When she walks away, I wipe my face and change the subject. “Harrison’s going to work you out extra hard tonight because of those fried beans.”
My sister looks down at the table and smiles. “I think he’ll go easy on me.”
There’s no missing the way her cheeks blush and a beautiful smile crosses her lips. In fact, if I had to wager a bet, I’d say she was glowing….
“No!” I holler, drawing the attention from those around me.
“Shhhh!” Gwen hisses back at me.
“You’re pregnant?” I whisper, practically bouncing in my seat.
“Shhhh! No one knows yet. Well, no one besides Harrison,” she mutters, glancing around to make sure our conversation isn’t overheard.
“How far along are you?” I ask quietly, not wanting to spoil her secret.
“Not far. About six weeks. We haven’t even been to the doctor yet,” Gwen says.
“Holy shitballs,” I state, looking over at my beautiful niece sitting in the high chair. “I thought you wanted to wait.”
“I did,” she practically growls, “but apparently Harrison’s supersperm had other ideas.” Gwen sips at her water, trying to look annoyed, yet I can tell by the hint of excitement on her face, she’s anything but.
“Well, congratulations. Or should I say congrats to my brother-in-law’s supersperm.”
“That’s not necessary. Harrison’s ego is already inflated enough. He doesn’t need any more accolades to the fact he knocked up his wife while she was on birth control.”
I giggle and glance over at the baby in the carrier sitting beside me. Milo is wide awake, watching my every move. I smile instantly and unbuckle his straps. He fits so comfortably in my arms, and that familiar feeling of melancholy slips up my spine and stabs me in the heart. “So, let me get this straight,” I start, taking the bottle of nursery water from the diaper bag and pouring in the formula. “Last week, when you came over and chewed my ass for not telling you about Milo yet, you were pregnant.”
Gwen takes a bite of a cracker from the breadbasket. “I didn’t know.”
With Milo latched on to his bottle, I glance back across the table. “Are you nervous this time around?”
She shrugs. “A little. I’m trying not to worry.” Gwen had gestational diabetes while pregnant with my niece, which resulted in a lifestyle change for a few months. Her husband went a little overboard with the overprotectiveness, always making sure she was eating right, exercising, and feeling okay. I understood his concern, his fear, but my sister said it was a bit suffocating at times.
Milo finishes his bottle just as our food is delivered. The moment I smell the deep-fried grease, my stomach rolls and I break out into a sweat. I realize what’s about to happen in just enough time that I’m able to hand Milo to my shocked sister and run to the bathroom. The moment my knees hit the floor in front of the toilet, I empty my stomach contents, trying not to think about the fact I’m kneeling in a public bathroom with my head in the toilet.
When the stomach spasms subside, I slowly pick myself up off the floor and make my way to the sink. I’m chalky pale and covered in a fine sheen of sweat. My hands hold a slight shake as I wash them twice, blotting both hands and my face with a dry paper towel. I have no clue what came over me, but I just pray it isn’t a stomach bug. The last thing I want is to get Milo, or even Sophia or my sister, sick.
With unsteady legs, I make my way back to our booth, not hungry in the slightest. “Are you okay?” my sister asks, holding Milo in the crook of one arm, feeding Sophia some applesauce with her other hand, and still managing to steal green beans in between. “You don’t look so good.”
“I think I have the flu,” I tell her, falling into the booth and resting my head against the cool plastic seat.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re knocked up too.”
Her words stop my heart. I lift my head and meet her eyes, a knowing smirk on her face. “I’m not,” I reassure her. “I just pray I didn’t just give you and Sophia what I have.”
Gwen laughs. “Sorry to tell you, I already have what you have,” she teases, rubbing her stomach.
“I’m not pregnant.”
“No?”
“No. It’s just… this is all happening so fast. I’m supposed to start my period today.”
