

  “Yes, sir. Pleasure to meet you.”

  “Likewise. Come on, Kane. Cooper and I were just hanging out in the garage and drinking a few beers. Come join us.”

  Even if I had a choice, the demand in his voice is one I comply to, following him outside but not before turning back to get one last look from Olivia. The worry on her face is unsettling, but she mouths a “Good luck” to me before I turn back around and walk into the lion’s den. I take a deep breath and stand tall knowing no matter what they may ask me or test me with, Olivia is worth it all.

  Olivia

  “He seems like a wonderful man. And my God, he’s gorgeous,” my mom confesses once Kane shuts the door to the garage and my anxiety returns. But this time, it’s more for him and what the hell my dad and brother are saying to him, than the thought that I’m still waiting on my period.

  “Mom! Back off, he’s mine,” I tease which garners a laugh from her.

  “Oh, I’m well aware. I completely understand the draw to him and why you decided to have fun with that one,” she winks. “Have you noticed how he looks at you?”

  I shake my head in distraction from my mother’s bluntness. “What do you mean?” I ask curiously, knowing that my mother has a better instinct that I ever will.

  “He looks at you like you hung the moon and the stars, baby girl,” she says while reaching up to cup my face.

  "Really?"

  She nods. “Absolutely. He’s in love with you, baby. And if those tears you were about to shed before he got here were any indication, I’d say you feel the same way.”

  “I do, but that’s not why I was about to cry, Mom.”

  “Then what’s the matter?” Her brows narrow as she sets down her spoon she was stirring a pot on the stove with.

  I take a deep breath and close my eyes, bracing myself for her reaction.

  “I’m late…” I whisper, even though I know the boys couldn’t hear us in the garage if I was louder.

  My mom’s eyes go wide and her head drops closer to mine. “Are you sure?”

  I nod. “And I’m never late, Mom. I keep telling myself it’s stress or I’m just really tired. It is that point in the school year where I tend to get extremely exhausted.”

  “Olivia, I’m going to ask you something and it’s not to make you sound stupid, okay?”

  “Okay…”

  “Haven’t you been using protection?” My mother shakes her head at me like I should know better. And I do. I’ve been on the pill since I was eighteen. I know how to take it religiously and how other drugs can interfere with it….

  “Oh, shit!” I whisper before throwing my hands over my mouth to prevent any more words from escaping.

  “What?” My mother spits back, and if we’re not careful, Cooper or my dad will come back inside to check on us.

  “I took some anti-biotics when I got sick a few weeks ago. I went to urgent care when I started feeling worse and completely forgot. Oh, God! How could I have been so stupid,” I shut my eyes and cry into my hands, my shoulders shaking as I realize that my fear could very well be a reality.

  “Shhhh, it’s okay, Olivia. You’re not stupid, you’re human. But are you sure? Could that be the reason you’re late and not something else?”

  “I can’t think of another reason, Mom. Christ, what is Kane going to think?”

  “Hey, calm down. First of all, you don’t know for sure if you’re pregnant, and you won’t until you take a test. Second of all, I think you need to give him more credit than you are right now. This may come as a shock and be very soon considering how long you two have been together. But like I said, he obviously cares about you, hun. Get all the facts and then sit down and talk with him about it. But the sooner the better, Liv.”

  I pick my head up and feel the tears cascade down my face while my mom lovingly communicates her support through her eyes.

  “Shit…” I mumble before removing my apron and heading
to the bathroom.

  Kane

  “Take a seat, son,” Olivia’s dad directs me to a camping chair placed around a small heater in the center of the garage. Tools line one wall and storage boxes are stacked along another, labeled with holiday decorations and various mementos. A flat screen TV is hoisted on the wall the chairs are facing and an ice chest rests between their two chairs.

  I hunch down in a seat a little too small for my stature, but then notice Cooper and Mr. Walsh look very similar in theirs, so I make do.

  “Mr. Walsh, it’s really nice to meet you,” I open up the discussion, not sure how to proceed.

