by Hope Ford
Dear Aiden, I’m sorry to do this in a letter but I can’t see you anymore. Actually, I don’t want to. Thank you for last night, but I knew all along that it could only be one night. We’re not really a good fit; you and I just don’t make sense. I’m going out of town for the summer so hopefully when I come back, you will have forgotten about me. Please don’t come for me. I don’t want to see you again. Gracie
I read it again, over and over. None of it makes sense. She’s completely blowing me off, but what she doesn’t realize is I was there last night... right there with her. I could feel what I mean to her when she kissed me and when she gave me her virginity.
I read the letter again, wondering if I’m missing something. I look at the cursive letters of her name. She dotted her “I” with a heart and that one lone heart gives me hope. I’m going to give her a few days to cool off, and then I’m coming for her. She thinks we’re not a good fit. Fuck that, she’s the only one for me.
Gracie
Nine Months Later
“Aunt Bethany, I can’t go back to Whiskey Run. You know my father. He’ll make good on his promise to hurt Aiden.”
“Sit down,” she says in a stern voice. I dreaded coming to Bethany’s house in Kentucky. I had assumed that I would be kept a prisoner here, just like I was in Whiskey Run, but that hasn’t been the case at all. The first few months I was here, Bethany was pretty strict, especially when my father would come and visit. But after that, she let me do the things I wanted to do. And well, when I found out I was pregnant she’s done everything possible to help me and protect me from the wrath of my father. She enrolled me in the local college here and she even let me take a few art classes from a gallery downtown. I think my father was relieved that I was out of his hair. He’s been on edge lately when I’ve talked to him.
I do as she asks and sit down on the couch. She sits across from me and holds my hand. “You still love this Aiden, don’t you?”
I nod instantly. I knew him for a little over twenty-four hours, but I know I’ll never love anyone the way I love him. I put my hand on my belly, wishing I could tell him about the life we made together that one night together but knowing I can’t.
“Okay, you need to go back to Whiskey Run, and you need to talk to him.”
I pull my hand back from Bethany. “I can’t. My father...”
Bethany is shaking her head. “Listen to me. Your father knows you’re pregnant. We hid it for as long as we could, but someone from here talked to him and asked him if he was excited to be a grandfather.”
Panic rises in my chest. I know it was foolish to think I could hide this from him. But I’d at least hoped to keep it a secret until after the baby was born. “Oh my God. Oh my God.”
Bethany jerks on my hand and cups my jaw, forcing me to look at her. She’s holding on to me tightly, telling me that she’s scared of my father as well. “Listen to me. Your father is on his way here. He plans to take you from here and is going to put the baby up for adoption. You have to leave.”
I put my arms over my rounded stomach and gasp. “No!”
“Gracie, we don’t have much time. If he’s flying, he’ll be here soon. Throw some water on your face. Pack some food to take, and I’m going to pack your clothes. Try and be calm. The stress is not good for the baby.”
I start to get up, but with all the added weight it’s difficult, so Bethany helps me. “But what about you? I can’t leave you here to deal with him.”
“I’ll be fine. You only need to worry about you and that baby. Now get to packing and be ready to go in ten minutes.”
I nod and walk off toward the kitchen as she goes up the stairs to my room. A part of me is going to be sad to be leaving here. Bethany has turned out to be the best friend I ever had. She’s protected me and loved me so much these past nine months. She’s butted heads with my father over and over but has stood her ground to keep me safe from him.
I pack the food and drinks and use the bathroom. I am no sooner done than Bethany comes down with two suitcases packed full. I follow her outside and see that she is putting everything in her car. “Bethany, I can’t take your car. Put it in mine.”
She doesn’t stop though. “No. I have new tires, and mine is a lot safer. I don’t want to worry about you on the road. Just take it.”
“But...”
She’s shaking her head. “Think about the baby, Gracie. Everything else we’ll figure out later. For now, just do what’s right for the baby.”
When I finally agree, she finishes loading the bags, and as soon as she closes the trunk, I grab on to her. The tears have already started. “I’m going to miss you so much, Aunt Bethany.”