She glances down at the sleeping baby in her arms and says, “If you say so.” Then she starts to shovel more applesauce into my niece’s mouth, not bothering to bring back up the whole pregnancy bombshell again.
A few minutes later, my stomach settles and actually growls. I know my sister heard, but she doesn’t call me on it. I’m quiet as I pick at the bun on my sandwich, thankful that the bread seems to stay down. When the server returns and offers me a box, I decline, knowing I’m not planning to eat the chicken later either.
Gwen pays the bill while I get Milo strapped back in his seat. When she returns, she does the same with her daughter, and a few minutes later, we’re back in her SUV. “Do you know what would be amazing?” she asks as she drives toward Chase’s house.
“What?”
“If we were pregnant together. Do you remember when we were little and used to play house? We always wanted to have our babies together so they’d grow up and be best friends.”
A ping of something that feels like excitement mixes with my denial as I picture those moments of two little girls playing house. Gwen was always the teacher, while I was something a bit bossier like a lawyer. “I remember,” I tell her, a small smile on my face as my hand drops to my stomach.
No. I won’t allow myself to go there.
I’m not pregnant.
My phone chimes with a text message, and when I pull it from my purse, a wave of happiness sweeps through me when I see his name.
Chase: I talked to my mom and dad without telling them the news. They just got home last night from their cruise and invited us for dinner. Mom said she has a surprise for me. I need you there with me.
I fire off a reply immediately.
Me: I’m there.
Chase: Thank you. Are you home yet?
Me: Almost. Gwen’s about to drop us off.
Us. How much longer will I be able to refer to Milo and me as an us?
Chase: I’m getting ready to leave now. Maybe we can nap before we head to my parents’?
I yawn at the thought.
Me: Sounds good.
Chase: Love you, Gabs.
I smile down at my phone and reply right away.
Me: Love you too.
“You’re smiling. That must be Chase,” my sister says, pulling my nose from my phone.
Shoving my phone back into my purse, I reply, “It was. We’re going to take a much-needed nap when we get home.”
“Mmhmm, nap, sure. Is that what all the cool kids are calling it these days?” she teases.
A few minutes later, Gwen pulls into the driveway. As I’m getting Milo from the back seat, Chase’s big truck pulls in and parks behind my garage bay. He jumps out, instantly taking the infant seat from my hand. Chase smiles down at the wide-awake little boy and says something I don’t quite hear. I grab the diaper bag and head over to the driver’s door.
“Thank you for inviting us to crash your photo session, and congrats on the other thing,” I whisper. I’m not sure if Harrison has told Chase yet, so I try not to spoil their secret before they’re ready to share. No, I won’t keep it from him, but I don’t want to spill the beans if they have a big announcement to make.
She waves her hand. “I’m sure he told Chase at the gym today. He’s horrible at keeping secrets.”
“Well, thanks again.”
“Bye, Chase!” Gwen hollers as she starts to back out of the driveway.
“Have fun?” he asks, those intense and hypnotic blue eyes already doing a number on my panties.
“We did,” I reply as I lead the way to the door. “I have something to show you.”
“Funny, I have something to show you too
. It’s in my pants,” Chase replies, clearly resorting to humor to get him through this tough time.
I laugh as I unlock the door. Milo starts to fuss in his seat, and Chase instantly unfastens the buckles and pulls him from his restraints. “He’s probably ready for another diaper change. He had a bottle at the diner,” I state, my mind flashing back to getting sick and what Gwen said. I touch my forehead, but my temperature feels normal. Maybe this strain of flu virus is just a five-minute flu?
And maybe pigs will fly….
I’m torn between sequestering myself in my old room to keep from spreading anymore sickness or running off to the pharmacy to confirm what is only a pipe dream and isn’t true.
And the truth is, I want to have Chase’s baby.
I want a baby, not to replace the one we thought we had only the day before, but because it feels like my life was meant to. Yes, there’s still a very real, very raw hurt that came with finding out Milo was Colton’s son and not Chase’s, but that doesn’t mean it’s the reason I pray for a positive pregnancy test. Even if last night’s results proved Milo to be Chase’s, I’d still yearn for a baby.
