Abrupt Changes: A Second Chance Romance (O-Town Book 3)

by Karen Renee

  My eyes slid to Clint, but Mom spoke before me.

  “He most certainly did not. Since he’s being so tight-lipped, how about you tell us, Detective?”

  Clint sighed. “I didn’t tell you because Rae’s phone wouldn’t stop ringing off the hook this morning, and I intended to tell both of you together, which is why I didn’t tell you about it last night, mamita.”

  “Well, nothing’s stopping you now,” Mom muttered.

  When he finished his story, Mom glared at me. “You should never tell people what medications you’re on, Raegan.”

  I heaved a sigh. Then I thought back.

  “I never did tell Angela I was taking Xanax.”

  Mom’s glare didn’t dim. “Then how on earth would she know?”

  “She at your place often?” Clint asked.

  “At least once a week.”

  “And you only have one bathroom, I’m guessing?”

  I nodded. “And my medication was in the medicine cabinet.”

  He looked at Mom. “Not unheard of to snoop through people’s medicine chests.”

  “Fine,” she said. Then she gave me a remorseful look. “I’m sorry, Raegan.”

  “It’s okay, Mom.”

  With all the information we had received, a thought hit me. “If the wine would’ve been chilled in the fridge, Wynnie would still be alive?”

  Gaspar shook his head. “That’s unlikely. He would’ve killed Bronwyn one way or the other. Though it would have been sloppier, or the foul play would’ve been obvious. Carlos was money-hungry, and so was Jason, for that matter. They had to kill you to get their pay-off. It wouldn’t have mattered if it appeared to be murder or accidental.”

  Mom shook her head. “And to think that man sat at our table eating your lasagna.”

  A muscle in Clint’s jaw ticked at her words. “Yeah, that was some bullshit, Penny.”

  “Has Angela been arrested?” I asked.

  Gaspar nodded. “Yes. She was charged late last night. Whether she can post bail or not is another story.”

  “So, this is done?” Mom asked.

  He nodded. “Seems so. Garrity will be moved to jail once he’s discharged from the hospital. When it goes to trial, you’ll both hear from the District Attorney’s office.”

  “Thank you very much for your work on this,” I said.

  He stood up. “You’re welcome, Ms. Connelly. I’ll see myself out.”

  Clint stood and followed him to the door.

  Mom stood up and came to sit next to me on the couch. She cupped my cheeks. “I love you, Raegan. I hate what happened to Wynnie. But I stand by what I said to Clint weeks ago. If Wynnie’s death can bring some good into the world, then it should. And you and Clint reuniting is definitely bringing good into the world, my Rae-of-sunshine.”

  Tears pooled in my eyes. “I just miss her so much. Her death shouldn’t have happened. It should’ve—”

  Her hands tightened on my cheeks. “You stop right there, missy. That’s why I’m telling you this. With what he said, and as well as I know you, you’re going to blame yourself until kingdom come for Wynnie’s death. But you can’t do that.”

  “She’s right,” Clint said, from the arm of the couch.

  I sighed.

  “It’s the fault of those three assholes. Nobody else, you hear me?”

  I nodded. “I hear you, Mom.”

  She let go of my face. “Good. Now, when I leave with Tanya, you two go to Clint’s. I’m good.”

  My head tilted. “You’re good, but not that good. I’m not oblivious to the fast-food toys Jared carries in here, so you’re not fooling me. Tanya takes you for fast-food, Clint gives you salty snacks, but your pressure is finally starting to regulate, so whatever. Doesn’t mean we won’t be here for dinner tonight.”

  “Well, you two are not spending the night.”

  “Done,” Clint said.

  I glared at him for a moment.

  “Fine, Mom. But one more thing. I have some things we need to discuss about renovating the house.”

  “Renovations?”

  “Front door is first on the list,” Clint said.

  She glanced at the offending door and shrugged. “You’re right. Glass doors are on their way out, aren’t they?”

  My eyes narrowed. “You’re being way too agreeable about this.”

