Dark Truth

by Cooper, Summer

  “I wanted to be an astronaut.” As soon as the word left my mouth a raucous laughter burst from Dylan's lips. “Stop laughing!” I pushed against his side, and he stopped chuckling.

  “Really? You’d want to leave this world behind?” He looked genuinely curious, and I looked up at the stars beyond the tips of the tallest trees outside.

  “I did. I wanted to look at the planet from the other side and explore other worlds. I wanted to see if the Crab Nebula really was that bright and beautiful. I wanted to see Mars from close up, and walk on the moon.” I heard the wistfulness in my voice.

  “It sounds amazing, you’re right. Why didn’t you?”

  “I’m a Thompson. It’s that simple. We don’t leave the world behind. I had the grades for it, and I could have worked to make sure I was NASA material, but, well, I’m a Thompson. We do hotels, not space rockets.”

  “I understand.” He hugged me tight and apologized for laughing.

  “No, it’s alright. It’s a man’s job, right?”

  “Not at all. I’ve just never met someone with such high, um, dreams.”

  “I don’t expect many people have.” It was a crazy idea, but one I still sometimes thought about.

  “If you were offered the opportunity, would you go into space?” he asked a few moments later.

  “I might. If I hadn’t found you.” I snuggled deeper into his side and didn’t think about what I’d admitted too much.

  Dylan had changed my life in a million ways, and I was still finding out what some of those ways were. It wasn’t his fault that I wouldn’t go into space now, it was my own. I’d stopped myself from that dream a long time ago, but I had a really good reason to stay put on the planet now. I’d stay right here on Earth. With him.

  “I don’t want to hold you back, Emily. From anything, but I’m happy you feel that way.” His fingers tangled into my hair, and I moved my head up to meet his. Our lips merged together, and I deepened the kiss into something far more passionate. I moved over him as he slid to his back, and I put my arms on each side of his head.

  Our hips danced together, despite the fact that he’d put pants on, and our hands began to explore. We should have probably got off the couch and went to the bed, but I liked being on top of him. I pressed my hips down into the hard length between us, the tip pushed into my clit in just the right way, and I groaned.

  Dylan moved my head away so that he could nip at my neck just below my ear.

  “Even this blows my mind Emily. I’m not even inside of you, and it feels too good to stop.”

  “Even for second?” I breathed out raggedly.

  “Even for a second, baby. Even knowing I’d get the glory that is that sweet, wet pussy of yours. Fuck, don’t stop,” he groaned when I slowed my pace.

  It only took a slip of my hand and a quick push up, and then I was sliding down his hard length that was only mine. I lost myself in him and forgot about the world outside, one more time.

  Emily

  Our time at the cabin replayed in my mind a few days later. I was in my office, in the staff area hidden away on the first floor, and the sun was steaming into my window. It reminded me of how the sun would stream into the window behind the couch, and how I loved to stare out of that window. I’d always been a city girl, but I loved it out there.

  The fact that it was also the only time we were out of complete contact with the world was a factor in how much I loved the place. The rest was just how peaceful it was out there. No cars zoomed by to make noise, there were no buses, large trucks, screaming children, arguing couples; nothing but the scenery and the wildlife we sometimes spotted. It was quiet, and life was slow. I missed that sometimes, especially on the days when life was so hectic. Like today.

  Already, I’d gone through two dozen cover letters and resumes with Michelle Gilder, the woman Dylan hired to run the Human Resources for the resort. I rolled my eyes at a cover letter that only contained the word hi and nothing else. Some of the emailed cover letters and resumes were so bad we didn’t get past the cover letter. I didn’t exactly have a defined job at the resort, and for the moment that was fine with me. I was able to see how everything worked and got to know the staff as they came along.

  “I know a few of these people,” Michelle said with a tired smile. “They are good people and need jobs, so I’ve already decided to hire them.”

  “That makes this a little easier then. Dylan has a chef lined up, and he’ll hire staff for the kitchens once he arrives. Right now, we need housekeeping, restaurant wait staff, and registration .”

