“I had everything planned out. I was going to tell you today after you came home. I wanted to surprise you with a baby jersey I was going to get today.” She starts crying harder. “But then I started cramping and bleeding yesterday during the draft. I knew what was happening and there was nothing that could be done.”
I’m shocked at her revelation. I watched her. I hadn’t taken my eyes off her since I had my suspicions, and I didn’t notice anything yesterday. Not a flinch, not a sadness, not a damn thing. How could I have missed something like this. “Presley, you should have told me yesterday when it started. Don’t you dare hide something like this from me again. This is not a you thing. It’s a we thing. And we will do it together.”
She cries harder.
I’m pissed at myself for not noticing anything. I’m pissed at her for keeping this from me. And then I’m pissed at myself for getting pissed at her. It’s a big, vicious, pissed off circle. “I’m cancelling with Coach. We can meet this new guy later. It’s not that important right now.”
“No. Don’t. It’s fine. Just tell them to come to the house.”
“Pres, you don’t need to do this now. Coach will understand. Just focus on you.”
“Robert, really. It’s fine. He’s seen me in worse shape than this.”
Now I’m intrigued and slightly glad she doesn’t want to cancel. I want to know who this new guy is. “He has? Who is it?”
“You’ll meet him tonight. The sooner this is all settled the sooner I can focus on us.”
She rests her head on my shoulder as I go back to stroking her hair to sooth her. After what seems like only seconds, she becomes heavy in my arms. I move her back to the couch, tuck her in and make the call to Coach before heading out back with a bucket of balls and a bat to release my frustration.
* * *
Several hours later, the doorbell rings. Presley is still asleep on the couch. I gently wake her up before answering the door, completely shocked to find Coach and Marcus standing on my front porch.
“Hey man!” He’s grinning from ear to ear and I’m at a loss for words.
“Pres,” I call over my shoulder. “Did you know about this?”
“Of course she knew man. It was her idea. Nice house by the way. Glad to see you finally wised up, quit being a dick, and married Presley. Congrats.”
“Thanks?” I’m still confused. From what I remembered from high school, Presley hated Marcus.
We all head into the living room and sit around her. I take my place next to her and she snuggles into me. Since finding out what she was going through a couple of hours ago, I have become incredibly protective over her and attentive to her needs. Coach gives me a raised brow but drops his questioning glance as Presley takes charge of the room.
She outlines how everything works and her idea for the company, how she wants things done and the repercussions that will follow if it’s not done according to her guidelines.
Coach agrees to get Marcus trained up and I talk about my experience as a client.
Occasionally, Presley will shift against me, a pained expression fleets across her face as she attempts to carry on with business.
After two hours, Coach and Marcus finally leave and it’s once again the two of us. “Are you hungry?”
“No. Just tired.” She sighs and rest her head against her propped-up arm.
I carry her into the bedroom and almost instantly she falls asleep. I wrap my arms around her and allow myself to silently cry for what could have been. For the baby that we lost. A piece of me. A piece of Presley. There would be no excited phone call to our parents, no screaming Liv. In the blink of any eye, there was now a gaping hole in my heart that should have been filled with the soft murmur of an infant’s heartbeat and childlike giggles.
* * *
– Two Years Later –
Robert is still playing for the Rangers and has earned his spot as lead pitcher. I’m at every game that I can be at, cheering him on. Coach and Marcus are running the agency just the way I want them to, and even with me not being as hands-on, business is still booming. Marcus took on hockey and basketball while Coach picked up soccer. We still meet once a month, either in person or through video conferencing to discuss new clients, on-going projects and to evaluate the waitlist. The timeline has shifted from six weeks to four and we only see two clients a month. The need for more staff is there, but I like the image of exclusivity the Donovan West Agency maintains. I’ve been able to triple my per-client-fee and the company is making a fortune the way it is.