  “Dan,” he replies and I nod.

  “Dan.”

  “So, Kane. How old are you?”

  “Twenty-nine.”

  “Never married? No kids?”

  I shake my head. “No sir. I was engaged once though.”

  Cooper pipes up. “Really? What happened?”

  I decide to go with brutal honesty, figuring it can’t steer me in the wrong direction here. Olivia warned me they would do this. So it’s best to present myself as the man I finally feel I am.

  “She cheated on me while I was overseas serving my country, sir.”

  Cooper winces before taking a sip of his beer. “Damn, that’s tough, Kane. I’m sorry to hear that. Did you know the guy?”

  “Yup. It was my best friend.”

  “That’s shitty, son. So, any other long relationships after that one?”

  “No. Olivia is the first woman I’ve been interested in like that since that woman.”

  “Any warrants out for your arrest? Ever broken the law?” Cooper asks and I huff in amusement.

  “You already know the answers to those questions, Cooper, seeing as how you’re a sheriff deputy and all.”

  Cooper glares at me while Dan pipes back up.

  “Ever done drugs?”

  “I’ve smoked pot, but it was back before I joined the Army.”

  “Any siblings?”

  “Nope, only child.”

  “You’re a teacher like Olivia?”

  I nod and set my jaw tightly. “Yes. Teaching was always in the cards for me. It’s a calling. I joined the Army to help pay for my schooling since my parents couldn’t afford to. But I take my job very seriously.”

  Cooper and Dan glance in each other’s direction before focusing back on me.

  “My daughter is extraordinary, Kane,” Olivia’s father leans in, resting his forearms on his knees. I want him to have no doubts about my intentions with her, so I mimic his stance—the only thing separating us is a few feet and a propane heater.

  “Believe me, I know that, sir.”

  “And she’s had her heart broken, too. She is intelligent and charismatic, sarcastic and loves with all of her soul. She’s loyal to a fault and deserves someone who understands every facet of her.”

  “I agree, wholeheartedly. And believe me when I say this, Dan—even though I haven’t known your daughter for very long, I sensed all of that within just a few encounters with her. She mesmerizes me. She makes me feel alive again. And I have no intention of hurting her or letting her go.”

  Dan leans back in his chair and Cooper follows suit before reaching down and grabbing a beer from the ice chest, popping the top off, and then handing it to me.

  “Welcome to the family, son,” he clinks his beer with mine, Cooper copies the movement, and the three of us turn our attention to the football game, acting like nothing ever happened.

  Chapter 35

  Olivia

  Getting through Thanksgiving dinner with my family was challenging given my emotional state. But seeing Kane come back inside from the garage with my brother and father, laughing and joking around with them, allowed me to postpone my freak out when I caught a glimpse of what our future could look like.

  It made me think that maybe this could work, maybe this was it. Our story would be unconventional for sure, and backwards from how I thought my life would pan out—but Kane and I belonged together, that I was sure of. He fit in with my family seamlessly, my friends adored him, and he had made me feel a warmth and safety I’ve never felt with a man before.

  The man had taken every doubt and insecurity I was feeling when I returned home from northern California and extinguished them, burnt them to the ground with every thoughtful question he asked, every kiss and reverent touch, and every mind-blowing orgasm. He’d restored my hope that there was someone out there meant for me. It’s like what my mom said to me when I had my breakdown right after coming home—when you find the right person, you’ll want to get it right with them. And I wanted everything right with Kane.

  But now on the Saturday morning following Thanksgiving, I’m staring down at the two pink lines that have sealed our fate.

  Pregnant.

  “God, I knew it,” I whisper out loud even though no one’s around me and I am completely alone in my bathroom. My eyes shut as the tears threaten to start again. My mind is moving a mile a minute and my body is twisted in knots—I’m not even sure what emotions I’m feeling right now.

  On the one hand, a part of me is excited to start a family and know that this baby is a part of Kane and me. I couldn’t have asked for a better man to have a child with. I can picture Kane on the couch in our home, resting with a baby sleeping on his chest, his strong hands supporting and loving the life we created with no hesitation.

