Summary

Emily finds herself in a cliche mess of epic proportions which leaves her with one choice…it’s time to go home. With ghosts from her past, mistakes and misunderstandings, she just might find something worth fighting for.

Chapter 1

Emily

I bet you’ve had bad days before, right? I mean, we all have. Well, I think my day might take the cake. Don’t believe me? Okay, try this on for size. My day started with having my job terminated by my sixty year old boss who claims I was making inappropriate advances when he had me stay late at work yesterday. Now, don’t get your panties in a bunch, sit back and let me explain. The only inappropriate thing that happened yesterday was said boss grabbing my ass and telling me he’d be happy to help me with the promotion he knows I’ve been after if I, and I quote, “show him just how bad I want it”. I know, how cringe!

So, today I walked in to be handed a pink slip and my final check, complete with the pay out for my vacation time. As if that wasn’t bad enough, all I wanted to do was go home to complain to my boyfriend, Scott, and drown my anger and frustration in copious amounts of ice cream. Shall we add to the clichés that life likes to throw my way? I’m sure you can guess what I saw, but just in case…let me paint you a picture. First thing I caught when I walked in the door to my apartment was the familiar grunting and groaning, but because I was blinded by love, or maybe it was anger from the way my day started, I assumed he must be watching porn. I was wrong…he was creating it.

From the entry to the living room, I had a perfect view of just how wrong I was. A blonde bent over the back of my couch, two sweaty bodies, my boyfriend plowing into said blonde from behind with reckless abandon…like I said, pretty damn cliché. I probably could’ve made a quiet exit, let them finish while I go find a new place to drown my emotions…but I didn’t…because this is my apartment!

“I hope you know you’re paying to get that couch professionally cleaned…oh, and I expect you and your shit to be gone before nightfall.” Yeah, that was my thoughtful response, but I still didn’t leave. Instead, I went to the kitchen, grabbed a spoon and a pint of fudge swirl ice cream then went out on my balcony to enjoy it in peace. Don’t worry, he tried to apologize. “It was just once” “It was a mistake” “I don’t know how it happened” “But I love you” and my personal favorite, “It didn’t mean anything…she means nothing to me”. Do those lines really work? Seriously, I want to know! Should I feel better knowing he threw me away for someone who he claims meant nothing to him?

Anyways, his shit was gone by nightfall, but only because I threatened to call his mother and tell her what he did…I know, how pathetic, right? For the record, I did call and tell his mother, but only because we were supposed to be having dinner with them tomorrow and, well, that obviously won’t be happening now.

Without a job and a little emotionally wrecked from my entire day, I realized there was only one real option for me and it’s one I really didn’t want to consider…it’s time to go home. Oh, my dad was thrilled, my brother, Nate, was entertained and as for me, I’m just determined to not end up living with either of them. That’s what led me on the journey of finding someone with a room for rent. I could afford the deposit and first month on my own place, but who knows how long it’ll be before I can find a new job?

My journey led me to an unexpected place, or rather an unexpected person, Colton Weston, a name that sounds strangely familiar, but I can’t figure out why. I emailed about a post he made on my hometown’s social media page stating he had a room for rent and after a few private messages back and forth, we arranged for me to meet him tomorrow at noon. It’s a four hour drive to get home, so I have time to get some packing done tonight before I have to make the trip tomorrow.

Okay, so my life is pretty depressing, and not just for the reasons I’ve already laid out for you either. Remember me mentioning packing? Well, I had everything in my apartment packed into boxes and labeled, ready for the movers to pick up…in only three hours. I’ve lived here for four and a half years, yet only accumulated enough possessions to warrant the use of a small U-Haul rather than a full on moving van. Oh well, too late now I guess. I loaded up the one box with breakables like picture frames and glass knickknacks as well as the two boxes with my clothes last night, so all I have left is loading up my overnight bag which contains the last of my toiletries that I left out for my morning shower.

I may not know for sure if I’ll be moving in with Colton Weston, but I know I can’t come back here. I suppose I can always get a room for a few days if I need to once I get there if this meeting to view the room doesn’t work out. At six thirty, I get into my SUV and start the four hour drive, hoping I allotted myself enough time to make up for any possible delays I may encounter, but when I pull into Landry at a quarter till eleven, I’m glad to be early enough to drive around and see what’s changed. In case you were wondering, nothing has.

I pull up in front of the house at the address Colton gave me at five minutes till noon and give myself a moment to take it all in. It’s a single-story home with a well-manicured lawn, a wraparound porch and a very nice BMW parked in front of the garage…yes, in front of, not in. The house is much bigger than I expected and, if I’m being completely honest here, much nicer. It looks like a proper family home, not a place you would expect to find a room for rent. I get out of my car with two minutes to spare and make my way to the door, my stomach twisting into knots with each step. Just as I raise my hand to knock, the door opens and there stands a ridiculously large wall of a man.

“Emily?” Oh…my…god! I know that voice…but…this isn’t happening…can’t be happening! Freeze frame for a moment and let me give you a little backstory here.

Five Years Ago…

It’s been a hot, long and, let’s face it, uneventful summer. True, it’s only the third week in, but it still holds true. All of my friends are out of town for the summer, either on exciting adventures with family or even more exciting adventures with friends. Then there’s me, sitting at home, nothing to do besides work for my dad and no one to pass time with while I wait for my brother to come down and visit now that his college classes are over for the semester. I know, how sad is it when seeing my annoying big brother is the highlight of my summer?

I see his car pull into the driveway, but he isn’t the one my eyes are locked onto. There’s someone in the car with him and when I see them both exit the car, my heart skips a beat and my breath catches in my throat. Let me tell you, this friend is tall, muscular, has a tousled mess of dark blonde hair and what look like honey brown eyes…freaking delicious! I don’t believe in love at first sight, but crush at first sight? Yeah, my body’s reaction to seeing this god of a man tells me that’s a real thing. I try so hard to make myself look busy, running to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee and see what I can make for dinner, anything to not look like I was gawking at Nate’s friend through the living room window.

“So, this is it. I know it’s not anything fancy, but it’s a hell of a lot better than spending the next four weeks in the dorms.” Nate’s voice is heavy with exhaustion, no doubt from running on minimal sleep since I know my brother loves the party scene and probably didn’t skip out on one last night, even knowing he’d be making the five hour drive home today.

“It’s definitely better than hanging at the dorms.” Oh lordy, his friend’s voice is the perfect mix of deep and gravely!

“My sister’s around here somewhere. Em?!” Looks like my plan to hide a little longer has gone up in metaphorical smoke.

“In the kitchen!” I pull out some boneless, skinless chicken breasts, not entirely sure what I’ll make with them, but I’m not wanting to look like I was hiding in here. I hear their footsteps coming closer then suddenly, arms are wrapped around my waist and I’m being spun around like a damn rag doll.

“Hey, little sis!” Nate has always been an obnoxious twit, but I can’t even lie…I missed the hell out of him.

“Good god, you heathen! Put me down!” My attempt to use a scolding tone fails miserably, thanks to the laughter that bubbles out of me.

“Let me get introductions over with. Cole, this is my sister, Emily. Emily, this is my dormmate and close friend, Cole. So, what’s for dinner?” I toss what I hope is a casual wave toward Cole while Nate’s looking over my head (yeah, he’s that much taller than me, but it’s not hard to be taller when I topped out at five foot four and a half), staring at the chicken breasts sitting on the counter.

“I’m thinking maybe chicken parm.” I shrug, hoping it’s something Cole will like. I mean, I literally just threw out the first dish that came to mind!

“Damn, that’s one of my favorites.” Cole’s voice is warm, probably as warm as my flushed cheeks.

“Perfect! Why don’t you both get your stuff up to your rooms while I get to work? Oh! Dad won’t be home until Monday, so he asked me to have you run and check out things at the office on Friday. I think he wants you to make sure Joe doesn’t fuck everything up while he’s gone.” Nate’s eyebrows shoot to his hairline and his eyes are comically wide as he stares down at me.

“Did…did you just say fuck?!” I roll my eyes then turn and grab a coffee cup, filling it with the freshly brewed coffee.

“For the love…I’m eighteen, Nate. Dad said that I’ve earned my right to use profanity, or how he so eloquently put it, ‘you act and work like an adult, so might as well let you talk like one’.” It’s one of the most amusing conversations our dad and I had and it all started because the afore mentioned Joe managed to double book clients which left me to handle the fallout when we had to reschedule one of them. Needless to say, the client I had to reschedule was not happy and my colorful language when I finally ended our call was more than a little unladylike.

“I guess he has a point. How’s everything at the office been?” Nate knows I’ve been filling in and helping our dad with a lot of the office side of his company. Our dad may be an amazing contractor, but he sucks at the paperwork side of things.

“If Joe would just stop trying to be helpful, things would be so much easier. Between double bookings, lost invoices, incorrect pricing on estimates…I feel like I’m cleaning up after a damn toddler.” Nate pulls me in for a tight, brotherly hug then steps back, his hands on my shoulders and his head lowered so he can look me in the eye.

“You’ve done a hell of a job, Em. I’m proud of you.” I know, it sounds like such a simple compliment, but his words are everything I need to hear.

“Thanks.” My voice is barely a whisper, but I know he hears me, his smile tells me that much.

Chapter 2

Nate finally leads Cole out of the kitchen to go fetch their bags from the car while I get to work on dinner. I’m glad for the distraction, not only from the gorgeous Cole, but also from our discussion about our dad’s business. Our dad needing help with things at the office is the reason I’m stuck here this summer instead of being with my friends. Sure, our dad said I could go and that he’d manage without me, but he and I both know he wouldn’t. Ever since our mom left three years ago, he’s been struggling…even if he won’t admit it.

“Hey, Nate told me to let you know that your dad called. He has to run to the office to handle something. He said to just have you put his dinner in the microwave and he’ll eat when he gets home.” I’m nearly done throwing dinner together and I’m just waiting on the garlic bread when Cole’s voice rips me from my thoughts. I wasn’t expecting Cole to come down yet and I sure the hell wasn’t expecting to be eating dinner with him alone.

“Oh, okay. It’s almost ready. What would you like to drink?” Instead of answering, he walks over to the fridge and takes a look at his options.

“Can I grab you anything?” I don’t even have to look, easily delivering my answer while pulling the garlic bread out of the oven.

“A beer, please.” There’s a moment of silence before I hear the sound of glass bottles clinking together before I hear the fridge door close.

“It smells amazing.” I flash him a smile over my shoulder and manage a soft ‘thank you’ before I start plating our food. I place Nate’s in the microwave then take the other two plates to the table with Cole following right behind me. With our round dining table, it leaves only one chair that would have Cole not sitting right next to me and I feel like part of me thought he’d take it, but he doesn’t. He steps around me, sets the two beers on the table then grabs the plates from me, setting them down and then he pulls out a chair for me. As soon as I sit, he slides into the seat to my right, pulls his plate closer to him then opens both beers and hands me one.

“So, your dad lets you cuss and drink? My parents still look like they’ll have a heart attack every time I accidentally cuss in front of them and I’m twenty-four.” His smile has me blushing like a fool, but I try to hide it behind my beer bottle as I take a long pull before setting it down.

“My dad figures that with everything we’ve been through in the past three years, my cussing and having a few beers is warranted. I never drink outside of the house and I never get drunk, so that probably helps.” He smirks at that and I already know what he’s thinking, which is only proven by his next words.

“I’m guessing you’re one of the good girls then?” Yeah, I get how he’d think that, but it’s not true…not entirely.

“Not always. Before our mom left…I was rebellious…maybe a little too rebellious now that I think about it. When she first took off, I thought it was because of me. I lashed out at everyone because I was so sure they thought the same…that they blamed me. The night that I was brought home by the local law enforcement, that’s when dad sat me down and had a talk with me. That talk changed everything…for both of us.” He gives me a sad look, but it’s not really a look of pity thankfully.

“You know it’s not your fault now though, right?” I nod, taking another drink of my beer, more to give myself a momentary distraction than because I actually wanted another drink.

“I do. I also know that my mom was a selfish, heartless bitch who took the first opportunity she could to abandon us for the life she thought she deserved. She didn’t think our family was good enough for her, but the truth is that she was never good enough for us.” And I truly believe that, though it took me a while to see it. We settle into a comfortable silence while we tuck into our dinner, but every once in a while he lets out an appreciative hum. It’s peaceful, comfortable and feels so…easy to be around him.

For the past four weeks, Nate has spent a lot of time at the office, giving me a much needed break. With my extra free time, I’ve spent most of it getting to know Cole and showing him some of my favorite places in and around town. The initial nervousness around him faded quickly and I find him so damn easy to talk to…until we crossed a line. Last night we were sitting on the back patio talking and star gazing after Nate had gone to bed. Things were going much as they had since he arrived, both of us talking about anything and yet nothing of importance, just comfortably orbiting around each other.

I can’t pinpoint the exact moment things shifted, nor can I tell you who moved first. At first, we were sitting next to each other, then next thing I know, we’re both leaning in, our lips meeting and hands exploring, pulling each other impossibly closer. Maybe the three beers I had are to blame for my reckless behavior, or maybe it’s something we’ve unknowingly been building toward, but I suddenly find myself pulling him through the house and up the stairs then into my room. He doesn’t fight me, but for a brief moment, I can feel his hesitation.

“Em…” I cut him off with a kiss, not a sweet, tender kiss like before, but one filled with desperation and need. Where hesitation was once present in him, he’s now overrun by hunger that I know we both are eager to satisfy.

After a very passionate and vigorous workout last night, I wasn’t expecting to wake up alone at six in the morning. I quickly jump into my morning routine, but during my shower, my mind takes off into its usual realm of overthinking. Why was Cole gone when I woke up? Does he regret what happened? What’s going to happen when they leave to go back to Halefort tomorrow? Can we make this work? Is there anything to make work? Was this just a one-time thing?

I don’t know what I expected to happen when I saw him again today, but I didn’t have to wait long to find out. I make it downstairs and hurry to the kitchen for a cup of coffee, but momentarily freeze when I see Cole standing there, a cup of coffee in his hands as he stares out the window into the backyard.