  “Don’t forget managers,” Michelle pointed out as we stared at the stack on the floor.

  We’d both gone through the monumental task of printing off the resumes, and once we met up in my office we’d just settled onto the floor. I moved my leg, covered in gray jeans and a pair of tan leather boots, and kicked over a stack of papers I’d forgotten about.

  “Damn, there’s more of them,” I said absently and picked up the stack to bring it to the pile we had in front of us. It was over a foot high.

  “Why don’t you go and get us some lunch, and I’ll keep going,” Michelle said without looking up.

  I sighed as I stared at the pile we still needed to get through, but we needed to eat. My stomach had been a little queasy this morning, so I hadn’t eaten anything, but I was full-on starving now.

  Michelle told me what she wanted, and I walked off, phone in my hand. When I got to my car and plugged it into the car’s system, I remembered I needed to make a call. A very important one that I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten about!

  I dialed the number as I waited in the long line of cars at the drive-thru.

  “Hi, this is Emily Thompson. I need to schedule an appointment for my injection.”

  “Hi there, Miss Thompson! We’ve been trying to reach you.”

  “Have you? I thought I wasn’t due for another few weeks or so.” I wasn’t exactly sure when it was due, the math had become jumbled in my head long ago. I wasn’t used to taking birth control but had started before I met Dylan.

  “Oh no, Miss Thompson, we tried to call you last month when you were due in. When you missed your appointment, we tried to call you.”

  “I changed my phone number,” I said out loud as the thought dawned on me.

  “Wait, last month?” Fuck, only in my head the dirty word stretched out for a few seconds. “Last month?”

  My voice had gone tiny and flat, but the woman on the other end didn’t seem to notice.

  “Yes, do you want to come in today? You need to talk to the doctor, and we need to reschedule that shot.”

  “Uh, yeah, that might be a good idea.” Add in a pregnancy test too I thought.

  The world seemed to narrow down to a pinpoint in front of me, and I couldn’t hear anything. Pregnant. I could be pregnant. Dylan was going to lose his mind. The one thing I’d said I’d taken care of, and had, I’d forgotten to continue.

  He’d made it clear at the beginning that he wanted me on birth control. We’d discussed it quite openly and without any hesitation. I’d told him it was taken care of and now, it seemed I might have messed that up.

  “Can you come in around four, Miss Thompson? We’ll need to update your file too, so maybe come a little earlier.” The woman’s voice broke through the moment of panic, and I stared out at the cars in front of me that still hadn’t moved.

  “Sure, yeah.” I shook my head and focused. “I can be there at four.” I was supposed to meet Dylan for dinner later this evening but might have to miss that.

  “Great, we’ll see you then. Have a great day!”

  I knew the woman at the doctor’s office couldn’t do the panic thing with me. She couldn’t tell me I was stupid and that I might have made the biggest mistake of my life. She couldn’t tell me to just come in right now and get the panic over with. Not that I’d stop panicking if I was pregnant. In fact, I’d be terrified.

  How the fuck would I be able to tell Dyl
an, when were only just getting past his discovery of who I was? Damn, why had I been so stupid? I should have made a note somewhere, or done something, anything, to make sure this wasn’t a worry.

  Cars finally moved and I pulled up, ordered the food Michelle and I wanted. I paid the guy at the window, and drove back to the resort, my movements robotic. There was nobody I could call, to tell me to unlock the death grip I had on the steering wheel, or to tell me I could do this all on my own.

  I could be pregnant! I wanted to scream it out in my panicked state. I tried to hide it, and Michelle, bless her, tried to pretend she didn’t notice something was wrong. Her face, faintly lined with age, highlighted by two brown eyes framed with brown curl, gazed at me with sympathy, but she didn’t push. We weren’t close like that.