She hugs me back tightly. “I’m going to miss you too, child.” She pulls back and searches my face. “Gracie, there’s things you don’t know about your father... bad things. Don’t let him get a hold of your baby. Whatever he tells you, don’t trust him. Protect your daughter from him.”
My eyes round. I knew my father was an evil man, but I never dreamed he would do anything to hurt a grandchild of his very own. Am I naïve to think he wouldn’t hurt my baby?
Bethany shakes my shoulders, obviously seeing the doubt on my face. “I didn’t want to tell you like this, but your father is involved in human trafficking. I’ve already reported everything I know to the FBI, but until it’s investigated, you and your baby are not safe, Gracie. Please believe me.”
She has no reason to lie, and even I can hear the desperation in her voice. “I promise, Bethany. I’ll protect her. My father won’t get anywhere near her... ever.”
She nods, satisfied. “Now go and be safe. Call me when you get there.”
“Come with me, Bethany. I don’t want you to deal with—"
“No, I’m staying and I’m going to buy you some time. Go to Aiden. He’ll protect you both.”
I take a deep breath. “He probably hates me.”
Aunt Bethany is shaking her head, opening the door and practically pushing me into the driver’s seat. “He loves you, and eventually he’ll understand why you did what you did.”
I nod, wiping the tears. “I love you.”
She pats my arm through the window. “I love you too, Gracie. There are things for the baby in the back seat. Enough to get you started, but I’ll come see you soon.”
“Thank you for everything.”
She backs away from the car and starts to wave. I wave back and back out of the driveway. The drive from here to Whiskey Run should take me a little less than four hours, but the time goes fast because all I can think about is Aiden. I’m worried that I’m bringing grief to his door, but I also know that I don’t have a choice. I have to protect our daughter.
Aiden
It’s another Friday night, and I’m at work. It seems that’s all I do anymore. Well, that, search for Gracie, and keep Mayor Franklin under surveillance. That’s all I’ve done for the past nine months. My head falls between my shoulders, and I try to suck in a deep breath...fuck. I still feel like I’m drowning. I lift the tattoo gun and switch it off.
“You okay, brother?” Treyton asks. He’s my best friend, and he also works at Savage Ink. I’m working on his back tattoo, something that I’ve been trying to get finished between clients for the past month. I promised him that I would get it done tonight, and I will if I can keep my mind off Gracie.
“Yeah, I’m good. Just need to stretch. Want a water?” I ask him as I stretch my arms over my head as if I really had a cramp. The truth is, when I start thinking about Gracie, my hands start to twitch. And a tattoo artist with an unsteady hand is not a good thing.
The look Treyton gives me tells me that he can see right through me. He knows how messed up I’ve been. I don’t even know why I’m acting. “I’m good, man. Take your time.”
I walk out of the room and into the breakroom, taking deep breaths. I’ve been like this since the day Gracie left Whiskey Run, and I don’t see it getting better anytime soon. It’s like I have something hea
vy lying on my chest, and no matter what I do to try and relieve it, it’s still there, reminding me that she’s gone... that she left me.
As if I need any fuckin’ reminders. My whole world turned black when she made the decision she didn’t want me. Treyton and Dawson think I’m crazy to react like I have over a girl I knew for a little over twenty-four hours, but I can’t explain it. I fell in love...and I fell hard. I gave her a few days to cool down, and I went to her house to find out from her father that she’d left Whiskey Run. She had her fuckin’ dad tell me she was gone and I was just supposed to be okay with it. Well, I wasn’t. I’m still not. I’ve searched everywhere for her. She left without a trace, and as far as I can tell, she hasn’t stepped foot back in Whiskey Run since the day she left. As a matter of fact, I know she hasn’t. I’ve pretty much stalked her father’s house and made a damn nuisance of myself. But I don’t care. None of that matters. Nothing matters if I don’t have Gracie.
“Aiden!” Treyton hollers from the other room. “I have a client coming in soon. Let’s get this done.”