“Hey, how’d you sleep?” I know it’s lame, but…what the hell was I supposed to say?! Oh god, he just sighed…that’s a bad sigh, I just know it.

“We need to talk.” And that’s even worse.

“Okay, talk.” I won’t make this easy on him. He could’ve stopped at any point last night, but he didn’t. Yes, I know, I didn’t want him to, but if he had told me to stop, I would have. I would’ve respected him enough to do that, so if he’s regretting it, he only has himself to blame for that.

“Look, last night…that was a mistake. What happened, it shouldn’t have. I know we were both a little…inebriated, but we took things too far, Emily.” And there it is, he regrets it and, considering this is the first time he’s used my full name since that first day, I know that regret runs bone deep.

“It’s fine. Forget it ever happened.” He turns to look at me and the regret in his eyes nearly breaks me, but it also pisses me the hell off. He opens his mouth to say something, but I’m not about to stand here and let him stab another knife into my already bleeding heart.

“Don’t…I swear, I wasn’t acting out some alcohol induced fantasy, but clearly the choice to cross that line is one you didn’t want to make. I’m sorry things went that far…actually, I’m not, but I’m sorry you regret it because if I’m being honest with you, I don’t. You don’t need to worry though, I’m not some psycho, obsessed stalker, so we’re just going to pretend nothing happened and when you leave tomorrow, this will never be mentioned again. Got it?” I don’t wait for his response because, honestly, I don’t want to hear it. I pour myself a cup of coffee and head out to the back patio, thankful I grabbed my phone before leaving my room because right now, I need some music and a few minutes alone to just…breathe.

Present…

“Cole…or is it Colton?” How did I spend four weeks with him and never find out that Cole was only a nickname?

“You and your brother are the only ones who called me Cole.” There was a time where I would’ve felt special for being one of the only people to use that specific name for him, but those times are long gone.

“Okay, so…god, this is a terrible idea. I’m going to go check into a motel for the night and see if I can find something else tomorrow. I’m sorry I wasted your time, Colton.” Yep, I’m leaving…call it running away if you’d like, but can you really blame me?!

“Em, wait!” Curse my treacherous body! He speaks, and, of course, my body obeys, my legs ceasing my hasty retreat with only two damn words from him.

“What, Colton?” It’s not so much that I hear him moving closer, but I feel it! What the hell is wrong with me?!

“You’re already here, Em. Just…come check out the room and have a cup of coffee with me.” That’s a terrible idea, absolutely awful and there’s no way I’m doing that…

“Fine.” Okay, what the hell is going on with me? It’s like I’m possessed! I must be a glutton for punishment, a masochist at heart, because this is me willingly torturing myself! My treacherous body, once again, betrays me by turning and following him inside. The house, admittedly, is absolutely beautiful. The living room is decorated in shades of grey and navy blue with a couch that looks too damn comfortable to be real. The hall is lined with pictures I don’t dare look at, because even if I’m trying to torture myself, seeing a glimpse of his happy, perfect life in still frames is a torture I refuse to endure.

He stops at a light grey door with white trim then slowly opens it to reveal a beautiful, and fairly large, room. This room is decorated in dark grey and wine red, a bold, yet perfect color scheme for me. He guides me in and shows me the insanely large ensuite then the amazing walk-in closet that, if it weren’t for the man standing behind me, would be the selling point for me to accept the offer to rent this beautiful room.

“The kitchen and living room are, of course, communal areas that you could use as you please, same with the laundry room, back patio, porch and front yard. All I’d ask is that you clean up after yourself.” This is delivered as we walk to the kitchen which, as I’m sure you could guess, is large and absolutely gorgeous!

“How many rooms does this place have?” I honestly don’t care, but I need to fill the silence, do something to avoid broaching the topic of our last encounter.

“Four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, a home office, dining room, living room and, obviously, the kitchen.” I feel like he’s trying to dance around things as well, which is fine with me, more than fine really, but the reality of this situation dictates a need to state the obvious.

Chapter 3

“I really don’t think this is a good idea, Colton.” He sets a cup of coffee in front of me on the breakfast bar, but he keeps to standing on the other side, something I’m immensely grateful for.

“Listen, I know our past is, well, messed up, but we aren’t the same people we were back then. I’d like to think we’ve both grown up enough to handle living together without issue. You clearly need a place to live and I’m looking for a housemate. We already know each other, so there wouldn’t be any worry that one of us is a psychopath.” He’s right, I hate that he is, but I can’t deny the truth in it. He’s also right about us not being the people we were before. I know, without a doubt, that I’ve changed.

“Maybe…I just…god, why is this so fucking weird? You’re right…we’ve both changed, the past is just that, the past.” He gives me a bright smile, the same smile that used to have my heart melting and, much to my dismay, it still does, not that I’m about to let him see that.

“Well, let me give you some details about what to expect, see if you’re still interested after. So, the first is I work a rotating schedule, four days on, three off then three on and four off. I leave at five on the mornings I work at get home around five. Also, I…I have a daughter who’s with me every four off.” He hesitates to tell me he has a kid and I get it, I do.

“How old is she?” I would expect this news to upset me, make me angry, something, but I find myself genuinely curious about this little piece of him.

“She’s two. Things with her mom are…complicated, to put it mildly. Anyway, do you have any kids, boyfriend, fiancé?” And this is where I have a choice. You see, I have a little secret, but don’t be mad at me for not sharing because, well, I’m still trying to come to grips with it myself.

“No, no boyfriend, no fiancé. Um…the…shit.” Okay, so saying it is still a struggle. Maybe it’s because my piece of shit ex ruined things before I could even tell him the news, but seriously, I need to tell someone…right?

“What? What’s wrong, Em?” I really wish he’d stop calling me Em. I hate the familiarity it represents, but at the same time, maybe that’s why the words just start pouring out before I can stop them.

“I’m pregnant…six weeks.” And…silence. Heavy, tense, completely suffocating silence. Maybe telling him wasn’t the best choice. Maybe I should’ve just left as soon as I saw him at the door.

“Wow, okay. What about…the father?” I can’t even help it, I scoff. Is that really what we’re calling Scott? The father? I’d much rather stick to lying, cheating, sperm donor.

“Not in the picture.” Yes, I know that my little predicament makes it obvious that I had someone in my life recently. At least I’d like to think Colton knows me well enough to not think I got knocked up as a result of a scandalous one-night stand.

“Does he know?” Okay, I guess it’s time for full disclosure. I’m not about to let him think that I’m the bad guy in this scenario.

“I was going to tell him…but then I came home to find him railing some busty blonde on my couch in my apartment…the same day I got fired. I decided that he isn’t the kind of person that should be helping raise another living, breathing human being.” He’s quiet for a long tense moment then nods his head, seemingly agreeing with me.

“Do Nate and your dad know?” I quickly shake my head.

“You’re the first person I’ve told. I…I didn’t really know what the hell to do, still don’t know what to do actually. My life…it’s a fucking wreck.” Great, and now I’m crying! Through the blur of tears, I didn’t notice Colton moving until I feel his arms wrap around me, pulling me into his muscular chest as he tries to hold me together while I fall apart. I don’t know what’s hitting harder, the truth of the situation I’ve landed myself in, or the fact that I’m being comforted by Colton, the man who once was the cause of my greatest heartache. It feels like I’ve been crying for hours, but I really hope it’s only been a few minutes. I pull myself together and pull myself free from his arms, wiping away my tears, those that didn’t manage to soak into his shirt.

“Well, this is embarrassing as hell. Sorry for…that.” I wave my hand at his tear-stained shirt, but he shrugs off my apology.

“I have a toddler, so my shirts get soaked in worse things than tears.” God, could he just not be so…perfect?!

“Okay, if we do this…things will obviously be…difficult. I’m only six weeks in and my hormones are…well, off the charts.” I’d like to say I have plenty of reasons beyond pregnancy for my emotional chaos and in truth, I do, but even I know that my current emotional state is far from normal for me.

“It doesn’t have to be, Em. At least give it a try. Worst case, you can at least stay until you find something else.” It’s a good plan, but I know this is a temporary situation, it can’t be anything more than that since I’m going to be needing a home for more than just me soon enough.

“Colton, you realize this can’t be a long-term thing, right? I mean…the baby…” God…the baby…I think the whole situation is finally hitting me…I’m having a baby!

“Hey, we have time and this can be long-term. The room next to yours is an unused guest room that can easily be turned into a nursery. Look, I’m not trying to push you to do anything, but I want you to know there are options. There’s no sense worrying about it yet, but you do have options, Em. I’m not going to make you leave and I’ll be more than happy to be here for you through this. You don’t have to do it alone.” I’m surprised by how sincere he sounds and even more so at how much comfort his words bring me. Maybe coming home wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

As you probably guessed, I moved in with Colton the same day I met him at his house. It’s been almost a week spent with me handling the cooking and cleaning while Colton works and on his three days off, he helped me with the movers to get everything put into a storage unit. We had dinner with Nate and my dad two nights ago where I broke the news to them and, aside from being angry with Scott, they were both pretty excited. Today is the start of his first four off since I moved in which means his daughter, Ivy, will be getting dropped off by her “complicated” mother. If that isn’t stressful enough, I’ll also be going to my first OBGYN appointment in three days, so to say I’m stressed the hell out would be a grave understatement.

“Hey, Carla will be here in a few minutes. I want to warn you that she can be a bit of…well, a bitch. Don’t let her get to you and don’t take anything she says to heart.” Oh boy, how did he land himself in such a predicament?

“Got it. Should I just hide out in my room till she leaves?” He shows zero hesitation in answering which is both comforting and nerve wracking in equal measure.

“No, please don’t. I’m not hiding you away like some dirty little secret. You live here and I don’t care who knows it, least of all Carla.” Part of me is happy he doesn’t want to hide me away, but part of me…that treacherous, wicked part that’s on a hormone fueled rampage, apparently didn’t get the memo five years ago that he isn’t interested in me…that part is going to be a problem.

“Okay. I won’t be held responsible for what comes out of my mouth, but I’ll try to bite my tongue for Ivy’s sake.” And I mean it. Even if she is only two, she doesn’t need to be in the center of the drama. We’re only sitting on the couch for ten minutes when we hear the sound of car doors slamming closed and Colton hurries to the door, pulling it open to be greeted with an excited squeal.

“Dada!” The sweet little voice clenches my heart and when I turn on the couch so I can see Colton in the entryway, he’s holding a little girl with a headful of blonde curls.

“Hey, sweetheart. Daddy missed you.” I watch as he places a soft kiss to the top of her head, but the beautiful moment is ruined, completely destroyed by a vile, wretchedly high-pitched, nasally voice.

“Whose car is that out front?” I internally roll my eyes, or maybe it was less internal, who knows.

“I told you I rented out one of my rooms to a friend. Em, can you come here, please?” I can see the apologetic look he’s sending my way, but I’ve got this. I’m not about to let some stuck up bitch get to me, not even if she is the mother of Colton’s child. I get up off the couch and make my way over to him, forcing a smile as I reach the entryway and spot the source of that appalling voice. Sure, she’s pretty enough, damn beautiful if I’m being honest, but the scowl on her face and the harsh, and entirely unwarranted, glare she’s sending my way dull her beauty by a lot.

“Hi, my name’s Emily. It’s nice to meet you.” That’s right, I’m being polite! Take that bitches! But…wait…why is she looking at me like that? Her eyes are scanning me over like she’s assessing me. Talk about creepy!

“I see you’ve downgraded…significantly.” Oh please! Is she serious?

“Carla…” I hear the warning in his tone, but even if she’s trying to get to him, that comment was personal and I don’t need him to defend me.

“Oh, sweetie, I promise you that anything he chooses after you would be nothing short of an upgrade. It’s funny to me that you seem so worried about who he has in his life though, you know, since you’re the one who decided to sleep around while he was the one sacrificing everything to support you and Ivy. Instead of wasting time and energy causing unnecessary problems, maybe you should focus on what really matters here…your daughter. Anyway, it was nice meeting you. Colton, I’m going to go start on lunch.” The smile he throws my way is different, still heart melting, but…just different. I don’t hear the rest of their discussion, but it’s partly because my phone starts ringing and everything hits me all over again when I see the OBGYN’s number flash on the screen. I had bloodwork done yesterday for my upcoming appointment and they said they’d call if they found anything concerning…so can you see why I’m internally freaking out as I answer the call?

“Hello?”

“I’m trying to reach Emily Benson.”

“This is she.”

“My name’s Wendy and I’m one of the nurses that works with Dr. Olson. We got your labs back and the doctor would like for you to come in to go over everything. We know you have an appointment in a few days, but is it possible for you to come in today instead?”

“What time?”

“Whenever you’re available. Dr. Olson has instructed me to fit you in whenever you’re able to come in.”

“I can be there in thirty minutes?”

“That would be perfect! You know where the office is located, right?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Alright, we’ll see you when you get here.” We end our call and I won’t lie, I’m scared shitless…downright terrified. If it wasn’t something bad, they would just wait till my appointment in a few days, right? I’m not crazy for thinking worst case scenario, am I? Luckily, I already had mac and cheese made and apple slices ready for Ivy as well as a sandwich for Colton, so I pull everything out and quickly heat the mac and cheese before I rush to get myself ready. I’m just leaving my room when Colton comes walking down the hall, apparently looking for me, with Ivy settled on his hip.

Chapter 4

“Hey, what’s going on? Where are you going?” I know I must look like a mess with my hair thrown into the messiest of messy buns and I’m wearing a pair of grey leggings with a baggy hoodie…pure “hot mess” material right here.

“I have to go. I need to get to the doctor’s office.” Even I can hear the tremble in my voice, so there’s no way in hell he missed it.

“I thought your appointment is a few days away still?” Ugh, we’re wasting time!

“They called, something about my lab work. I need to go.” I slip past him to the entryway where my flip flops are sitting and quickly slip them on then grab my purse. My hands are shaking so badly that I probably look like I’m having a damn seizure right now.

“Hey, I’ll drive you, Em. Come on.” He grabs his keys and wallet off the entry table then places his hand on my lower back and guides me out the door and to his car. I get into the passenger seat while he straps Ivy into her car seat then we make the drive in tense silence. Neither of us say anything until we pull into a parking spot at the OBGYN office and Colton is the first to break it.