  “Life is short, Rae. Besides, two criminals broke into my house. Screw that! We’ll replace all three doors, front, side, and back.”

  “You got the money for that?” I asked.

  She grinned. “Not exactly. But if you think I’m not filing a civil suit against that weasel and your ex-friend, you’re crazy!”

  “Mom,” I drawled on a sigh.

  Clint chuckled. “Rae, give it a rest. I think that’s the best plan I’ve heard all day.”

  Clint

  WE ATE AN EARLY DINNER with Penny before we came back to my place. I let us inside and turned on the hallway light. Raegan walked past me as I closed and locked the door.

  She stopped in the dim foyer. “Do you really think Mom will be all right?”

  With a nod, I slung my free arm around her neck. “She’s gonna be fine tonight.”

  “Okay,” she whispered.

  I sensed something else weighed on her.

  “Tell me what else is bugging you.”

  She pulled away so she could look in my eyes. “It’s not something that’s bugging me. It’s just something I want to do, and I suspect you’re going to tell me not to do it.”

  “What is it?”

  “I want to have Brock, Cecilia, Gabe, and Cassie over for dinner. And Mom too, since I know she wants to thank Brock and Gabe for all their help.”

  I smiled. “I won’t tell you not to do that, Rae. I would say you don’t need to do it.”

  A stubborn look crossed her face. “Well, I want to do it.”

  I nodded toward the living room so she would follow me as I walked that direction. “I hear you, mamita. Let’s give it a week, and we’ll find out—”

  “Surprise!” three female voices cried out, and Mamá, Laura, and Erica jumped out from behind my couch.

  The lights came on, and Brock, Gabe, and their girlfriends strolled out from my kitchen.

  When I got my heart rate under control again, I glared at Mamá. “What the hell? You used my key to set this up?”

  Before she could answer, a knock came from the front door, followed by Tanya calling out, “Knock-knock. Can we come in? Sorry we missed the big surprise.”

  I turned around to see her guiding Penny inside.

  Laura’s voice pulled my attention back to the living room. “Seriously, Clint! You’re alive, she’s alive, you two are back together. There is so much to celebrate. So, are you really mad?”

  “No,” I muttered, shaking my head.

  “Then let’s get this party started,” she said, and cued up my stereo with “Good Day” by Nappy Roots.

  I looked for Raegan, only to find her with Brock and being introduced to Cecilia.

  Gabe and Cassie sidled up, and he whacked me on my good bicep. “How long you gonna be outta commission for the gym, man? I got nobody to spot me.”

  I gave Cassie a pointed look and back to Gabe. “Pretty sure she can spot you.”

  She scoffed. “I can’t lift what he does.”

  “It’s not about lifting but helping him get it off his neck. Or at worst, screaming bloody murder when you can’t.”

  “More like convincing him he shouldn’t try to show off,” Brock muttered.

  Gabe narrowed his eyes. “I don’t have anyone to show off for anymore, I got Cassie. But I’m serious, how long you gonna be in PT?”

  I sighed. “They said at least six weeks, but the physical therapist will have more to say about that tomorrow morning.”

  Raegan craned her neck to see past Brock. “Good grief. Look at all those empanadas!”

  I looked and realized why things smelled a little funny. I groaned. “And
she brought lumpia. My favorite.”

  Mamá skirted us and put her hand on my back. “Sit down, Clint. I’ll fix you and Raegan plates.”

  Rae shot me a surprised look. “She’s going to fix me a plate? I better enjoy this!”

  THREE WEEKS HAD PASSED since the surprise party.

  Raegan and I came back from New York two days ago. We had spent five days up there, and it was a blast. Her mom’s advice to pitch or sell everything and only bring back the more sentimental and important items, like pictures and such, was the right thing to do. By the second day we’d sold most of her furniture and we spent the other three days visiting places Raegan loved the most. It had been more fun than any of my previous visits to the City, even though I occasionally caught Rae’s melancholy vibe, which I attributed to Angela’s absence.

  Angela had been extradited to Florida the day we arrived. Paul had texted me to let me know.