The timeline is tight. We’ve only been together for two weeks, which means, if I were pregnant, I’d be like five minutes along, due to start my period today. Plus, we had protection. While not completely fool-proof, I’m certain my brother-in-law is the only one with supersperm.
A tear I didn’t even realize had fallen is swiped away from my cheek. His warm, calloused fingers make my skin tingle with familiarity and excitement. “Why are you crying?” he asks, taking my cheek in his hand.
“I’m just being emotional,” I reply, offering him my best reassuring smile.
He glances down at his nephew and smiles. “I get it.” Then, he reaches for my hand and pulls me toward the stairs. “Come on, Gabs. Let’s go lie down for a bit. I don’t think the little man is ready for a nap, but I just want to lie beside you both and hold you.”
My heart drops to my feet.
I can’t tell him yet. I don’t want to watch the excitement in his eyes, only to see it extinguished if the test comes back negative. No, not with all that’s going on with Colton and Laura and Milo. There’s too much uncertainty right now, and the last thing I need to do is add to the stress with a possible pregnancy. I’ll wait a bit, until we can talk to his parents and try to locate Colton.
Besides, Gwen might be wrong, and the last thing either one of us needs is another heartbreak right now.
We climb onto the bed, both Chase and I lying on our sides and facing each other, Milo lying between us. He’s moving his hands and feet a lot, looking around at his surroundings. I pull my phone from my back pocket and click on the images. Handing him the phone, I watch as he takes in the sight of his nephew on the All Fit T-shirt. His eyes hold a wonderment, his smile genuine and happy. “I love it.”
“I thought maybe when we get the proofs, we could order one for the office. It would be great advertisement, right?”
His eyes shine with love as he looks down at the baby. “It’s perfect.”
“Gwen had one done of Sophia too. We thought maybe we could put both pictures in the office.”
“And soon we’ll be able to add another picture,” he says, smiling warmly as he sticks his meaty finger inside Milo’s tiny hand.
My heart gallops in my chest. Does he know? Could he possibly believe there’s a chance I’m pregnant? But then it hits me like a brick to the heart. He’s not talking about us. I swallow past the pain. “He told you?”
“He wouldn’t stop smiling, even when I was handing him his ass on the mat,” Chase says. “I knew something was up.”
“I’m so happy for them.”
“Me too, Gabs,” he replies, reaching over and swiping my hair off my forehead.
Chase’s phone pings with a text message. He pulls the phone from his shorts pocket and exhales. “It’s from Jake Rodgers, my friend on the police force.”
I stop, my gaze locked on his. “What did he say?”
Chase swallows hard. “He found Laura.”
Chapter 16
Chase
I stare at my phone, a mountain of emotions rolling through me. For so long I wanted to find Laura. I wanted more details about our son, about that night. I have so many questions, like why can’t she keep him? And why did I not find out about him until she was at her breaking point, if that’s what it was? I still have those questions, only I have new ones as well. Like why does she think I’m the father, when clearly, she slept with my brother? I’m pretty sure Colton could answer that for me as well, but he’s thousands of miles away who knows where and doing God knows what. It could be days, weeks, hell, even months before I can reach him to tell him he’s a father.
He is and I’m not.
Pain fills my chest and threatens to choke me as I think about the fact that this little man isn’t mine. Gabby and I have been through a gauntlet of emotions since he arrived on our doorstep. I had come to terms with the fact that he was mine. That I’m his father. Now I’m not. That’s a lot to process.
“Where is she?” Gabby asks, breaking me out of my thoughts.
“Florida.”
“Florida,” she repeats as if she’s processing the information. “Now what?” she whispers. Her eyes never leave Milo as she asks the question.