“Everything’s going to be okay, Em. I’ve got you, okay?” I can’t speak, so I give him an uneasy nod then get out of the car. We walk in together with poor little Ivy looking so tired and I quickly check in at the front desk. I don’t even have time to sit down before a nurse pops her head out the door on the left.

“Emily? Come on back.” I look at Colton who seems unsure of what to do, but there’s no way in hell I want to face this alone.

“Please…” I’m not sure why I’m afraid to voice what I want, but I don’t need to. He stands up and takes my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before following me through the door where the nurse leads us to a small room with the typical hospital table bed that sits next to an ultrasound machine. I’m instructed to sit on the table then told the doctor will be with us shortly, which ends up, thankfully, being only a few minutes.

“Ms. Benson, I’m Dr. Olson. It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m sure you’re worrying about why we asked you to come in early, but I promise it’s nothing too concerning. When you called to set up your appointment, you said you believed you were six weeks into your pregnancy, but the HCG levels from your lab work were extremely elevated. The average levels for six weeks are around one thousand for a single pregnancy and up to fifty six thousand for multiples. Your levels as of when your blood was drawn were at thirty four thousand. We want to do an ultrasound today to make sure everything’s okay. There’s a good chance that you may be off on your calculations, so I don’t want you to worry until we have a reason to. For now, go ahead and lay down with your shirt lifted and pants lowered to expose your stomach.” I mindlessly follow her instructions, not even flinching when the cold gel hits my warm flesh.

“It’s going to be okay, Em.” Colton’s comforting voice and the warmth of his hand grasping mine is the lifeline I didn’t know I needed right now. My eyes go to the screen as it flares to life and my body shudders a little when the wand first makes contact. It takes only seconds for the image to appear on the screen and where I expected to see some little sea monkey looking blob, I see a half alien, half human with fully visible fingers and toes. She taps a button and the room fills with a whooshing noise that she tells me is my baby’s heartbeat.

“Wow, okay…so the estimate was definitely off. I’d say this little one is about fifteen weeks in the making.” My mind stalls then quickly scans back to the last few months, mentally calculating my menstrual cycle, which I know I had a light flow month two months ago, but last month…I honestly don’t remember having one at all. How the hell could I be so damn stupid?!

“Fifteen weeks…” She just nods then I catch the bright smile on her face.

“Are you wanting to find out the gender?” Whoa, what?!

“You can tell that this early?” She chuckles, but gives me a nod of her head.

“When the baby cooperates, which yours most certainly is, we can sometimes tell. This little one is definitely not being shy.” I glance at Colton, hell if I know why, then back at the doctor and nod.

“Dad, you’re okay with finding out?” Oh, yeah…I didn’t even think about the fact that she might assume he’s the father…oops!

“Oh, he’s not…he’s just a friend.” Her eyes widen slightly, but she directs her attention back to the screen, taking several screenshots then pointing at the screen.

“You have a healthy baby boy growing in there. Congratulations.” A boy…my son. I can feel the tears streaming down my cheeks, but I don’t even care. I welcome them this time.

“Alright, I’ll get some pictures printed for you and you can get them at the front desk when you schedule your next appointment. I’ll also have a prescription for prenatal vitamins, but you can take over the counter ones as well. Take care of yourself, Ms. Benson.” She hands me some paper towels then disappears out of the room. I wipe the goop off my stomach and that’s when I notice that there’s a small bump there. How did I miss that?!

“Oh god, when did that happen?!” I point at the slight swelling of my stomach which makes him chuckle at me.

“You always wear baggy clothes, so I don’t know.” Okay, so he has a point, but I should’ve noticed! We make our way back to the front desk where the woman behind it hands me an envelope then sets up my next appointment for four weeks from now. When we make it to the car, I quickly buckle my seatbelt then open the envelope and pull out the pictures, feeling desperate to see my baby again already.

“I need to go get vitamins.” The words tumble out of me the second he’s sitting in the car and I notice him staring at the pictures in my hand as he nods.

“Right, let’s go.” After a stop at the pharmacy where I choose to go with over the counter gummy vitamins, we head back home with a sleeping Ivy and I mentally starting to panic at the realization that this whole thing is happening faster than expected. Colton is the first out of the car when we get back and nearly has Ivy out by the time I finally climb out to follow him inside. While he takes Ivy to her room, I head to the kitchen and get a glass of water which I begin pacing the kitchen with rather than drinking it.

“Em, you okay?” Oh shit, that’s a… “Never mind, stupid question.”

“Fifteen weeks…that’s…wow…” He walks up to me, takes the glass of water from my hands and sets it on the counter then wraps his arms around me.

“It’s going to be okay, Em. I promise it will. Fuck, you’re having a boy, Em!” He squeezes a little tighter, making a soft laugh bubble out of me. Not once since I saw the positive pregnancy test have I regretted this baby, even if I regret his father, I’ll never regret my son.

“I need to call dad and Nate…then I need to tell Scott.” Colton tenses and I mean, I get it, but it’s his baby too. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and while I want nothing to do with the bastard, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I took away the option for him to be a part of our child’s life.

“Are you sure about this?” I get his worry, but I’ve made up my mind.

“No and yes. I don’t want to be tied to that asshole for the rest of my life, but if I don’t give him a choice, I don’t think I could live with that.” He doesn’t let go, but I feel him nod against me.

“Okay. Do it on my three off and I’ll be with you when you tell him. You shouldn’t do it alone and you don’t have to.” He doesn’t know how much I needed to hear that right now because the last thing I want is to walk into this alone.

The morning after my appointment was interesting, to say the least. I woke up early with an intense craving for pancakes with peanut butter, so I got started on cooking them and finished only a few minutes before I heard noise coming from Ivy’s room. I ended up spending the next two hours feeding her then watching cartoons with her in the living room, letting Colton sleep in a little for once. He was surprised when he came out to see us curled up on the couch, but he couldn’t hide the smile on his face.

The two days following started much the same and I can’t help that I’m falling in love with little Ivy and I enjoyed all the little stolen moments with her cuddling on my lap. She even went out of her way twice to specifically come to me when she wanted to be held and that shit broke me in the most beautiful way. My mood couldn’t even be dampened when her awful mother showed up to get her on the last day and trust me, she tried.

On Colton’s last day of his four day shift, he sat with me after work while I called Scott and asked if we could meet up. The narcistic asshole actually had the nerve to ask if I was calling to apologize…yeah, that’s right…he thought I needed to apologize to him! He obviously wasn’t happy when I told him no and that’s when he hung up on me.

Chapter 5

I could’ve given up on telling Scott about the baby, sure, but that isn’t happening. That’s why Colton and I are currently driving the four hours to confront Scott in a less casual way. I didn’t tell Colton, but while he was at work yesterday, I stopped by the courthouse and picked up the documents for Scott to sign over his parental rights.

I know Scott doesn’t want to meet with me, which is why we’re heading to the office where he works because that way I can guarantee I can talk to him and get this over with. We reach the office at a quarter till three and Colton is the silent sentinel at my side as we take the elevator to the fourth floor. Muscle memory alone carries me down the hall, past the cubicles and straight to his office where I don’t even bother knocking. I should’ve knocked, I know that, but then I’d miss seeing him eating out the too familiar blonde as she sits in front of him on his desk.

“Well, at least it’s not my couch this time.” The blonde gasps as she scrambles to get away from him while Scott sits there, not looking at all bothered by being caught pleasuring a woman in his office without having even had the decency to lock his damn door.

“What the hell are you doing here? Danny, you can go.” The blonde, Danny it seems, takes a step toward me, but I stop her by raising my hand in front of her.

“Oh no, this won’t take long. Danny, you really should stay. Scott, I’m pregnant.” Danny’s eyes widen like a damn anime character and honestly, it’s pretty damn funny, but Scott’s expression is cold, angry even.

“You’re not trapping me, Emily. Do I look that stupid? Get rid of it!” His reaction even has Danny looking at him like he’s a monster, so at least I know she has a conscience…a very small one, but it’s there.

“Yeah, that’s not happening. I actually figured this would be your reaction which is why I brought something for you.” I reach into my purse and pull out the folded documents for relinquishing parental rights.

“What’s that?” I roll my eyes and set it in front of him.

“It’s a magical court document, dumb ass. You sign this and you sign away all rights to my child. It means you aren’t a father to it and I can’t go after you for anything like child support.” He scans the document and within two minutes, he’s signing on the designated lines.

“There. How will I know you submitted it?” God, how did I not realize he was such an asshole before?

“I’ll email you a copy once it’s signed off on by the judge.” He gives a stiff nod, his eyes locked onto my slight bump with pure disgust.

“Good. You can leave now.” I roll my eyes and force the most sickly-sweet smile I can.

“Gladly. I hope you have the life you so desperately deserve, Scott. Danny, I hope you know that you can do so much better…well, not so much, but better.” I turn around to see a smiling Colton who quickly takes my hand and walks me back to the elevator without either of us looking back. As soon as the elevator door closes, Colton bursts out laughing.

“You really dated that prick?!” I can’t help but join him because, well, it’s funny as hell.

“Like you’re one to talk! You have Carla and I have Scott.” I shrug, letting him know I don’t mean it in a bitchy way.

“I can’t believe you brought those papers with you. When did you even get them?!” The elevator doors open and we walk out to the main lobby, both of us smiling and still laughing softly.

“I went and got them yesterday. Hey, I need to make one more stop while we’re here. Do you mind?” His laughter dies and he gives me a look that’s a little worried and a little curious.

“Sure. Mind if I ask where we’re going?” I know my smile is a little strained, but the situation I’m about to face is a strenuous one.

“Just…trust me. I need to tie up one last loose end before we go home.” I know he’s still curious, but he nods in agreement then leads me to the car, even opening the door for me. I program the address into the GPS and we make the twenty minute drive…to Scott’s parents’ house. After he parks in front of the doors to their excessively luxurious house that definitely would be classified as a mansion, he follows me to the door where I knock before I have a chance to talk myself out of it. As soon as the doors open, I smile at the woman on the other side.

“Miss Emily! Were they expecting you?” I shake my head then step forward and pull her into a tight hug. Silvia has been the head housekeeper for the family for most of Scott’s life and she was always so nice to me. I feel her body jolt against mine as she gasps then steps back and looks down at my stomach.

“Don’t say anything. I need to tell them myself.” Her bright smile is filled with excitement as she nods enthusiastically and waves us in. We’re led to the sitting room…yes, like those fancy ones in the ridiculous billionaire movies…where Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, or Mary and Irvin as they prefer I call them, are sitting, having afternoon tea.

“Emily? What brings you here, sweetheart?” Irvin gets up quickly and comes over to hug me. Mary gives me a warm smile then gets up to offer me a hug as well.

“I hope you know that we’re so ashamed of the way Scott treated you. His behavior was appalling.” I feel her body stiffen in my arms before she steps back and her wide, wrinkle framed eyes lower to my stomach.

“Let’s all sit down. We need to talk and this might be difficult for you both to hear.” Irvin seems to have just picked up on what has his wife in a state of shock, but he helps her to sit back in her seat then motions for Colton and I to sit on the couch across from them.

“Is Scott the father?” Does he really think I would be here if I were having a child with someone that isn’t their son?!

“Yes, well, he was. He signed over his rights today…after telling me to, and I quote, get rid of it. I, obviously, refused. I came here because even though your son wants nothing to do with the child he helped create, I believe you both deserve to have a choice on whether or not you’re a part of his life.” I see the tears glistening in Mary’s eyes and even Irvin’s eyes are a little glossy.

“Him? You’re having a boy?” I nod and pull the small envelope out of my purse, the one with the copies of the ultrasound pictures I had made for them.

“I am. I won’t lie and tell you I’m unhappy with Scott’s decision because I’m actually very happy with the fact that I won’t have to have him in my life anymore…but punishing you for your son’s actions would be wrong and honestly, cruel.” I hand Irvin the envelope and watch as they both stare wide eyed at the pictures as he pulls them out.

“He signed over his rights?” I nod to Irvin’s question, hating that this situation is clearly causing them pain.

“So…what would that make us then?” Poor Mary looks so broken and I hate Scott even more for doing this to not only me, but to them too.

“If you want to be in his life, you’d be his grandparents. Scott’s decisions don’t affect us. The only thing deciding the future for us is your decision, not his.” Mary nods, whispering ‘thank you’ over and over while Irvin smiles brightly.

“I think I speak for both of us when I say we’d really like to be as involved as you’ll allow us to be.” Colton reaches over and grabs my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze…an action that doesn’t go unnoticed by Mary and Irvin.

“How rude of us. Emily, who’s your friend?” I know what they’re thinking and while I don’t care what they think of my relationship with Colton, I don’t want to lie either.

“Colton is a good friend. He’s been a huge help since everything that happened and I honestly don’t know how I would’ve made it through the last few weeks without him.” There’s no judgement in their eyes, only appreciation and happiness. Colton gives my hand another squeeze which I return before giving him a soft smile.

“In that case, thank you for doing what our own son failed to. Emily deserves to have people support her and she deserves to feel loved.” I stand up with Colton following suit.

“I appreciate that. I’ll keep in touch with updates after each appointment. Unfortunately, we need to get going. We have a four hour drive to get home.” Irvin and Mary walk us to the door and give both Colton and I hugs before we head to the car. As soon as we pull out of their driveway, Colton reaches over and grabs my hand.

“That was a pretty damn amazing thing you did.” I squeeze his hand then smile as he settles his arm on the arm rest, but instead of letting go, he laces his fingers with mine.

“I had to do the right thing and both of them never did anything wrong here. Their son may be a piece of shit, but they’re great people. My son is going to be one lucky kid with so many people around to love him.” My free hand instinctively moves to my visible bump and I can’t fight off my smile if I tried.

“He’s going to have one hell of a mom too.” He delivers that declaration with a firm squeeze of my hand and my heart melts a little…just a little. The four hour drive passes in a blur of light conversation and, due to obvious reasons, a couple spontaneous bathroom breaks. When we get back, I call and make plans for dad and Nate to come over for dinner tomorrow so I can deliver the news of both the update on the baby and the fact that Scott signed over his rights, but first thing’s first, I need to go to the court house first thing in the morning to file this blessed paperwork.