  I ate the food mechanically, even though I’d been starving for it less than an hour ago. What would I do if I was pregnant? I stuck a battered onion ring in my mouth and chewed, without tasting it. I had money, that wasn’t a problem. I could take care of a child, support it. What worried me was if I was capable of taking care of a child on my own.

  I had a feeling Dylan would freak out, expect the worse from me, and accuse me of trapping him. Like his father did his mother. A cold wash of dread coursed through me, and I stared out of the window of my office. Would he see me as no better than his mother?

  It was an accident, a mistake I’d made. I’d forgotten that I’d changed my number and hadn’t told the doctor’s office. I’d meant to call them, to find out when I needed to come in, but the migraines started, and then we moved. Now, I didn’t know what to do.

  I didn’t answer the phone when Dylan called me, and I wasn’t really helpful to Michelle after that. I tried to text Dylan, but my brain was mostly blank. I couldn’t tell him that I was terrified, although he was the one person that I should have been able to talk to. He was, in most matters, but this was a situation of truly fucked upon beyond all recognition proportions.

  I tapped a nail against my lip and stared down at my phone. He wanted to know if I was good for our dinner plans. It was 3 pm. I needed to get ready to go to the doctor. I stuck my lip between my teeth with my nail. It was a good thing I had gel nails, or I’d have been chewing at the damn thing.

  I hurriedly sent a text back, told him I had an appointment at 4, but didn’t elaborate. I ran up to the penthouse, showered, and took the elevator down to the car without looking at my phone. I didn’t want to know what he might have asked. I didn’t want to do this, my mind cried as I drove through the traffic out to the medical office. I didn’t want to fill out the form, as I sat in the doctor’s waiting room. I didn’t want to pretend to be happy and cheerful with the receptionist.

  I was imploding inside but tilted my head at the right time and brought out the southern charm as much as the girl at the desk did. I sat and watched some kind of soap opera and tried not to tap my foot while I waited. To be fair, I’d arrived ten minutes early. It was only right that I had to sit there for a few minutes and wait.

  I wanted Dylan there, to hold his hand as I explained what had happened in the last few months, and why I hadn’t come back in. Instead, I did it on my own. As I’m sure countless women have also done.

  “Well, to be honest with you, Emily, I’d say there’s a possibility that you are pregnant. I’m not sure why you were prescribed Topamax, you’re a sexually active woman and there are clear indications it interferes with your birth control. Add to that, the fact that you missed a dose, and well, I think we need to do a test.”

  I wanted to scream no at her, to tell her it wasn’t possible and to just give me a new shot, but I hung my head and meekly agreed. I peed in a cup, and not long later the doctor came back, her face blank.

  “The test is positive, Emily.” Her voice was as blank as my stare as the word positive sank through me.

  “Positive?” Just like that, my entire world changed. I’d hoped it would be negative and hadn’t let myself think about what the opposite result would mean beyond Dylan’s response. Now, I knew there was a life growing inside of me.

  “Yes. We need to discuss your options and where to go from here. If you need some time to think about it, I can reschedule you.”

  “That would be great,” I said, but I didn’t really need time to consider the options. I’d keep the baby, it was my baby, something I thought I’d never have. The baby hadn’t been part of my plans, but, well, it was in my belly now.

  Dread left me when I thought about it, and I knew then that whatever reaction Dylan had, I’d keep it. I’d have a child of my own, and that made everything different.

  I left the office in a stupor of quiet happiness. I was going to have a baby. I couldn’t stop smiling the whole way home. It was after five, so I had time to get ready for our dinner date at seven. I found the penthouse empty, so I changed, put on a loose, thin sweater in a weathered, coppery green color, slid on a flirty black skirt, threw an emerald green scarf around my neck, brushed my hair, grabbed the first pair of black heels that I came to, and left the apartment.

  I was scared, terrified, but ready for whatever this dinner might bring. I tapped out a message to Dylan and told him I’d meet him at the restaurant. Surprisingly, he’d gone quiet now. I had to tell him, but was now the right time? I had no idea how far along I was—I must have zoned out when the doctor told me because I couldn't remember—it must be at least two weeks, or the test wouldn’t have worked.