  Now, we were back at my place, and our discussion was disintegrating.

  My eyes were closed, and the sound of my slow exhale kept my temper in check, but barely.

  Raegan’s voice sounded cautious, as it should. “Clint, I know you think this is a bad idea—”

  My eyes flew open. “Think? I fucking know this is a bad idea, Rae! Nothing good will come of it.”

  Her lips pursed and she turned away. When she turned around, I knew she’d come up with some other argument.

  “I just want answers, Clint.”

  “To what?” I asked throwing my good arm out. I was done with the sling, but I still had to be careful.

  Her eyes flared. “Where I went wrong, Clint! I want to hear it from her.”

  I sighed. “Mi corazón, she isn’t going to give you that.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  I paused so we might both calm down. “Raegan, I know you won’t believe this, but she is fucked in the head. And when people get that way, they aren’t going to have answers that will make any sense to you or me.”

  “We were friends for so long, Clint. Like Mom pointed out, she stood up for me at my wedding! How does that take such a drastic turn?”

  I took a deep breath to keep hold of my temper. “As slick as your ex-husband could be, Rae, it isn’t hard to believe he manipulated her.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Trey wasn’t slick.”

  I gave her a look calling bullshit. Then I added, “That’s not how Penny tells it.”

  “What?”

  “She told me about him. Told me she never trusted him, and she was glad you were separated, though she never wanted you to face divorce, since it’s not a quick process.”

  She folded her arms over her chest. “You and Mom talked about Trey?”

  I nodded.

  “Well, he wasn’t slick.”

  My head cocked to the side. “Funny, she said he hit on you the same day we ended. How could you even give him the time of day?”

  Her eyes bulged. “You ripped my heart out that afternoon, Clint!”

  “So, all broken-hearted, you go out that night?”

  She pointed a finger at me. “You sent me a text with your flight details, only to follow it up with ‘Meant for Mamá. My bad.’ That’s the last damn thing you said to me, and it shredded me more, even though I thought your words about exchanging the ring had done the job thoroughly!”

  My jaw clenched during her tirade. I bit out, “So, he sees you’re vulnerable, puts on the charm, and hits on you.”

  I watched her throat bob with her swallow. “He didn’t hit on me.”

  “No? What about having dinner at a hole-in-the-wall Indian place you wouldn’t know about?”

  Her mouth dropped open. “Mom didn’t know about that.”

  “Wynnie was there for this conversation.”

  Her hands went to her hips. “Well, don’t you just know everything.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know everything Rae, but can’t you see how conniving he was? Angela must’ve fallen for his manipulative shit, and she went so fuckin’ far as to pay for your murder. Now, you think she’s going to have answers for you?”

  “Fine. You’re right,” she said and headed toward my bedroom.

  I grabbed her hand as she passed by and laid us both down on the couch with her on top. “Don’t run off from a fight with me, mamita.”

  She was breathing hard through her nose. “I need to cool off, Clint.”

  “You don’t,” I said, just before I yanked her to me for a passionate kiss.

  Our tongues tangled for three seconds before she jerked her mouth away. “I am not having sex with you right now, Clint Ramsey.”

  I grinned. We hadn’t had angry sex in a long time. My injury meant she had to be on top, but I could work with that. I squeezed her neck. “Why not? Your period’s over, you stopped taking your pills. Hell, you could be ovulating right now. I love you, even if we’re fighting about the most asinine thing possible.”

  “I’m not conceiving your child while we’re arguing.”

  I laughed. “We’re not arguing anymore.”

  “We were,” she argued.

  I leaned forward, brushing her lips with mine. “Whatever. You can’t argue with me if we’re kissing.”

  Epilogue

  Do You Want a Surprise?

  Raegan

  FOUR YEARS LATER...

  I sat in the examination room, waiting on my OB-GYN and waiting for Clint. My nerves were frazzled, even though Mom kept telling me I should be old hat at this pregnancy business. On one hand, she was right, but on the other hand, it was my third pregnancy and I was determined it would be the last. Clint was determined for us to be a family of six, but he wasn’t the one racing for the toilet at all hours with a three-year-old and an eighteen-month-old under foot.