“We should go out to dinner tonight.” I’ll admit, that’s not what I expected to hear the minute we walked through the door to the house, but I kind of like the idea of not having to worry about cooking and eating dinner out means I can order desert!

“Okay. I need to change into something a little less restricting.” No joke, wearing a pantsuit for today’s little mission wasn’t my smartest choice, but I wanted to look as much like a “boss bitch” as I hoped to feel…and it worked, but now I need less boss and more comfort.

“Okay. You go change and I’ll be out here when you’re ready.” I have to admit that I was absolutely certain that this whole arrangement with Colton would be a total disaster, but I’m not too proud to admit that things are as far from a disaster as they can get.

Chapter 6

Colton has been amazing and seems to prove every day that he really isn’t the same person he was before. In my room, I dig through my closet and settle on a white sun dress and a pair of white sandals then head back out to the living room where Colton is waiting, his eyes focused on his phone screen.

“Alright, let’s get some food before this little demon starts protesting.” He looks up and I swear to you, I’m not even exaggerating, the man does a legit double take before a bright, unguarded smile breaks out on his handsome face.

“Wow, you look…beautiful.” I have to remind my treacherous, pounding heart that this is a compliment from a friend because clearly, it didn’t get the memo that was sent out five years ago.

“Thanks.” Yep, I know, real smooth. Thankfully, we head out without any further awkward moments to stall us and make it to the diner in town that I took him to the second day he was here during his visit with Nate and I’m more than thrilled to see that the same older waitress, Lynn, is still working.

“Emily! Oh heavens, look at you!” She pulls me into a tight hug then steps back, staring at me with wide eyes that slowly lower to my stomach.

“Hi, Lynn.” I place a hand on my stomach and the second her eyes shoot back up to meet mine, I give her a nod to confirm her obvious suspicion.

“Oh! Congratulations! Come on, your usual table is free!” She leads us to my favorite booth and takes our drink order before hurrying off.

“So, today went better than I expected.” Him and me both!

“Yeah, I honestly didn’t know what to expect, but I had hoped things would go the way they did. I was actually more confident in the outcome with Scott, but his parents’ reaction really was something I could’ve only hoped for.” Lynn puts a pause on our conversation as she sets our drinks on the table.

“How far along are you, hon?” Lynn’s bright smile and sweet voice are a healthy dose of brightness that I absolutely welcome.

“Almost sixteen weeks. We found out a few days ago that I’m having a boy.” I didn’t realize how that sounded until her eyes jump straight to Colton and I really want to kick myself.

“I bet you’re so excited!” You guessed it, she directed that question to Colton.

“Oh, he’s…” I want to correct her, fix my mistake before Colton panics, but he doesn’t let me, though his response is definitely not what I was expecting!

“We are!” Wait…what?

“I’m really so happy for you both! I’ll give you a few minutes to look at the menu then I’ll be back for your orders.” She hurries off and I’m left wide eyed and mouth gaping.

“Sorry, I probably should’ve corrected her, but I figured the last thing you want is to have people looking at you with pity just because the baby’s father isn’t in the picture. If it bothers you, I’ll tell her he’s not mine, but I, personally, don’t care if people think he is. People are going to think what they want to anyway.” He shrugs like it doesn’t matter and…maybe it doesn’t. He’s right though, I hate having people pity me.

“Honestly, I don’t care. Like you said, people will think what they want. All that matters at the end of the day is that my son is happy, healthy and loved.” And it’s the truth. Lynn comes back a few minutes later to take our orders then once again leaves us in peace, but the peace doesn’t last long…it never does.

“Colton?” We both look toward the door where a blonde woman who looks vaguely familiar is standing with a confused look on her face.

“Hey, Shelly.” His tone is tense, but hell, everything about him is tense. The name Shelly doesn’t ring any bells, but I can’t shake the familiarity I see in her. She comes closer, clearly not noticing, or maybe not caring, that her presence is making Colton uncomfortable.

“Who’s this?” She points at me and the look on her face is anything but friendly. My hands automatically come to rest on my stomach, almost like my instincts are telling me to protect my little one from the evil in this woman’s eyes and it’s an action she doesn’t fail to notice.

“This is Emily. Emily, this is Carla’s sister, Shelly.” Oh shit! That’s why she looks familiar!

“Nice to meet you.” I don’t know why I bothered trying to be polite, but it just kind of…slipped out. She doesn’t reciprocate, in case you were wondering.

“I see you knocked up another one?” My eyes widen at not only her words, but her venomous tone.

“I don’t see how my personal life is any of your damn business. You make it sound like I have a string of baby mamas or something. You do realize that you can’t cast judgement on me when you have four different baby daddies, right?” Okay, that was funny, so you can’t blame me for laughing, but obviously my laughter only pissed Shelly off more.

“Does Carla know you have another kid on the way?” Maybe I should say something, you know, save his metaphorical bacon?

“Again, not your business, nor is it hers. In case you aren’t aware, the courts won’t care about whether or not I have another kid. I’m a good father to Ivy and I pay my child support, so there’s not a damn thing you or your sister can do. I do think they’d be interested to hear that Carla’s sister openly harassed me in public and I have plenty of witnesses to back me on it.” He gestures around the room and, sure enough, there are plenty of people watching as well as Lynn and the cook who all nod their heads in agreement, making it clear they have his back.

“A little advice, Emily, get away from him while you can. He’ll drop you the second something better comes along.” I raise my brow, surprised she’s even still talking.

“And you’re a vindictive, conniving, evil cunt. I think I’ll take my chances with Colton, yeah? Okay, you can go now, bubye.” I give her a finger wave then turn my head to face Colton, offering him a smile that softens his expression a little.

“Whatever, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” I roll my eyes, quite dramatically if I do say so myself, then let out a sigh of relief when I hear her retreating footsteps.

“I’m sorry, Em.” I reach across the table and grab his hand, trying to offer him any comfort I can.

“Do not apologize for her. The only apology that needs to be issued is one to her parents from the condom factory. You don’t owe anyone shit.” That earns me a beautiful smile as he squeezes my hand.

“You’re pretty damn amazing, Em.” Ugh! There goes my treacherous heart, apparently not getting the memo that this isn’t the time to be freaking out.

“Yeah, I know.” I give him a cheeky smile that has him laughing, but that only makes my heart do more stupid shit…like beat faster and doing some weird little summersault crap. The rest of our dinner goes perfectly and, yes, I do get dessert…which gives me heartburn…because pregnancy is a bitch. We finally make it back home just before nine and I make it as far as the couch before collapsing from pregnancy and food induced exhaustion.

“You okay?” I glance up from my spot on the couch to find Colton standing over me with an amused smile on his face.

“I’m tired and my feet are sore, but otherwise, I’m good.” He plops his cute butt down on the other end of the couch, grabs the remote and throws a random horror movie on Netflix then looks at me and pats his leg.

“Come on, feet up here.” I shuffle myself so that I’m laying across the couch with my back against the armrest and my feet are propped on his lap. The second his hands start kneading my feet, I can’t hold back the moan that escapes me. I know, it’s just a foot rub, but to my sore feet, it’s everything. I don’t know when it happened, but…yeah, I fall asleep.

My back is stiff, my neck hurts and I really need to pee…but my legs are pinned in place…by not one, but both of Colton’s arms. I carefully and painfully slowly extract my feet from his hold then practically sprint to the bathroom, barely making it before I have an embarrassing accident. I go ahead and take a shower then throw on a baby blue sundress, a fitting cover for my baby boy, then braid my hair before heading to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee and make breakfast before Colton wakes up. According to the time on the microwave, it’s only a few minutes past six, so I have a few hours until the courthouse opens. I get the coffee made and am just finishing cooking breakfast when I hear Colton’s feet shuffling toward the kitchen.

“Good morning.” I know my voice probably sounds too damn happy for this early in the morning, but I’m excited to close Scott’s chapter in my life so I can move on.

“Morning. You been up long?” I grab a coffee cup then fill it and hand it to him, receiving a stunning, sleepy smile of appreciation.

“You’re a saint.” I return his smile then start plating up our breakfast.

“I’ve been up for about an hour. I already showered, so I figured I’d make breakfast before I take my vitamins and head to the courthouse.” I take both plates and head to the breakfast bar where Colton has already taken a seat.

“Yeah, I’m never letting you move out. You know that, right?” Come on, can he just…not? My poor heart doesn’t understand that this isn’t some declaration of love! Ugh!

“We’ll see if you still feel that way when there’s a screaming infant thrown into the mix.” He gives me a look I can’t quite decipher, even pausing his chewing for a moment.

“That won’t change anything, Em. I really hope you know that.” The sincerity in his voice makes my heart stutter, the fool that it is.

“So, what’s your plan for the day?” Don’t judge me for deflecting damn it!

“Going with you to the courthouse then helping you plan dinner.” Not going to lie, I wasn’t expecting that. I figured he wouldn’t want to be dragged any further into my mess with Scott, wasting yet another of his days off, but it looks like I was wrong.

“You sure? I don’t want to keep you from enjoying your day off by dealing with my crap. I already took over your day yesterday.” He sets down his fork and turns on his stool to face me.

“Em, I want to be there for you. You’re not keeping me from anything. As for yesterday, I’m glad I went with you. I don’t regret going.” I have to admit, a little voice in my head wanted to throw out a little “Maybe not, but there’s plenty of things between us that you do regret.”, but I bite that shit back. These hormones are no joke.

“Okay.” What else is there to say? Well, other than something that will end up causing problems. Maybe we should’ve addressed our past issues when I moved in, cleared the air, but I think we both wanted to move on…too bad it’s not always easy to do that.

“I’m going to take a quick shower and throw on something that I haven’t slept in.” He places a hand on my shoulder and gives me a soft squeeze before heading to his room.

Chapter 7

I finish up my breakfast, take my vitamins and have just finished the dishes when Colton reemerges wearing a pair of fitted dark blue jeans and a light grey tee that hugs his muscles like a second skin. His dark blonde hair is still wet from his shower and his golden brown eyes look like pools of honey…god, a peanut butter honey sandwich sounds really good right now!

“We have twenty minutes till the courthouse opens.” He’s watching me, but the look in his eyes has my cheeks flushing with heat.

“That dress looks good on you.” It’s not his words that get my heart racing, but his heated tone and the fire in his eyes. I can’t be imagining this…but this can’t be happening either.

“Thanks. You ready to go?” Yep, more deflection. Hell, anything to get the attention off of whatever this is. Luckily, it works and after I grab my purse and phone then slip on my flip flops, we’re on our way. We get to the courthouse at five minutes past eight and I get a pleasant surprise when the judge brings us in and signs off on the papers right in front of me. Through the whole ordeal, Colton remains by my side, a quiet, comforting presence from start to finish. We walk out of the courthouse at eight forty and head to the car to go to the store so we can pick up everything we need for dinner…and more peanut butter.

Have you ever tried going grocery shopping when you’re pregnant and snacky? I wouldn’t recommend it. We went in for dinner items and by the time we’re heading to the checkout line, we have a full cart and most of it isn’t even related to what I plan to make for dinner. You know the crappy thing about small towns? You can’t really get out of running into people you know and that seems especially true for people you don’t like.

“I heard a rumor, but I could hardly believe it, yet here you are. You seriously got your roommate pregnant? Are you kidding me right now? How are you going to have time to fit Ivy into your life when you’ll have an infant to take care of? Did you even think about our daughter?!” That’s right, freaking Carla.

“You and your sister need to mind your own damn business. Nothing is going to stop me from having time for Ivy. Unlike you, I prioritize my child.” I…want to wring this prissy bitch’s neck!

“I don’t see how that’ll be possible when you have not only a baby on the way, but a new slut to keep you busy.” Nope, that’s enough of this crap.

“Listen, I don’t know you, which I think is a damn blessing, really, but you’re honestly getting on my last damn nerve right now. Colton is an amazing father to an amazing little girl and I have a feeling you are anything but amazing, so it’s easy to see where she got all her amazing traits from. You and your heinous cow of a sister need to back the hell off and you need to worry about your own shit.” Colton grabs my shoulder and pulls me back toward the cart, but I didn’t even realize I had gotten closer to the evil bat.

“Em, it’s okay. Just ignore her.” Oh lordy, is he serious?

“No! She has no right talking to you that way and I won’t sit back and let her talk shit about me either!” He gives me a warning look, but I’m too far gone to care. She’s just lucky I haven’t knocked her ass out yet!

“Em! Just stop! She’s not worth it!” And that’s the moment I snap.

“You’re right, she’s not worth it, but you are! You are worth fighting for, Colton!” I don’t know, maybe I thought that rather loud declaration would have a positive effect, but instead, he looks pissed…at me.

“Can’t you just listen for once?! Just…stop!” I step back, my eyes locked on his, my disbelief and hurt openly on display.

“Sure. Let her talk shit to you and treat you like crap, but you will not tell me how to handle someone talking shit about me, not even when the person doing it is your ex. I’m not about to stand around and listen to this shit. By all means, stay and let her degrade you further, but I’m going home.” So, I leave. Yes, I know, leaving him there with a cart full of groceries while his ex tears him down and he has the keys to the car, not my brightest moment, but it’s only about a fifteen minute walk to get home and I could definitely use the fresh air.

Okay, so I don’t walk home. I manage to walk to a park, one I used to play at when I was little, and find a bench under the shade of a tree to sit down and rest my legs. I’m glad I had my purse with me when I stormed out, but I really wish I had grabbed a bottle of water…and the jar of peanut butter. I ignore the text alerts blowing up my phone and ignore the calls, easily assuming it’s Colton, choosing instead to sit back and just…breathe. Yes, I know, I focus a lot on breathing, but…can you blame me? In this moment of tranquility, that’s when it happens, a small flutter at first and then…a very discernible kick. Everything around me fades away and my world just…stops. All the anger, frustration and stress just evaporates as I revel in the feeling of my son moving inside me.

“Em! What the hell?!” Yeah, not even Colton’s angry voice can ruin this moment for me.