“Well, we would have petitioned the court to have her served with papers signing her rights over to me. Now—” I pause, the hurt ricocheting in my chest. “Now,” I say again but have to swallow back my emotions. “Now, I don’t know. He’s not my son. I need to get a hold of Colton as soon as I can and have my attorney file the papers on his behalf. I’ll call him tomorrow and have him draw them up. That way, when I do finally reach Colton, he can reach out to him and we can continue the process.” Reaching out, I offer Milo my index finger and he latches on, his grip tight for such a tiny thing. “I’m sure when my parents find out, they’re going to volunteer to take him. Hell, they offered when we thought he was mine.”
“They just want to help. Why did you never take them up on the offer?” she asks.
“Because he was my son.” I choke on the words. I look up to find her eyes. “He was ours, Gabby. I wanted him. I wanted us and this family we had become.”
“Chase.” Her voice breaks on a sob.
“I called the lab today. I wanted to make sure that we were interpreting the results correctly. That the 25 percent really did mean that I was his uncle. I knew that was the case from what we read online, but I just… I don’t know, Gabs. I guess I just needed some reassurance that even though I’m not his father, that he’s still my family.” I lean over and kiss Milo on his tiny head. “You’re easy to love, buddy. Uncle Chase…” I swallow hard. “Uncle Chase loves you.”
“Au— Gabby loves you too,” she says, stopping herself from saying Aunt Gabby.
“Aunt Gabby and Uncle Chase will always be there for you.” My words are spoken for my nephew, but my eyes, they’re for the woman who owns my heart. I think about all that’s happened since the night this little guy showed up. I begged her to stay, not because I needed help, but because I needed her. Sure, the help was a relief, but it was more than that. Suddenly, I feel like we’re at a tipping point once again in our relationship. I know she loves him. Is that why she stayed?
“You okay?” she asks softly.
“Stay.”
“What?”
“Stay with me.”
“Chase, I already told you I’m not going anywhere. What’s this about?”
“I asked you to stay when he arrived, and it wasn’t because he was here. I was afraid I was going to lose you. Now, I need to ask you again. I needed to ask you when there wasn’t a son I just discovered on our doorstep. It’s just me, Gabby, and I’m asking you to stay. This is your home, our home. Please tell me you’re going to stay.”
“Chase.” She smiles as her eyes well with unshed tears. “You’re my home. I’ll be wherever you are.”
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“I fucking love you,” I say, leaning over Milo to press my lips against hers.
“Language,” she scolds, but she’s giggling, so it has zero heat behind it. “Colton will kill us if his first word is fuck,” she says, not bothering to lower her voice.
“Colton, hell, he cusses like a sailor. It’s my mom we have to worry about. I can’t tell you how many times Colton and I were grounded and even had our mouths washed out with soap due to our potty mouths. You would think we would have learned our lesson by now.”
“Milo, don’t repeat anything that Uncle Chase says,” she coos at the baby.
Uncle Chase.
I’m honored to be this little guy’s uncle, but I want to be a daddy. I want that more than I ever knew possible. Maybe once this all blows over, when Colton comes home, I can convince Gabby that we need to start a family. Right after I ask her to marry me.
“What are you thinking about? You have this goofy happy smile on your face.”
“You.”
“Uh-huh, sure, Casanova.” She smiles and rolls her eyes playfully. “What time do we have to be at your parents’?”
“Mom said she’ll have dinner ready at six. She has some sort of surprise for me. My guess is they’re going to offer to take Milo for the night. Give us a break.”
“I don’t really want a break,” she confesses.
“Yeah,” I agree. “He’s out. I’m going to put him in his bassinet and then maybe we can catch a quick nap as well.” I stand from the bed, carefully lifting Milo into my arms and placing him in his bassinet.
“I’ll set the alarm for three. He’ll need to eat again and that will give us time to get him fed, changed, and get ourselves together before we leave.”
Fair Lakes Series Box Set Page 46