  I blew air out through my lips as I pulled into the restaurant’s parking area. I’d tell him, if I could see that the time was right. I just wasn’t sure if there ever was a right time to drop something like that on someone. Sure, we’d agreed to live together, and we were happy together. I have a feeling we’re in this for the long haul, maybe even forever, but would a child change that?

  I brushed blond hair out of my face as I walked in through the glass doors and told the waiter I was meeting Dylan. The young man smiled and turned to lead me to Dylan’s table. I didn’t notice anything about the young man, all I could see was Dylan’s smile.

  I could tell that man anything, that smile said. I could get through any devastation with him by my side. This should be easy to tell him, but it wasn’t. We hadn’t discussed children, only birth control. Then there was his mom. His real mom. Would he hate me, would he react with gentleness, like his father, or would this send him over the edge, as it had his mother? I wish I knew, I thought, and bit the inside of my lip as I leaned over to kiss him hello. I really wish I knew how he’d react to the news I had to drop on him at some point.

  Dylan

  I knew the moment she walked into the restaurant and looked up. I wasn’t the least bit surprised to see her there. For a moment, I could see she was uncertain about something, but then, her focus changed and her face beamed. Maybe that was the one thing that really made my heart melt about that woman. She was always happy to see me. Really happy.

  It made a difference in your life when you knew your presence changed a person’s day. I’d known plenty of times that my presence made my employees nervous or angry, and I knew that my parents enjoyed having me with them, but knowing you made someone’s, a woman’s, day better was something I’d never thought I’d enjoy this much.

  “Hi, Emily,” I said to her as she leaned down to kiss me and took a seat.

  “Hi, Dylan. How are you?” She looked me over, and I was glad my hands weren’t shaking. She’d have spotted it. “You’ve had your hair cut. It looks good.”

  I touched my dark brown hair and felt my lips tilt. “It was getting too long.”

  “I liked being able to tug on it.” Her eyes went wide and then narrowed down to let me know she was being provocative.

  “Mm, perhaps you should sit closer, pet.” I liked the way she would get turned on in public. It only took a moment, and she had been so adventurous lately that I wondered now what we could get away with in the dimly lit restaurant.

  “Perhaps you should take me to Elmo’s la
ter.” Her voice went quiet, but it held a challenge.

  “Oh? Do you want to play, pet?” There was something different about her tonight. Mysterious.

  “I might be up for a little play.” She smiled, a smile that challenged me to play along.

  “We’ll see. Tonight, I think we need to talk about your brother’s letter.” I saw how she tensed, and that was exactly why I’d changed subjects. “I know you want to avoid this, Emily, and I understand why, but you need to make a decision about the whole affair.”

  She blinked at me, and I wasn’t sure if it was only because of the sudden change of subject, or if she was angry with me. Emily didn’t anger easily, not from my experience anyway, but there was always a first time.

  “You’re right.” Emily reached for her wine glass, but then shifted her hand to her glass of water instead. “I really need to deal with my family, don’t I?”

  She didn’t look up at me as she pulled her lip between her teeth. She took another sip of water, and I saw the gold rings on her finger glint in the dim light. She was in distress, but you wouldn’t know it if you didn’t know Emily well. The way she drank the water, slow and thoughtful, as if it was the last glass of water she’d ever have told me all I needed to know.

  I cared about her, that was something I’d stopped denying to myself long ago. I knew this conversation wasn’t easy for her, and maybe I would take her to Elmo’s. It had been a while, and we always enjoyed our time there. It could be a treat for coming to a decision.

  “Dylan, I want to…” Her words stopped, and blonde brows knitted together. They weren’t as blonde as her hair, but a darker shade that complimented her eyes.

  “Go on, you want what, my dear?” I wanted her to face the problem and come to a decision. I was glad to be there to help her make that decision. Even if she didn’t want to do that yet. It was time.