“Em, what are you doing out here? I thought you were going home…I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” As soon as he sits down beside me, I grab his hand and place it on my stomach where my little guy is still partying like a damn rock star. I hear the soft gasp then, in the next breath, he’s on his knees in front of me, both hands on my stomach and his eyes focused on his hands, wide and filled with awe.

“He’s kicking.” My voice is a blissful whisper, almost like I’m afraid that speaking any louder might make it stop.

“Hey, little one. You’re a strong little guy.” When he looks up and I see the tears in his eyes, it makes my own fall in response.

“I’m sorry.” Not a complete lie. I am sorry for worrying him and upsetting him, but I’m not sorry for defending not only him, but myself too.

“No, I’m sorry. I was worried about giving her ammunition to use against me, but you’re right. You should never have to stand by while someone treats you that way and the fact that you stood up for me…I should’ve thanked you, not yelled at you.” Okay, that’s sweet!

“I’ll forgive you if you forgive me.” He rewards me with one of his gorgeous smiles, you know, those heart melting ones I may have mentioned a time or two?

“Deal. Now, we should head home and get started on dinner. Oh, and I got you a little surprise, you know, in case you weren’t quite ready to forgive me.” I’ll admit it, that has me a little excited. He walks me to the parking lot where he parked the car and as soon as I’m settled into the passenger seat with him sitting behind the wheel, he hands me a frosty container with a plastic spoon on top.

“Peanut butter ice cream?! Oh, you are so forgiven!” This guy is something else, but god I love him! Wait, I mean I love it, not him! I’m so glad I didn’t let that one slip out because that would’ve been a disaster! We make the drive home in silence, but to be fair, I’m stuffing my face with ice cream the whole way. I help carry the groceries in then get to work making the spaghetti for dinner, thankfully I picked something easy since my little detour left us with only an hour to prepare dinner before my dad and brother should arrive.

“Anything I can help with in here?” I glance over my shoulder at Colton and give him a soft smile.

“Yeah, can you set the table?” He jumps right into doing it while I get the garlic bread in the oven and let the sauce simmer. The baby is kicking up a storm, so I once again find myself with my hands on my stomach and a permanent smile on my face.

“He moving around again?” I nod and my smile widens when he abandons his meticulous table setting to come over and place his hands on my stomach.

“He’s really active. I literally went from not feeling a damn thing yesterday to feeling him almost constantly the past hour or so. It’s so crazy.” His hands rub gentle circles and his expression is one filled with wonder.

“This is so amazing.” My brow furrows as I digest his words, words that make it seem like this is something completely new to him.

“You got to feel Ivy kicking when Carla was pregnant, right?” He acts like this is the first time he’s ever experienced this, but that doesn’t make sense to me.

“No. I didn’t know about Ivy until she was three months old.” The regret and sadness in his voice makes my heart ache for him. This is why I insisted on giving Scott a choice because not allowing him a chance to be a part of this miracle would have been unforgivable.

“That’s shitty, Colton. I’m so sorry you missed out on so much with her.” I place my hand on his cheek, trying to convey how much I mean what I’m saying to him and one of his hands quickly raises up to cover mine.

“Thanks, Em.” This is a moment…I think. It might be a moment, but the sound of the doorbell destroys the fragile thread that tethered our little ‘maybe moment’, shattering our bubble and making both our hands drop away.

“I’ll get it.” He breaks eye contact and quickly exits the kitchen while I force myself to get back to working on dinner. I can hear everyone talking in the other room, so as soon as I pull out the garlic bread, I go to join them, grabbing the envelope off the counter that has the copies of the ultrasound pictures I made for them.

“Em! You look…holy shit! What the hell? Are you having twins?!” Colton bursts out laughing and even dad breaks out in a wide grin, clearly not bothered by the idea of twins at all.

“No, but my math was apparently a little off. Here, you want to see your nephew?” I hold the envelope out to him, but both Nate and my dad are stunned.

“Nephew? Can they tell that early?” He’s already pulling the pictures out of the envelope as he waits for my answer.

“I’m actually farther along than I realized. I’m sixteen weeks, not seven and yes, nephew.” Nate’s face lights up, but our dad is fighting tears…not very successfully though.

“I’m going to have a grandson?” His voice trembles as he walks closer, his eyes firmly locked on my rounded belly as I nod at him.

“Yeah, a grandson. That’s not the only news I have though. Colton and I took a drive to go see Scott yesterday. I told him about the baby and, just like I expected, he wants nothing to do with him. I got him to sign over his rights and the judge signed off this morning.” I can see the wave of relief that hits both of them and I know exactly how they feel because I’ve been feeling it too since the second the judge signed the damn papers.

“That’s great news, sweetheart. I’m glad that prick is out of the picture.” And this is just one of the many reasons I love my dad.

“Me too. Why don’t we move this to the dining room and I’ll dish up dinner.” No one disagrees, but how can they when the whole house is filled with the delicious smell of spaghetti and garlic bread?! I get everyone’s plates dished up and Colton comes in to help carry them to the table then gets drinks for everyone, beer for the three of them and milk for me, then returns to the table where we all sit down to enjoy our meal. Conversation during dinner is light and revolves mainly around the baby, though I do make sure to ask dad and Nate about work. After we finish eating, they stick around for another thirty minutes before taking off since they both have work in the morning. Once they leave, I go straight to the kitchen to handle the dishes, not wanting to leave it till morning.

“What are you doing, Em?” I’ve only just finished rinsing the plates and loading them in the dishwasher when Colton walks in and I feel dead on my feet, but my stubborn ass isn’t about to admit that.

“Just getting the kitchen cleaned up.” I don’t look at him when I answer because I damn well know he’ll see the exhaustion written all over me. Before I can reach for the sauce pan, I feel his hands wrap around my wrists and his chest press against my back as he gently drags me away from the sink.

“No, you’re going to sit down on the couch and watch tv while I clean up the kitchen. You need to rest, Em. I got this.” He doesn’t even let me go, but instead guides me all the way to the couch, helps me get comfortable then covers me with the throw blanket off the back of the couch. After turning on The Conjuring for me, he heads back to the kitchen to work on the dishes. I’m pretty sure I didn’t make it even ten minutes in before I lost the battle with sleep.

Chapter 8

It’s the first day of Colton’s four off once again and we’re waiting for Carla to arrive with Ivy. I have to admit that after our little run in at the store, I’m a little worried that I may have caused an issue that Colton really doesn’t deserve to be dealing with. When we hear the first car door close, you can feel the tension in the room rise as while Colton heads to the door while I stay in my spot on the couch. It takes me a second to realize though…the sound of the second door closing never comes.

“Carla? Where’s Ivy?” Shit…

“Do you really think I’m bringing her over here when you have that fucking whore living here?! If she’s here, Ivy won’t be!” Okay, I’m getting a little pissed.

“That’s violating our custody agreement, Carla.” I hate that he’s trying to stay so calm right now.

“Oh, don’t you worry about that. I got my hands on some information that I’m sure the judge would like to see. Are you aware that your little girlfriend has a record for drug possession, assault and breaking and entering?” What?! How the hell did she get ahold of that? Those records were sealed!

“What?” Oh god, please let me have a chance to explain…

“I’m not surprised she never told you, honestly. She kept it from you because she was desperate to find a place to stay after she got fired for getting caught trying to seduce her boss. I know that baby isn’t yours, Colton. In fact, I know that her ex signed over his rights because he doesn’t even think the little bastard child is his and he wanted to avoid dragging his family into a scandal.” I can’t listen to this shit anymore, so I do what I do best, I let my anger take over. I get up as fast as I can and stomp my ass over to the door where Carla quickly flashes me a satisfied smirk.

“You’re a real piece of work, you know that?!” I’m ready to tear into this bitch, but I freeze the second I hear Colton’s voice from beside me, cold and angry.

“Is it true?” I turn to look at him, not missing the accusing tone he uses.

“Really?! Yes, I was arrested for…” Of course, he doesn’t want to hear anything else I have to say.

“So, it’s true! Are you fucking kidding me?! God damn it, Emily! What the hell is wrong with you?!” What…the…actual…fuck? Is he really not going to let me explain?

“Listen! I was…” Yep, he’s done.

“No! You fucking hid shit from me that puts me at risk of losing my daughter! Are you really that fucking selfish? And Scott…your old boss…Jesus Christ, Emily! Do you even know who the father is?!” I just…can’t. I can’t do this.

“If she leaves, I’ll bring Ivy by once she’s gone.” The second I see him nod his head, my mind’s made up without him even having to say a word.

“Don’t bother leaving. I’ll be gone in five minutes.” And I am. I grab two dresses, the pajamas off my bed, my purse and my phone then head back to the front door.

“I’ll have Nate come back for the rest of my shit tomorrow. It’s amazing to think that things between the two of you didn’t work out, you two are so fucking perfect for each other.” I stomp all the way to my car and am out of the driveway in under two minutes. I make it only a block before the tears start falling, but the real problem starts only three blocks away when a sharp pain rips through my stomach, making me curl in on myself. Things move both too fast and too slow as I hear a car horn blaring then the combination of the car jerking and metal crunching as my world turns upside down then everything goes black.

Colton

What the hell was I thinking? After only knowing her for four weeks, and that was five years ago, I just welcomed her into my home, practically begged her to move in! I didn’t ask questions and that’s on me, but she didn’t exactly offer up any past law infractions or even mention that she didn’t know who the father of her kid is! I can’t believe she dragged me on a four hour drive to see some guy about a kid that might not even be his! Oh god, and she lied to his parents! Thankfully, Carla kept to her word and brought Ivy in as soon as Emily left, but now she has yet another thing to hang over my head and more ammunition if she decides to get fired up over shit again.

Even sleeping on it didn’t calm my rage, but it doesn’t help that I only got a total of maybe two hours sleep altogether. I’ve spent the morning in the living room with Ivy, playing with her wooden blocks and playing an exhausting game of peekaboo that only ended five minutes ago when she finally fell asleep. With it being one in the afternoon, I had expected to hear from Nate by now about picking up Emily’s things, but I haven’t received so much as one text from him. I have no doubt he’s mad as hell at me, but I just want this shit to be done and over with. Since he’s made no attempt to reach out, I fire off a quick text to him, even though I know it might be a bad decision.

Me: Hey, you know what time you’re coming over?

I wait for a response…for an hour…and thirty-seven minutes. I finally hear the text alert go off and his short text wrecks me instantly.

Nate: Can’t. Em in hospital. Did u seriously not notice she wasn’t home?

I swear, my heart feels like it stopped beating. Sure, I’m pissed off at her, but I would never have wished for something bad to happen to her. Instead of conversing through text, I decide to call him so I can find out what the hell’s going on. The phone rings four times before he finally picks up, speaking to me in a harsh whisper.

“How the hell didn’t you notice when she didn’t come home yesterday?!”

“What happened, Nate? Why’s she in the hospital?”

“She wrecked her fucking car! Now, answer my damn question! How didn’t you notice that she didn’t come back?!”

“She left, so I assumed she went to your dad’s.”

“What do you mean she left? Why did she leave, Cole?!”

“We had a fight and she left!”

“What the fuck! Why were you fighting?! You two were fine when we were over there and she said things were great when I talked to her a few days ago!”

“Did you know she has a fucking criminal record? Because Carla sure the hell did! Why didn’t anyone tell me? You all know how hard I fought to get shared custody of Ivy!”

“For fuck’s sake, Cole. Please…please tell me that’s not why she left…that you didn’t make her leave because of that shit!”

“Carla was going to talk to the judge, Nate! I can’t lose my daughter!”

“You’re such a fucking prick, Cole! That shit’s a juvenile record! It was all one incident and the records were sealed after she completed counseling! It happened when she was fourteen years old!”

“I can’t risk it, Nate…I just…can’t.”

“What the fuck ever, man. For the record, Judge Stevens is the same judge that handled her case and decided to seal her records, so your ex getting ahold of that shit is shady as fuck, but do what you have to do.” I know I should leave it alone, but I’ve already been a dick, so why stop now, right?

“Did you know that her baby might her former boss’s?”

“Wow, you’re fucking stupid if you believe that shit. Let me guess, Carla supplied you with that oh so reliable bit of information?”

“She got fired for being caught while trying to seduce him!”

“Let me guess, Carla told you that? Don’t answer that because I already know the answer. I’ll come get her shit from your place after visiting hours are over. For the record, she got fired because her boss propositioned her at work, offering her a promotion if she agreed to fuck him, but when she told him to fuck off, she got shit canned. I can’t believe you believed fucking Carla, of all people. I’ll see you around seven thirty.” He doesn’t wait for me to respond before hanging up and that’s okay, it’s not like I have anything I could say that would make this situation any better.

I make dinner for me and Ivy then get her bathed and settled in her crib with her nightlight just before Nate shows up with two of the guys who work with him and his dad. He doesn’t even knock before coming in, but he never does when I have Ivy because he’s always worried that he’ll wake her up. I watch the three of them walk in with several boxes each and head to the guest rooms, finding hers on the second try. The two guys start carrying out the full boxes while I assume Nate is packing everything up. Fifteen minutes later, he walks out and that’s when I notice the dark circles under his eyes.

“How is she?” He freezes, every muscle in his body tense and his eyes filled with anger that I probably deserve…okay, I definitely deserve it if everything he said is true.

“Like you fucking care. Obviously, you didn’t bother letting her explain shit to you before you ran her off and now you think you have a right to worry about her after treating her like she’s nothing more than some lowlife piece of shit?” He hit the nail on the head and I hate that he’s right because I’ve spent all afternoon and evening since our call thinking about how I cut her off when she was clearly trying to explain herself.

“No, I didn’t. I was just…so fucking mad that I finally get my daughter and then shit gets thrown out that might make me lose her.” God, I’m pleading with him to understand while his sister is sitting in a damn hospital. I’m a grade A asshole.

“You’re a fucking idiot, Cole. You believed that vile fucking bitch instead of trusting Em…and now my sister is laying in a hospital bed while your psycho fucking ex is probably celebrating with a glass of champaign and whatever flavor of the week she decided on.” He shakes his head, but he can’t make me feel worse than I already do…I hope.