I lift my hand in front of me, but unfortunately the tremors are still there. I shake it but know it’s not going to help. I make a fist and holler, “Be right there.”
I chug the rest of the water wishing it was something stronger. A good shot of whiskey right now would do the trick. Too bad I never drink and tattoo. On the way out of the breakroom, I throw the bottle in the recycle bin and look at my reflection in the mirror on the wall. I look like a tortured man; I’ve aged twenty years in nine months. “Fuck!” I say under my breath. “Get it together, Aiden.”
I walk back toward my area, still stretching my arms. “Sorry about that. Let’s get it going.”
Treyton grunts; no doubt he’s fed up with my shit. So am I. Trust me, if I could forget about Gracie I would. But it’s not possible.
I pick up the tattoo gun and get back to work, leaning my wrist on Treyton’s shoulder blade to help steady my hand. It’s not a technique I like to use, but it works.
I barely get started when my phone starts to ring. I should ignore it—I’ve already stalled enough—but since Gracie’s left, I haven’t let one phone call go to voicemail. I don’t want to miss her call in case she does ever decide she wants to talk to me again.
I don’t turn off the gun because I’m determined to just find out who it is and tell them I’ll call them back. One look at the caller ID and I see Tate Jennings’ name. He’s a friend. I’ve given him a tattoo once or twice and he’s saved my ass one time after Gracie left and I was on a drunken binge and about to destroy everything at the Whiskey Whistler Bar.
“Hello.”
“Hey, Aiden, this is Tate.”
I move the phone to hold against my shoulder. “What’s up, man? I’m kinda in the middle of something. Can I call you back?”
His sigh is loud on the phone, and the tone in his voice tells me that something isn’t right. “No, it can’t wait. I, well, thought you should know that Gracie’s here...”
I turn the gun off and jump up. Treyton turns to me with a question but doesn’t say anything. His stare levels me, and I have no doubt he’s on high alert ready to go if something is going down. “In Whiskey Run?” I ask, not even recognizing my own voice.
He pauses, and it takes all I have to remain silent while I wait for him to respond. “Uh, actually no. At the hospital in Jasper.”
My stomach plummets, and I can feel myself getting sick. “Fuck! It will take me thirty minutes to get there. Is she okay?”
Tate stammers, “Uh, yeah, as far as I know she’s okay.”
I tighten my hold on the phone and grab my keys off the counter. “Don’t let her leave. I’m coming.”
I hang up the phone before I even think to ask what floor she’s on or where she’s at. “I’m sorry, Trey. I have to go.”
“Gracie?” he asks while he follows me out to my truck.
“Yeah, she’s in the hospital… fuck... I don’t even know what’s happening, I’ll have to call Tate back. I have to go.”
“Let me drive you.”
“I’m fine. Can you cancel my appointments for me?”
He nods, and I drive off toward Jasper.
The thirty-minute drive gives me plenty of time to think, and every thought is about Gracie. We were good together, damn we were so good together. The attraction was instant for both of us, and from that moment I knew she was going to be my wife. I know it’s crazy, but even now, even after she walked away from me, left me with only a note, I would marry her tomorrow if she’d have me. It makes me sound like a punk ass that is pussy whipped, but I don’t care. There’s nothing or nobody that matters to me like Gracie does. First, I’m going to make sure she’s all right. Then I’m going to find a way to keep her with me for always.
9
Gracie
“Yeah, we’re in room 312, but I should probably...”
Tate pulls the phone from his ear and then pockets it. I jut my chin at him because I know who was on the other end of that phone call. “That was Aiden, right? You called him and told him I was here.”
I know it sounds like I’m accusing him, but I’m not. The whole situation is messed up, and this is not how I intended for Aiden to find out he is going to be a father.
I was on my way to Savage Ink. I was going to tell Aiden about the baby, and even though I’ve had almost four hours to figure out how I was going to do it, I still didn’t have a clue. Maybe this is best. He’s going to know as soon as he lays eyes on me anyway.