  And on the other hand, I’m terrified—my entire body shaking at the thought of having to tell him I was careless and it’s my fault this happened. I hope he doesn’t see this as me trying to trap him. I hope he understands that although a family will happen faster than I wanted it to for us, I couldn’t imagine doing this with someone else. My hands tremble with the possibility that although Kane has assured me it’s me he wants, that a baby will push him over the edge and he’ll retract his thoughts that he was ready to move on with his life.

  Even though I know I need to tell him sooner rather than later, I’m desperate to confide in someone else.

  “This better be good. I’m in the middle of a Netflix marathon,” Clara answers my phone call on the first ring.

  “Clara…” My voice is so flustered just speaking her name that she picks up on my distress immediately.

  “Liv? What’s wrong?”

  “I… I’m…”

  “Are you okay?” Clara sounds like she’s on the edge of her seat while she waits for me to pull it together and utter the words I know I need to admit to someone else.

  “Ugh, no…” I manage to get out before slinking down onto my couch and letting the tears fall.

  “Liv, you’re scaring me. Are you sure…”

  “I’m pregnant,” I blurt out before she can finish her thought.

  “Oh, fuck. Are you positive?”

  I nod even though she can’t see me. “There are three tests in my bathroom that all say so.”

  “Fuck, Liv. Does Kane know?”

  I shake my head. “No, I just took the tests and I had to tell someone. My mom knew I was late when I was stressing about it at Thanksgiving, but by today I was five days late, so I knew I couldn’t procrastinate any longer. I had to know.”

  “Liv…”

  “This is all kinds of messed up, right? I finally find this amazing man that allows me to see my entire future, everything I’ve wanted and feared I’d never have, and then I go and get knocked up after knowing him for only a few months. How do you think he’s going to take it?”

  Clara stays silent for a moment while pondering her response. “First of all, I’m impressed. I told him to put a baby in you and he did!”

  “Clara…” I warn, which shuts her up fast.

  “Honestly, I admit I don’t know the guy as well as you do, but from what you’ve told me about him and how I saw him with you the other night, I actually think he’ll be thrilled.”

  “Really? Because I’m terrified he’ll think I trapped him, or he’s not ready for that kind of commitment. I love
him, Clara. I do. But this might be too much for him…”

  “You won’t know that until you tell him, Liv. And you need to tell him everything—how he’s going to be a father, how much you love him, and how you want the white picket fence and everything with him.”

  “What if…”

  “Liv, stop. You can sit here and play the what if game with yourself until you turn blue in the face. Or, you can let him decide what he wants and just go from there. I know this is not even close to being the plan you wanted your life to follow. But maybe this is finally your wake-up call that life doesn’t always work out like we plan. You need to take your type-A personality and tell it to fuck off. Sometimes we just have to roll with the punches and accept what happens. Hell, you never planned on moving home, but you did. And look what happened…”

  I huff. “Yeah, I got knocked up,” I say while wiping the snot and tears from my face.

  “And you fell in love, a love you’ve always wanted. You were never this happy with Trevor. You never lit up around him like the way you do with Kane. And I know you’ve never had sex that great either.”

  Her bluntness makes me chuckle as I sink back into the couch. “Clara, I’m so scared. I have no idea what I’m doing…”

  “Most people don’t, Liv. Not with kids, not in life… we’re all just faking it and making it look easy… but it’s anything but easy.”

  I let out a long sigh, feeling an ounce of relief as I process this with Clara. But then I realize the person I should be processing this with is Kane.

  “Okay, I need to call him.”

  “Oh, don’t tell him over the phone,” she reprimands.

  “I’m not. I just need to ask him to come over so I can tell him in person.”

  “Yes, do that. And then call me and let me know how it goes. Are you sure you don’t want me to come over?”

  “No, I’m good. Thank you, Clara. I know you’re a giant pain in my ass, but you really are the best friend when I need you.”