“How bad is it? Are Em and the baby going to be okay?” He drags a hand down his face and lets out a heavy sigh, his eyes looking at anything but me.

“I don’t know. It’s pretty bad, Cole. Just…stay away from her. She’s had enough people fuck her over, but I have a feeling that what you did is going to be a thousand times harder for her to get over. I need to go. I’ve got Em duty in the morning.” He gives a weak wave of his hand and heads out the door without another word.

Chapter 9

Carla just picked Ivy up and for once, I’m glad. I haven’t been in a good place the past few days, so her being with her mom is probably for the best. I decide to head down to the diner for lunch, needing to do something to get myself out of the house for a little while. I’m not surprised to see Lynn there when I walk in, but the sad expression that seems to have taken up residence on her face definitely throws me a bit. Lynn is always one of the happiest people and until today, I’ve never not seen her smiling when I come in.

“Sit anywhere you’d like and I’ll be right with you.” I, of course, decide to torture myself and sit at the booth me and Emily sat at last time we came here. It takes several minutes for Lynn to get to me and her expression hasn’t changed one bit.

“Hi, Lynn. Can I get a coffee and a cheeseburger with fries?” She writes down my order and walks away without saying a word. Aside from dropping off my coffee, I don’t see her near my table again until she brings my lunch, but then she takes off again to her place behind the counter. I force myself to eat, even though it’s the last thing my body wants to do, but freeze mid-bite when I see Nate walk in and head straight to the counter.

“Lynn! I need an order of pancakes with a side of peanut butter, don’t ask. Oh! Can I also get a strawberry shake?” I know I have no right to worry about her or know anything about her, but I have no doubt that those pancakes are for Emily.

“Sure thing, hon. How’s she doing today?” Thank you, Lynn! Hey, I may have no right to know, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to know.

“She woke up yesterday and all she’s done since is bitch and moan about wanting her damn peanut butter. Doc finally cleared her to eat normal food today.” She just woke up?! She was unconscious for three damn days?!

“Oh, thank heavens! And how’s the baby?” I watch Nate’s face light up which is a huge fucking relief.

“He’s good. Dad and I got to be there when they did an ultrasound this morning. He’s growing quick and his heartbeat! It’s so fast! It was honestly the coolest thing ever! Doc says that we should be able to take her home tomorrow!” I decide to focus on my lunch, the stress of worrying about Emily easing significantly with the news of her impending release. Now, I’ve never been a lucky guy, but lately that unlucky streak has been a little out of hand. Maybe that’s why it doesn’t surprise me when I see my two least favorite people in the world walk in, my bitch of an ex and her bitch of a sister.

“Oh, if it isn’t the brother of the town’s delinquent whore.” Nate keeps his back to them and takes a deep breath, but I damn well know he won’t be letting her get away with running her mouth about his sister.

“I find it funny that you call my sister a whore when you and your sister spread your legs for anyone who looks in your direction. As for her being a delinquent, at least her mistake was made when she was a kid and she learned from her mistakes, but your entire existence is a criminal act.” I’m proud of him for doing what I was too damn stupid to do. I should’ve had her back, stood up for her and trusted her.

“Here you go, Nate. I already paid for it, so you get that beautiful girl her breakfast and tell her I expect to see her as soon as she’s feeling better.” I watch him take the bag with the takeaway container then the paper cup before heading out the door.

It’s been two weeks since Emily was supposed to be released from the hospital, but I, obviously, haven’t seen or heard from anyone in her little circle. I’ve wanted to message Nate just to make sure she’s okay, but I doubt he’d tell me anything if I did. I push through my shift then drive across town to make a quick stop at the store, needing to stock up on more than a few items I’ve run out of due to lack of interest in going on a shopping trip. I hate shopping, but even more so with the lingering fear that I’ll have an unwanted run in with the ex and her crony. I push my cart through the aisles, tossing items in as I go, until a familiar voice snaps me out of my shopping daze.

“Oh my god, Nate! I’m just picking up a few things at the store then going home. I literally just left the doctor’s office and she said everything looks good…besides, I need more peanut butter and dad needs more coffee. I just have to get what I need here and then I’m meeting up with them. I’ll text when I get home, okay? I promise, I’m okay. I love you too.” I follow her voice from the next aisle over from hers. I didn’t think this through and that becomes far too obvious the minute we both reach the end of the aisle and I nearly crash my cart into hers.

“Shit! I’m so sor…oh…” My eyes lock onto her icy blue ones, but the way her voice flips from apologetic to cold is like a slap in the face. I take a moment to take in the various bruises and scrapes that are still healing, one of the most noticeable being a bruise on her forehead that looks like she attempted to hide it with her hair.

“Sorry, Em. How are you?” She holds up a hand which pulls her shirt tight against her round stomach and lifts it just enough to expose a sliver of skin, highlighting just how much her body has changed in the short time since I last saw her.

“Don’t. There’s no sense acting like you give a fuck now. You made your stance pretty damn clear. I need to…ow, ow, ow, fucking hell.” She growls out the last bit while grabbing her stomach and wincing which just sends me into a panic, rushing to her side only to have her push me away.

“Don’t fucking touch me! I’m fine, he’s just pressing on a damn nerve.” Slowly, but surely, she straightens herself up, but I notice her leaning against the cart for added support.

“Em, can we talk?” I rush the words out because I know that if I don’t, she wouldn’t give me a chance to finish.

“You know what, sure. Let’s talk. How about we start at the beginning and you tell me about our mistake five years ago…or were you wanting to stick to our more recent issue where you believed I was a criminal slut who didn’t know who the father of her baby is?” I knew she’d be pissed, not that I blame her, but I didn’t expect her to be this pissed. Her tone is so damn sharp, it damn near makes me wince.

“I know I screwed up, Em, I was an asshole and you have every right to hate me for the way I treated you. I can’t even tell you how fucking sorry I am, Em.” It’s not even half of what I want to say, but I feel like I’ve pushed my luck already just saying what I did.

“You’re right…you are an asshole. The problem here is that I don’t believe you. I don’t believe that you’re sorry. I don’t know why the hell I believed you were any different now than you were five years ago.” She shakes her head and tries to veer her cart around me, but I grab her cart to stop her.

“What do you mean, Em?” That was apparently the wrong thing to say because I watch her go from a normal level of angry to royally, raging mad.

“I’m talking about our night together that you told me was a fucking mistake without bothering to tell me why! I felt like you used me and it felt fucking awful, Colton, but I was stupid and I thought that because you suddenly acted so sweet and caring when I showed up at your house…I thought you were different, but you only got worse! You believed everything your ex said to you about me without even giving me a chance to tell my side of things. You believed the worst about me without even second guessing the information you received from the ex you warned me about…the ex that was willing to lie to you and cheat on you…she treated you like you were nothing, but you believed her! Now, tell me how an apology will fix any of that.” Right around the point she starts telling me how I believed Carla over her is where her voice cracks and it breaks my damn heart. She’s hurt and it’s my damn fault.

“I’m so sorry, Em. So damn sorry.” I can feel the sting of tears, but I don’t even care. Let her see them, let her see it all. She’s right…about all of it. I should’ve told her why I freaked out five years ago…that it was because her brother made me promise not to make a move on her and I felt like I betrayed his trust. I should’ve defended her and trusted her when Carla was spewing her lies. I don’t know how to make this better and it’s killing me.

“You know what, Scott said he was sorry too, so did my mom. You know what I learned from them? Actions speak louder than words and in your case, your actions were very fucking clear. Take care of yourself, Colton.” I have no choice but to watch her walk away because, once again, she’s right. I cut my shopping trip short, quickly purchasing the items in my cart then heading out to my car. Since I didn’t pick up even half of what I needed, I decide to head to the diner for something to eat before I drag myself home. As soon as I pull in, I spot Emily through the window, sitting at her usual table, but she’s not alone. Sitting across from her are her ex’s parents.

Chapter 10

I head inside and take a seat at the counter where I have a clear view of Emily, because I apparently like to torture myself. Both of her ex’s parents are looking at what appears to be a video or maybe pictures on her phone and while she’s smiling, I can tell it’s forced and I can easily see the tears in her eyes. I watch Irvin slide the phone across the table to her and I can see the glistening tears in his eyes too, but they don’t fall. Both he and his wife slide out of the booth, both taking turns to bend down and give her a hug before leaving, but Irvin manages to spot me and shoots me a curious glance as they head out.

“What can I get you today?” I look up and find Lynn staring at me with one of those knowing grins on her face, probably because I wasn’t even trying to be sneaky about my staring, I’ll admit it.

“Coffee and a burger please, Lynn.” She nods and turns around to hand in my order and get my coffee. I notice Emily holding a piece of paper with what looks like a printed article on it and the look on her face is something I can only describe as emotional chaos. It’s a strange mixture of sadness, anger, relief and confusion. When Lynn comes back to drop off my coffee, she stays in front of me and leans across the counter, speaking in a low voice, presumably so no one else will hear.

“I don’t know what you did or what happened between you two, but that girl has been through a lot. You weren’t here when she was young, but let me tell you, that girl had a lot of pent up emotions because of her mother. After she hit rock bottom, she took her punishment in stride and she’s spent her whole life since making up for it. She’s one of the good ones.

“Right now, she’s alone, scared and pregnant with a baby I now realize isn’t yours and is left to sort out her feeling after just finding out the father of her baby died. She told me what a little prick he was, but it’d be foolish to think it doesn’t still affect her to some extent. I guess what I’m trying to get at is, if you can’t be a positive support in her life, then maybe it’s best if you just let her go.” That’s a lot to digest. First, it’s clear she knows more about what went down between us than she’ll admit to and second, her ex died?

“No worries, Lynn. She doesn’t want a damn thing to do with me anyway.” She gives me a sympathetic look and I’m ready for her to just find someone else to offer advice to, but that’s just wishful thinking.

“She’s hurting, Colton. Maybe you’ve just been trying too hard to win her over with pretty words when what she needs are loving, well-thought out, sincere actions.” Is there some kind of guide all these women study? You know, an entire guide related to the “actions speak louder than words” saying? I feel like every woman has some queued up comment that’s their own personal play on that damn saying.

“Yeah, well, my actions and words are what caused this mess. She’s better off without me anyway.” She rolls her eyes in dramatic fashion then narrows those eyes at me, clearly preparing to properly scold me.

“Maybe you’re right. She deserves someone who won’t give up on her when things get hard, someone who’ll fight for her. She deserves someone who’ll stand by her, not in front of or behind her. She deserves someone who’ll love her no matter what and will always do everything he can to remind her just how important she is. And that baby she’s carrying, he deserves someone who’ll step up and be the father figure that will not only love him, but his momma too.” She slaps the counter then scurries off without even looking back. The only problem is that when she slapped the counter, she drew the attention of everyone in the damn diner…including Emily.

Now I have even more to think about because something Lynn said, a lot of the things she said, actually, hit hard. She said Emily deserves someone who’ll love her no matter what and as much as I’ve tried to keep myself in check, it’s impossible to lie…I’m not just falling for her, I’ve already fallen and hard. While she was living with me, I not only saw her as a permanent fixture in my life, but I saw us raising her little boy together. I may not have created him, but I was starting to feel like he was mine, even if not by blood. I’m startled out of my spiraling thoughts by the sound of something slapping against the counter and look down to see a manila folder.

“This should help you with keeping your ex in line. Call it insurance to guarantee she’ll never be able to hold a damn thing over you again. Goodbye, Colton.” I see the tears in Emily’s eyes as her hand slowly slides off the file and, without another word, she walks away. Actions speak louder than words…that saying is getting on my last damn nerve, yet as I open the file, I realize Emily is showing with her actions what neither of us could with our words. She cares and even though I hurt her, she went out of her way to make sure I’m protected, that my relationship with my daughter is protected.

Inside are bank transfer and account statements showing transfers to Carla’s personal account from the account for the charity she always brags about running. Beneath those are pictures of her meeting with the mayor, more of them exchanging money and then a few that are rather incriminating, with them both in a compromising position. The final page is the one I find the most damning of all, a written statement from Carla’s nanny stating that Carla is only present in the home for a single night every two weeks, the night before she brings Ivy to my house. Carla hasn’t even been taking care of our child, yet she’s refused to let me have more time with her. The nanny, Molly, claims to have video and photo evidence to back her claim. If I could get my hands on it and take her to court, I could get our custody agreement amended and end up with primary custody. Not only did Emily not ruin my chances of keeping my visitations with my daughter, but she gave me a way to have more time with her.

I’ve said it many times, but I’ll say it again, I…am an asshole. I take my time finishing my lunch and I know I need to head home and do some thinking because I have to do something to fix this. I know it won’t be easy, but no matter what it takes, Emily is worth the effort. The issues between me and Emily aren’t the only obstacle though. I need to get back on Nate’s good side and I think I know just the way to do it. Besides, I think it’s high time I come clean with him and let him know what my true intentions are with his sister. It’s time to let my actions do the talking.

Emily

When Irvin called to ask if I could meet them somewhere so we could talk, I honestly didn’t know what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t the news they brought. You see, I had contacted Irvin to ask a favor after everything went to shit with Colton, you know while I was laid up in the hospital with too much time to think. Yes, I was angry, but as a soon to be mother, I hated knowing that poor Ivy was being dragged through hell because of her own mother, so if there was something I could do to give Colton leverage that could help keep his ex in line, I was going to do it. Irvin is a retired PI, so he was more than happy to dig up dirt on Carla for me and he found plenty. Hell, he even spoke with her damn nanny and got a written statement about Carla’s practically non-existent interactions with her own child.

I had thought our meeting would be to discuss what he found and while he did bring that information with him, the true purpose was to inform me that Scott had died as a result of a fatal car crash. They were both, understandably, devastated. I know Scott was a piece of shit when it came to me, well, and every other member of the female population under thirty, but I would never have wished this on him. I managed to get them both smiling thanks to the video clip of the ultrasound I had taken during my hospital stay.