When I started having pains, I thought it was just Braxton-Hicks again, but the worse they got, I knew I needed to get checked out. I never dreamed they would admit me and that I was already three centimeters dilated.
Tate crosses his arms on his chest. He is the mechanic in Whiskey Run, and his sister is Violet, who owns Red’s Diner. They are good people, so I can’t really be mad at him. “Yes, I called and told him. Violet saw you when you came in, and that’s why she sent Lakelyn and me over here to see you and to call Aiden. She didn’t want you to be alone.”
I can’t help but smirk. That’s definitely Violet. She worries about everyone, and it’s just like her to want to make sure Aiden was here. She’s probably trying to do her matchmaking thing like she’s done with half the town, but it’s not going to work on me and Aiden. I really screwed it up with him, and he probably doesn’t even want to see me. But right now, I’m going to accept my fate.
“How is Violet? She doing okay?”
Tate nods. “She’s fine, and Josh Jr. is doing great too.”
If anyone deserves happiness, it’s Violet. “That’s great. I only got to see her for a minute, but she looked good... happy.”
Tate nods, and I can feel the pity from across the room.
I lift my chin. “When will Aiden be here?”
Tate sighs. “He’s parking his truck right now.”
I nod and look over at the woman that came in with Tate. She’s beautiful, and for some reason she looks familiar. “Lakelyn, I’m sorry we met like this, but for some reason, I feel like I’ve seen you before.”
She smiles softly at me and shrugs.
Tate reaches for her and grabs her hand. “She’s a model and has done some commercials. That could’ve been it.”
“Oh yeah, the...” But before I can mention seeing her in the clothing commercial I stop as another contraction hits me.
I’ve done really well at working through them, but this one is nothing like the others. My whole body flexes. Tate steps away from the bed as Lakelyn, bless her, walks closer to me, offering her hand. I grab on to it and listen to her soothing voice. “Breathe, Gracie. You got this.”
My whole body is drawn tight when there’s a loud knock on the door and it seems simultaneously the door swings open. There’s no way that Aiden was prepared for what he’s seeing. All the color leaves his body; even his tattoos look like an ashy gray instead of a vibrant black, and I swear he sways on his feet. This is de
finitely not the way I pictured it. I had hoped to look pretty. Instead, I’m in bed, big and swollen, drenched in sweat, and no matter how much I want to, I can’t erase the pain on my face.
He walks toward me, and even though I have so much I need to say to him, there’s no way I can start now. “Breathe, Gracie. It’s okay. Keep breathing.”
My eyes are on Aiden because I can’t look away. He’s upset. Most people probably wouldn’t notice, but I do. His jaw is set, and even though he’s regaining some of his color, he’s staring at me as if I have two heads instead of like I’m about to give birth to his child.
The pain starts to lessen, and I slowly start to sit back. I’m still gripping Lakelyn’s hand, and her fingertips are white from how hard I held on to her. I release her quickly. “I’m so sorry, Lakelyn.”
She shakes her head like it’s not a big deal, but I notice she’s rubbing her hands together as if she’s trying to get the feeling back. “No, it’s fine. That was a rough one. Are you okay? Can I get you anything?”
She’s looking at me, concern etched on her face. She’s completely ignoring the man that just walked in, and I sort of wish I could do the same. I’m still panting, but I’m able to get it out. “Ice chips... please.”
She nods and walks out of the room. Tate is standing in the corner, his eyes on Aiden, and I reluctantly look up at him.
Tate clears his throat. “I’m going to go help Lake. We’ll be back.”
But neither Aiden nor I acknowledge him. I’m too busy taking in all of Aiden. Fuck, how I missed him. I’ve thought of this moment a thousand times. He came to me in my dreams every night for nine months, but this is reality, and I can’t expect him to just forgive me in an instant.
“Were you going to tell me?” he asks.
His voice is thick, deeper than normal, telling me how much emotion is going through him right now. At least he didn’t ask me if the baby was his. That would have killed me. But surely he knows; I gave my virginity to him. There’s no way I would have ever slept with someone else.