  Outside the door, I heard Dr. Wilkinson’s distinctive voice and just before the door opened, I heard my husband’s voice, too.

  “Well, you’ll find out today, Mr. Ramsey,” Dr. Wilkinson said striding into the room.

  I squinted at my doctor. “We’ll find out what today?”

  She smiled at me. “You’re having an ultrasound today, didn’t you know?”

  “Her pregnancy brain has been on overdrive this time around,” Clint shared.

  “That’s not entirely accurate. This is the first pregnancy with two little ones already demanding our time.”

  Dr. Wilkinson chuckled. “Your wife is right. Two children in the mix makes pregnancy more challenging.”

  She asked me some questions about how I was feeling and gently prodded my belly. “No examination today. Your labs all look normal. I’ll be back in after the ultrasound tech has completed her scans. Should be status quo, though, so no worries.”

  Once the doctor had left, Clint squeezed my hand. “Why do you look so worried, mi reina?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know, Clint. All kinds of bad thoughts have been hitting me lately. I worry about carrying this child to term. I worry about my job security. I mean, I’ve worked there four years and I’ve taken maternity leave twice already!”

  “Don’t worry about that, Rae. My job is secure. Recession, booming economy, it doesn’t matter too much. People still get divorced or suspect a spouse is cheating. They come up with the money to prove it. It’s not recession-proof, but we’ve done good so far, right?”

  I nodded.

  “Okay. Then stop worrying.”

  I sighed while I rubbed my lower abdomen. “I can’t help it. That saying about every woman is different, every pregnancy is different, and every child is different, well... I really feel like something is not the same with this one.”

  He tapped the side of my head. “It’s all right here, honey. Calm down.”

  “The two most useless words—”

  The door opened and the ultrasound tech hurried into the room. “All right. Before we get started, do you want to know the gender? Or do you want a surprise?”

  Clint and I spoke at the same time.

  “Surpr
ise.”

  “We want to know,” I declared, and stared at him.

  After a beat, I asked, “Are you serious? You want a surprise?”

  He turned serious eyes to me. “We have Brian and Bronwyn, which means we have clothes for either gender. Why do we need to know? It’s one of life’s only real surprises anymore.”

  I shrugged. “I guess we’ll go with a surprise. Unless we’re having multiples. At which point, all bets are off.”

  The tech looked at me. “Do either of you have twins in your family?”

  “I don’t think so, but I’m just covering my bases.”

  Clint shook his head, and though I couldn’t see it, I suspected he rolled his eyes too. “We’re not having multiples, Rae.”

  My head was tilted at an awkward angle while the tech moved the wand over my lower belly. The loud whooshing of a baby’s heartbeat filled the room, but the black and white screen looked different.

  Slowly, the tech looked at me, her lips curling into a smile. “I don’t know how you knew, if there aren’t twins in your families, but you’re having two babies, Mrs. Ramsey.”

  “No way,” Clint breathed.

  She beamed at him. “Yes way, sir.”

  While the tech took measurements and pointed out body parts Clint squeezed my hand. I couldn’t help but notice his was clammy, but I didn’t blame him. In pointing out the babies’ anatomy, she saved the best parts for last.

  “Well,” she drawled. “Some parents would say you lucked out. You’re getting one of each, a boy and a girl.”

  I laughed with relief. “That is a definite blessing.”

  The ultrasound machine made noise as it produced print outs of the pictures. The technician put them on the counter, handed me some paper towels for the gel on my belly, and saw herself out.

  With all the goop off my belly, I caught Clint’s eyes. “This is my last pregnancy, sir. We’re done. Good heavens, the college bills alone. Gah!”

  He shook his head at me, and that was when I noticed his humongous smile. I had only seen him so happy on three other occasions. Our wedding day at the courthouse, when Brian was born, and when Bronwyn was born. His joy was infectious, and I felt my face light up with a smile.