I swear, the second Colton walked into the diner, I felt his presence like a physical weight settling on me even before I caught sight of him from the corner of my eye. I was glad to use the video as a source of distraction from their pain and my warring emotions. I struggled to hold everything in, but I’m sure I wasn’t doing a good job with the way Irvin and Mary kept looking at me. When they finally decided to go, Irvin left me the file as well as the printout of the news article about Scott’s death. He claimed I could do with it as I please, but deep down I know he hopes that if I tell my son bout his biological father, I’ll use the information in that article to paint the picture of the man he was because it truly painted him to be a good man, not the awful and vile creature I knew him to be.

After taking my time to read the whitewashed and severely twisted versions of the truth, and even a few blatant lies they had written, I decided to put it away and let it be a problem for another day. I grabbed my things, picked up the file on Carla and stood up to find my heart doing that stupid acrobatic shit when I noticed Colton sitting at the counter. I could’ve easily just walked away, but my treacherous heart wouldn’t allow it. Instead, I walked up and slapped the file down on the counter beside him, explained that, basically, it was his ticket to freedom from his ex, then bid him goodbye. I’m working hard to close the painful chapters in my life, but when it comes to Colton Weston, I’m just not sure I’m ready to let go yet, but I’ll get there…I have to.

Chapter 11

It’s been almost three weeks since the day I found out about Scott’s death and I received something rather surprising in the mail from Irvin and Mary. More specifically, I received two checks…one for $450,000 and another for $150,000 with a letter stating it was a recently made addition to Scott’s will. I don’t know how the hell to take that little bit of news and when I called Irvin, he explained that they had been just as surprised as I was. According to the letter, the check for the higher amount was to be placed in my personal account and should be used to take care of my son and the one for the lower amount was to be placed into an account specifically for my son’s college education, or to be given to him on his twenty first birthday should he not decide to seek a higher education. It seems that maybe he had a slight change of heart in the end, but I guess I’ll never really know now.

Another unpleasant development is a new pregnancy symptom, or rather a few new symptoms. I get lightheaded easily and I get random sharp pains that spread across my stomach that I thought were contractions, but they’re apparently just something called round ligament pains. Seriously people, pregnancy symptoms are no joke! I felt like an idiot hauling my ass to the emergency room just to be told I was fine. I assure you, it didn’t feel fine, not at all. Oh, and don’t even get me started on Nate’s weird behavior! Not only has the giant jerk missed two family dinners now, but he’s always “busy”! I’m almost twenty-three weeks pregnant and let me tell you, I already feel huge, so I have a list of things for Nate to help with but it’s not like he can help when he’s never here!

I’d love to say that everything about pregnancy is beautiful and amazing, but it’s really not! I know that my still broken heart doesn’t help my outlook any, but with the enhanced hormones, it just makes everything feel like too damn much all at once. My only moments of sheer pregnant perfection are the quiet moments before bed and when I first wake up where I get to just lay in bed with my hand resting over my stomach while my little guy rolls, kicks and hits his little heart out. Those are the moments that I love the most.

I was enjoying one of those beautiful morning moments a few minutes ago when I heard Nate’s voice coming from the kitchen. I’ve been sleeping in the den downstairs because going up and down the stairs to get to my room is already challenging, especially now that I can’t see my toes without bending forward and I get randomly lightheaded, so dad was worried I might have an episode and take a header down the stairs. I force myself out of my bed and head down the hall to the kitchen, set to raise hell with Nate for his recent disappearing act, but he doesn’t even give me a chance.

“Good, you’re up! Get dressed, we’re going out for breakfast.” And it seems he’s set to continue on with his odd behavior, but the promise of food is motivation enough to make me follow his orders…for now. Back in my room, I settle on a tight baby blue spaghetti strap tank top with a built in bra and an ankle length flowy black skirt, one of the few I own that stretches enough to fit me still. After sliding on my flip flops and grabbing my phone and purse, I head back out to the kitchen where dad and Nate are still talking, though it stops the second I exit the hall, because Nate isn’t already acting suspicious as hell or anything, so now my dad has to get it on it too, I guess.

“Let’s go. You promised me food.” I give him a stern glare, but it only makes him and dad laugh, totally defeating the purpose of conveying my annoyance. We head out to his car and he decides to up the weird factor by handing me a black bandana.

“Okay, the place I’m taking you is a surprise, so you’re going to wear this and there will be no peeking if you want pancakes with peanut butter.” Oh, what a jerk! Of course, I let him tie the damn thing over my eyes, but I’m not happy about it! I try to mentally map out his turns, but he must know what I’m doing because I’m absolutely certain we’ve driven in a circle at least twice.

We finally park after what has to be close to thirty minutes of driving and he tells me to wait so he can come to my side and help me. Once he opens my door, he takes my hand and helps me out of the car then leads me god only knows where, directing me when to step up which has me really confused about where the hell we are after I go up three concrete steps. We step over a threshold of some kind which I can tell easily by the sound of my feet hitting a hardwood floor, but all I care about right this second is the smell of bacon and pancakes I can smell in the air. He keeps pulling me along for a few minutes then finally stops.

“Okay, stay still for a second.” I hear a door latch click then the sound of a door opening before I feel Nate place his hands on my shoulders as he guides me forward a few steps then stops. He unties the makeshift blindfold, but doesn’t let it drop yet.

“Alright, ready?” I nod enthusiastically, but only because that food has little man kicking up a storm in complaint. I’ve usually already eaten by now and my little guy is making damn sure I know that I’ve screwed up our schedule. The blindfold drops and my eyes shoot open while a gasp escapes me and one hand flies up over my mouth while the other automatically lands on my stomach.

“Wh-what the hell?” In front of me is a room with pale blue walls, a dark wood crib with a matching dresser and changing table, a dark wood glide rocker in the corner with light grey cushions, a dark brown wicker basket on the dresser holds neatly rolled receiving blankets in various shades and designs of blue and grey, the dark wood floor has a large round light grey rug in the center and standing in the far corner by a door that I assume leads to a closet…is Colton. He doesn’t say anything at first, just holds up a hand then opens the door to reveal a closet with a two-tiered hanging rack that’s completely filled to the brim with baby clothes…baby boy clothes.

“What the hell is all this?” My attempt to sound angry comes out as a breathy almost whisper.

“Actions speak louder than words…but, if this isn’t enough, then let me back it up with things I should’ve said but didn’t. Five years ago, I started falling for you. I spent four incredible weeks with an amazing girl who was everything I never knew I needed, but…I had made a promise to her brother that I wouldn’t make a move on her…and I was doing my best not to break that promise…until one night under a blanket of stars. We had an unforgettable night together, but when I woke up the next morning, the guilt set in. I never regretted that night, only that I felt like I betrayed my closest friend.

“I didn’t see her for five years, but then fate decided to land her on my doorstep and I realized the second I saw her that those feelings never faded, if anything, they were stronger. Five years ago, I started falling for her, but that day, on my doorstep, I crashed head first into love with her. We should’ve had our happily ever after, but I was still holding back, still bound by a promise to a friend and now dealing with baggage I didn’t know how to juggle with this new, fragile relationship.

“When I should’ve been holding her tight and letting her know how much she meant to me, I stupidly let someone come between us and I said some things I would give anything to take back. I hurt her and I wish she knew how much that killed me. For the last few weeks, she’s all I’ve thought about and I knew I had to show her how much I cared, make a grand gesture to show her with my actions everything I failed to say with words. I love you, Emily, I know I hurt you and I can’t tell you how sorry I am because you were right, words aren’t enough, but I’m really hoping that you’ll give me a chance to show you.” Ugh…there go the damn water works!

“You both are such dicks! I’m one hundred percent certain that I was promised food.” These two, luckily, seem smart enough not to comment on my teary, sobbing state.

“Actually, I forgot that I need to swing by the office. Colton, you can see that she makes it home, yeah?” Does he really think he’s a good actor? Seriously?

“Yeah, see you later, Nate. Emily, let’s go get you and little man some breakfast.” Colton steps closer and his hand moves toward mine almost as if by instinct, but he stops himself, motioning for me to lead the way. I follow the delicious smells to the kitchen and head straight to the breakfast bar where two plates with pancakes and bacon sit as well as, much to my delight, a jar of peanut butter.

“What’s all this?” As if it’s not obvious, but forgive me…this is totally awkward.

“This is plan B. I figured if I couldn’t win your forgiveness, I’d focus on winning the baby’s first then continue working for yours.” Well, if that isn’t just the cutest and sweetest damn thing I’ve ever heard!

“You even remembered the peanut butter.” I offer a shaky smile, but he gives me his signature heart melting one in return.

“Of course I did. I also stocked up on some snacks for you since I didn’t know what you’d be in the mood for if you decided to stay and talk.” He points at the counter where, I kid you not, every peanut butter flavored snack I could imagine are neatly sitting.

“At least someone gets it! Dad and Nate get annoyed with me constantly asking them to pick me up peanut butter…especially when I ask Nate to get me some of that peanut butter ice cream you got me hooked on.” He gets a mischievous smile as he walks over to the freezer and pulls the door open to show me easily a dozen containers of peanut butter ice cream.

“No judgement here, beautiful. Eat peanut butter until your heart’s content.” I should probably make him suffer a little, let him sweat and stress about it, but the truth is, the past nearly three weeks have been pure hell for me. I’ve missed him, I’ve missed Ivy and, let’s face it, the guy gets me. Sure, his words hurt me and his lack of trust in me was worse, but the guy built me a freaking nursery and, well, all the peanut butter! Still, I have to ask…

“What’s the purpose of all this? What are you wanting from me, Colton?” I don’t ask in an angry way, but with genuine interest, wanting to know what lines we’re drawing and where we both stand.

“Well, what I want right now is for us to talk, for you to tell me everything I missed and for you to let me tell you a million times over how sorry I am, two million if needed, until you finally believe me.” My response comes easily, without hesitation.

“I do believe you.” The smile that lights up his face is like a beacon guiding me out of the darkness that’s been consuming me for weeks, it’s breathtaking.

“Then we can move onto the next step. I want you to come home, Em. I want to wake up to you, go to bed with you, come home to you. I want you here, but not as my roommate. I want you here as my girlfriend and, someday, hopefully you’ll agree to a much more permanent role that would maybe come with a new last name. I want to be here with you to watch your beautiful belly grow then I want to be with you when you bring that beautiful little guy into the world. I want to be there for both of you every step of the way, every single day.” Yeah, there’s no way I’m not going to cry when he says shit like that!

“Cole…his name…is Cole.” His smile gets impossibly wider and I notice him look down at my round belly where my hands are resting while Cole kicks and squirms happily.

“Really?” I nod, confirming the name I settled on last week when I realized I needed to get going on finding a name for my little guy.

Chapter 12

“Yeah, really. I think he missed your voice. The little demon is throwing a party in there right now.” He comes around the breakfast bar but stops short, almost like he’s expecting me to stop him, so I reach forward and grab his hand, pulling him closer and setting his hand on my stomach just as Cole gives me a kick that’s hard enough to make me wince.

“Can you ever forgive me, Em?” His voice is suddenly soft, so damn soft, no longer masking the vulnerability he’s showing me with all of his grand gestures.

“I already have. Are you one hundred percent sure that this is what you want, Colton? I mean, me and Cole?” It’s a lot to ask for him to take on raising another man’s kid, but when he drops to his knees in front of me, adds his free hand to my belly then places a tender kiss to it before looking up at me, I have my answer.

“I’m all in, Em. You should know though, I’m filing for primary custody of Ivy, so if things work out, you’d have to be willing to accept me and Ivy.” I place my hands over his and make sure to look him in the eye when I speak, wanting him to see the truth in my words.

“I’m all in, Colton, and I accepted Ivy the second I met the little sweetheart. I’ve been all in for a while now, I was just waiting for you to catch up.” He stands up, far more gracefully than I can, the show off, then moves his hand to my cheeks and his lips crash down onto mine in a beautifully passionate kiss that has heat fooding my veins.

I’m thirty weeks pregnant and to give you an idea of what the hell I’m dealing with, I look like I took a damn beachball and shoved it under my skin. I have barely any stretch marks, but it feels like every damn breath I take is going to make the tightly stretched skin tear. The amount of effort it takes to roll myself out of bed or off the couch is absurd and the fact that I can’t even properly tend to my own personal grooming is humiliating.

Colton has been absolutely amazing and we’ve already begun the process of filing for primary custody of Ivy with Irvin obtaining the videos and pictures from the nanny to help his case. We had the initial meeting with the judge where Carla first threw a fit about me being there then she proceeded to play the ‘whoa is me’ pity card crap that we could all easily see the judge was buying.

It was weird being in the courtroom with the same judge that tried my juvenile case so many years ago, but at least I know he’s a fair man who will insist on viewing all the evidence and facts before coming to a decision. The next meeting with the judge is scheduled for two weeks out and I know how worried Colton is and I also know he’s trying to down play it in an attempt to keep me from worrying. As I’m sure you can guess, that shit isn’t working at all.

“Hey, I’m going to head to the store and pick up a few things. Did you need anything while I’m out?” There’s nothing I need so badly that it can’t wait, but being couped up in here with him spacing out, pacing and his leg bouncing constantly is driving me nuts!

“What?” And yet again, he wasn’t listening. I’m trying to be patient and understanding, but these pregnancy hormones are making me a wreck! One day his lack of attention will piss me off, but then, just like right now, other days it’ll send me into a fit of depression. I know his mind is preoccupied with worrying about the outcome of this whole mess, but my pregnancy brain either translates his closed off state as him trying to pull away from me or him having second thoughts about us. I know, it’s a pretty big leap considering my mind understands that he’s just got a lot on his plate, but my heart is having a hard time coming to terms with it. When I get caught up in my emotions, I make excuses to leave for a bit, just like right now.

“I’m going to run to the store. Do you need anything?” God, I can barely fit behind the wheel in my SUV, but I’ll suffer through being a little cramped if it means I can get out of here and clear my head.

“No, I’m good. Did you want me to go with you?” Ugh, I know he doesn’t really want to go and that fact makes my heart ache because that pulsing, throbbing bastard thinks it’s just more proof that he doesn’t want to spend time with me. Like I said, pregnancy hormones suck.

“I can handle it. Alright, I shouldn’t be gone long, maybe an hour.” He hums and gives a noncommittal nod, a clear sign he isn’t really paying attention anymore.

“I’ll be back soon. I love you.” Another damn hum that hits like a knife to my heart. I slip on my shoes, grab my phone and purse then rush out of the house before my tears start to fall. I hate that I feel this way because deep down, I know this isn’t something I should be taking personally, but my bastard heart just isn’t getting the damn message. I wait to pull out of the driveway until I get my tears to dry up because, yeah, I learned my lesson. I make the drive to the store, but what should be a ten, maybe fifteen minute, trip ends up with me slowly walking up and down every aisle…more than once.

“Well, if it isn’t Colton’s little whore.” Damn, if I had been paying better attention, I might’ve noticed Carla’s bitch sister approaching, but just like Colton, I was lost in my own damn head.

“Interesting, I thought only service dogs were allowed in grocery stores, but it seems they’ll let just about any bitch in here.” I don’t look at her when I speak, but instead just keep walking at my leisurely pace.

“You know, I honestly thought he would’ve moved on from you by now. I guess it makes sense that he didn’t since you’re the one feeding him the information for his custody case. You should watch out. Shit like that might put a target on your back.” Is this bitch for real? Did she just threaten me in the middle of a damn grocery store?

“Wow, that’s some sage advice right there. Look, as…fun…as this little chat was, I’m going to…go anywhere you aren’t.” I head to the next aisle over and when she doesn’t follow, I pull out my phone and text Colton to let him know what that bitch said, but unsurprisingly, fifteen minutes later when I finally reach the check stand, he still hasn’t responded. Hell, he probably didn’t even hear his alert go off.

I pay for everything then head out to my car and get the groceries loaded into the back, though at this point, I honestly couldn’t even tell you what the hell I bought. Once everything is in the back of my car, I push the cart back to the cart corral, but as I turn to head back, I hear the sound of squealing tires. I turn around just in time to see a black Audi speeding toward me and I try to jump back only to trip and fall backward before everything goes dark.

Colton

My head is a fucking warzone. I feel like shit because I know my stress is affecting Em even though I’m trying so hard to hold it all back. My brain didn’t even register that she told me she loved me until she was already gone! I’m such a dick! When I realized that I had managed to ignore her while she was trying to reach out to me, I forced myself to get up and take a damn shower in hopes it might clear my head. I have to admit that I felt a lot better when I got out…until I saw the text I missed from Em. I’ve tried calling her at least a dozen times with no answer which could mean she’s ignoring me, you know, giving me a taste of my own medicine which I totally deserve…or something’s wrong.

An hour after she sent the text, I decide I’m done waiting. I rush to grab my keys, phone, wallet then throw on my shoes and head out the door. I’ve just slid the key into the ignition when my phone starts ringing, but it’s not Em…it’s Nate.

“Hey, have you talked to Em?”

“Cole, get to the hospital. Em was in a hit and run.”

“Wait, what?!”

“Your fucking ex’s sister ran her down in the parking lot! They have five witnesses and the cops are pulling the CCTV footage, but you need to get here now!”

“On my way!” I don’t even hang up before tossing my phone onto the passenger seat, start the car and tear out of my driveway. It takes me fifteen minutes to get to the hospital and I had to drive by the grocery store to get there. I saw the police tape and several of the police cruisers there still working on the scene. When I walk into the hospital, the woman at the front desk directs me to the waiting room as soon as I give her Em’s name and that’s where I find Nate waiting with his dad.

“Do we know anything yet?” Nate looks up and his tear streaked face makes my heart drop.

“Skull fracture, concussion and they had to stop her labor. She’s going to be here for at least three days and that’s if she wakes up soon.” He rakes his fingers through his hair, but my mind gets hung up on how he said if she wakes up…

“She’s been unconscious this whole time?” He nods his head, but his eyes are focused on the floor until we hear the door on the other side of the waiting room open.

“Family of Emily Benson?” We all stand and Nate is the first to reach the older man in the white coat.

“I’m her brother, that’s our dad and this is her fiancé.” The doctor looks absolutely exhausted, but he manages to force a smile.

“She’s been moved to room 317. She regained consciousness for a few minutes, but fell unconscious again once we had her stabilized. You can go see her now, but she needs to get as much rest as possible.” Nate and his dad shake the doctors hand, but I head straight for the elevator. We make it to her room and I can feel the tension rise between us as we step through the door. She looks so damn small in the hospital bed and from this angle, it looks like she’s simply sleeping. The only signs of something being wrong is the bandage around her head, the IV in her hand, the fetal heart monitor wires disappearing under the blanket and the heart monitor tracking her heartrate and oxygen levels. We all settle in with their dad sitting at her side while Nate and I sit on the small couch by the window While we wait and hope for her to wake up.

Chapter 13

“Officer Hawkley just messaged. They got Shelly. He says they mentioned the CCTV footage and she confessed.” His dad looks at him, a mixture of rage and heartbreak as he holds his daughter’s hand.

“What the hell was that crazy bitch thinking?!” Nate’s dad barely gets the words out as he’s fighting back his tears.

“This is all my fault. She did this because of me taking Carla to court. I mean, I knew they were both fucking nuts, but…I can’t believe they’d do something like this.” My voice breaks at the end and Nate wraps an arm around my shoulder, trying to offer me comfort I don’t feel like I deserve.

“Cole, it’s not your fault that they’re crazy bitches.” His dad nods in agreement, but as I open my mouth to disagree, a soft, beautiful voice cuts me off.

“Please tell me one of you got the groceries out of my car…my peanut butter ice cream was in there.” Her voice is a little raspy, but it’s music to my damn ears.

“Oh, sweetheart, you had us scared half to death!” Her dad stands up and places a soft kiss on her forehead while Nate and I rush to the other side of her bed, both struggling to get close without crowding her too much.

“Sis, I swear, I’ll buy you a lifetime supply of peanut butter ice cream and even have your car detailed to get whatever smell out of it that those groceries are making right now. For now, focus on healing and getting better so we can get you out of here.” She still hasn’t opened her eyes, but her head is slowly tracking the voices in the room.

“Where’s Colton?” My heart skips a damn beat just from hearing her ask for me, but I don’t hesitate to take her hand.

“I’m right here, beautiful.” She hums softly and I watch as her brow furrows which has me worrying about what she plans to say. God, if I had just not gotten so stuck in my damn head, maybe I could’ve prevented this.

“Stop it. I know what you’re doing and just…don’t. I don’t remember a lot, but I know the doctor told me Cole is fine and I’ll be okay, so don’t go blaming yourself. Dad, Nate…can you two go ask the doctor if I can have a strawberry banana smoothie?” She finally cracks her eyes open and they both agree without question.

“God, Em, I was so scare! Are…how are you feeling?” Her brow arches as if asking ‘are you serious right now’, but the corner of her lip slowly curls up into an adorable smirk.

“Like I got ran down in the parking lot at a grocery store.” I want to scold her for making a joke like that right now, but when she smiles at me…I just can’t bring myself to.

“I’m so sorry, Em. I’ve been so screwed up over this court shit and I’ve been doing a terrible job of being there for you because of it. I’m going to do better, I promise you I am.” She gently squeezes my hand and I don’t even hesitate to give her a gentle squeeze too.

“You can start by getting me pancakes with peanut butter and a side of bacon as soon as they let me out of here, but until then, just…stay.” She squeezes my hand softly and I know without a doubt that I’ll do whatever the hell she asks.

Emily was discharged five days after she had landed in the hospital and I’ve already heard from the judge on the custody case. It turns out that Carla had been the mastermind behind her sister running down Emily, so while she’s looking at jail time, I’ll be getting full custody of Ivy! With Emily being thirty-six weeks pregnant and all the bullshit behind us, I’ve been one hundred percent present and enjoying every minute I can get with my girls. Ivy and Emily bonded so damn easily and I love seeing the way Emily treats her as if she’s her own flesh and blood, the bond between them is impossible to ignore. These two are my whole damn world and soon that world’s going to get a little bigger.

“Colton!” I just got done dropping Ivy off with Nate and his dad when I hear Em yelling for me the second I walk through the door. We have her doctor’s appointment in two hours, so Nate insisted on taking Ivy to make things easier, which I know Em appreciates as much as I do. I slam the door closed and hurry toward our room where I find Em standing just inside the bathroom, her hands grabbing the door frame and her face drained of all color.

“Baby? What’s wrong?” I hurry over to her, but stop when she holds up a hand then looks down toward the floor, though I know her beautiful baby belly blocks her view.

“Either I pissed myself, or my water broke…” I look down and, sure enough, there’s a sizeable puddle at her feet and the insides of her black leggings are damp.

“Okay, let me get you a dress and we’ll get you changed before we head to the hospital. It’s going to be okay, Em. I’ve got you.” She releases a heavy sigh and nods, already looking more relaxed. I help her change into one of her sundresses then dry off her feet and help her into her slippers before grabbing her ‘baby-time-go-bag’, as she calls it. I help her out to the car slowly, only having to pause once when a contraction hits. In the fifteen minute drive to the hospital, she goes from having only had two contractions, to them being only four minutes apart.

We get to the hospital and rush her inside where she’s immediately taken up to labor and delivery so they can get her into a hospital gown and prepped while I call her dad and Nate. I’ve barely ended the call when a nurse walks out of the room they took her into and walks straight toward me with a wide smile on her face. Her joyful expression is the complete opposite of my panicked one.

“She’s ready and she’s asking for you.” My heart damn near explodes when she says Em is asking for me. I can’t choke out a single word past the lump in my throat, so I offer a simple nod and let her lead me to Em. When I walk into the room, Em’s face lights up instantly and she holds her hand out to me, which I rush to take as I settle in at her side.

“Alright, so you’re already at nine and a half centimeters dilated and on the next contraction, we’re going to start pushing!” The doctor is way too peppy, but when Em smiles at me, I smile back. As the doctor instructed, Em starts pushing on the next contraction and just under forty minutes later, the room fills with the earth-shattering sound of a baby’s cries. The doctor lays the slimy, yet absolutely perfect, baby on Em’s chest then has me cut the cord, which is a little more difficult than I expected it to be.

A few hours after Cole made his entrance to the world, Nate, his dad and Ivy come by to meet the little guy and Ivy is over the moon! While Em wasn’t so sure at first, we finally got her to agree to letting her dad and Nate keep Ivy over night since Em’s delivery went well enough that they think she can go home tomorrow morning. Em seemed to warm to the idea after I told her I wanted to stay with her for the night and have time to bond with Cole before we return to our chaos back home where we’ll have two little ones needing attention.

Everything is going perfectly and Cole takes to breast feeding like a pro, which eases some of the stress Em was feeling and after his third successful feeding, she finally manages to fall asleep. It’s nearly eight o’clock and with he only light in the room being the small overhead light by the sink, I should be comfortable enough to fall asleep…but I can’t stop staring at the perfect little baby in the plastic basinet. When he starts fussing, I don’t hesitate to take off my shirt and pick him up, adjusting the blanket so his bare chest is pressed to mine for some skin-to-skin contact and that’s how Em finds us ten minutes later.

“Hey, how’s he doing?” I look up and can’t even help my smile when I see the look of awe and adoration on her face.

“He’s good. He was fussing a little, so I figured I’d see if I could help settle him down so you could rest a little longer. Shit, I should’ve asked…” I didn’t think about the fact that she might be bothered by me stepping in like he’s mine, though I feel like he is. Luckily, she doesn’t give me a chance to spiral.

“Thank you. I actually have something I want to talk to you about, but if it’s something you decide you aren’t ready for, it’s okay. They brought me the paperwork to fill out for his birth certificate and I know he’s not biologically yours, but…how would you feel about me putting you on there as his father? There’s a form you would have to fill out…a voluntary acknowledgment of paternity. I know it’s asking a lot and if you aren’t ready for or don’t want to do it, it’s fine…” Now she’s the one spiraling, but I’m not having it…especially not with this!

“I want it, Em! I’ll sign whatever you need me to, but I want it. I meant it when I said I’m all in and I’ve felt like Cole is mine since you told me you were pregnant with him. Since we’re discussing things about the birth certificate, what do you think about giving him my last name? Well, not just him…what would you think about giving you both my last name? I’m going to lay my cards on the line here, Em. I’m head over hels in love with you and after I screwed everything up and thought I lost you, I realized I don’t want to live a single day of my life without you again. I want you to marry me, Em. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” This is really not how I planned to do things, but I have been carrying the damn ring in my pocket for three weeks and kept telling myself I would propose when the time felt right…and this moment feels perfect.

“I love you too, Colton. So, together forever, huh? I think I like the sound of that.”

Chapter 14 – Epilogue

Epilogue -4 years later

Emily and Colton were married in a small ceremony three months after Cole was born with Ivy being their extremely adorable and enthusiastic flower girl. In the four years since Cole’s birth, they also welcomed another son into the world, a little boy named Max Nathaniel Weston. Mary and Irvin have been actively involved in not only Cole’s life, but have considered Ivy and Max to be their grandchildren as well, even going as far as to set up college funds for them matching Cole’s in order for things to remain ‘fair’.

Nate and Emily’s dad started dating two years ago and lest year, he married his girlfriend of a year…Lynn, the waitress from the diner. Nate is currently engaged to an amazing woman he met while working on one of their construction projects and just last week they announced that they’re expecting their first child together, a little girl.

As for Carla and Shelly, they both are enjoying their prison sentences in a prison two counties over. Carla was charged with harassment, conspiracy to commit vehicular assault, embezzlement and charity fraud. She ended up with fifteen years with a possibility of parole after ten. Shelly was charged with vehicular assault, harassment, conspiracy to commit murder and was even charged for her part as an accomplice in her sister’s embezzlement and charity fraud mess which landed her with twenty eight years and a possibility for parole after twenty.

Emily took a job helping with her father’s company, both her and her brother being made partners with Nate helping with the hands on aspect while Emily handles the paperwork and finances. Just eight months ago, they got Colton to work with them too and the company is now turning more than three times the profit it was four years ago.

Something stands to be learned from the chaos of Emily and Colton’s lives, many somethings, in fact. First is that communication is essential in life to prevent misunderstandings, but the most valuable lesson of all is that, sometimes, beneath the mistakes in our lives, we can often find something beautiful, something worth holding onto and worth fighting for.