Liv and Trey ended up eloping in Vegas while Robert and I were on our honeymoon. Seven months later they welcomed the most beautiful baby boy who they ended up naming Jackson after Trey’s father. He is the perfect mix between them. Sweeping blond hair like Trey’s and big, deep brown eyes like Liv’s, a cute button nose, and strong jawline. We call him Jax for short.
Liv is now pregnant with twin girls and I couldn’t be happier for her. Watching her pregnancy with Jax was hard on me, but the pain has lessened with this one. She’s still sensitive around me despite everything, but I push forward; she’s due in four months, give or take a couple of days.
Walter ended up giving Trey the team as a wedding gift. Liv was more than eager to move down to Texas. She found out who our neighbors were, paid them twice the value of their home and took care of their moving cost just so we could be next to one another.
Robert and I have had five additional miscarriages and have seen countless specialists, none of whom can figure out what seems to be going wrong.
We’ve started talking about adopting and growing our family that way, but the idea of having one that was ours isn’t something we can easily let go of.
Just like every Sunday, Robert and I are next door. Trey and Robert are doing something downstairs, while Liv and I are in the girls’ nursery picking out paint samples, curtains and wallpaper when Jax runs in.
Did I mention how adorably cute he was? His squishy little cheeks being my favorite part.
“Mommy! Mommy!”
“Hey buddy. Did you say hello to Aunt Presley yet?”
I wave, “Hey buddy. You’ve gotten so big.”
“Awnty Pwesley…you saws me westerday.”
“I know, but I think you grew overnight.”
He gives me a tight hug and tugs on my hand, shaking it back and forth.
“Can I twouch your twummy?”
Liv and I look back and forth between each other and I shrug, “Sure bud.”
“Wore twummy isn’t big like mommies.”
I let out a deep belly laugh, and Liv rolls her eyes.
“Thanks kid,” Liv huffs as she tries to get up off the floor.
“No it’s not. But your mommy has two babies in hers. She’s making your sisters.”
He kisses my stomach and I bite the inside of my cheek.
“I wove you wittle baby. I pwomise to wove you forever.”
A tear forms despite my best efforts and I try hard to blink it away. Liv gives me a comforting smile and pulls Jax to her, once again getting back down on the floor so she can be eye level with him. “Sweetie, Aunt Presley doesn’t have a baby in her tummy. Just mommy.”
“Yes she does,” he says confidently. A smile stretches wide across his face.
I hate to break his spirit. “No, buddy. Mommy’s right. I don’t have a baby.”
“Yes you do.” He’s swinging his arms around him in a circle. “Wook! I’m a helochopterer.”
Liv is noticeably irritated as she mouths an apology to me. “Jax, who told you Aunt Presley has a baby?”
“An angel. She twold me that this is my special baby, that I’m gonna wove it and keep it safe forwever.”
Olivia and my eyes meet, both wide eyed and in disbelief. I’ve heard of things like this happening before, but I never really believed it could happen to me.
“Trey!” Liv screams out in an urgent panic as she runs down the stairs with me trailing behind her. “You and
Robert watch Jax! We’ll be right back.”
As we head out the front door I hear Jax talking to Robert, “Awnty Pwesley has my special baby in her twummy.”
Other Books By Catherine Charles
Tag You’re Mine
Book 1 in the Tag Series
After moving right before senior year, all Presley Donovan wants is to finish her high school career tucked away in the shadows of a new school. She’s worked hard to graduate with honors has every intention of heading off to her dream school in the fall; however, thanks to a chance of fate, a pushy new best friend, and the underhanded workings of her mother, Presley’s plans are about to change.
Brice Harte has single handedly put Williams Point High School on the map. Captain of the baseball team and owner of a golden arm, Brice is used to girls flocking to him on a daily basis. On the outside he is the picture of high school royalty, but on the inside Brice hides a deep secret.
Will the arrival of a new student threaten Brice’s existence, do Presley’s lifelong plans even stand a chance, or will their lives be drastically changed forever? The setting may be high school, but this is anything but.
About the Author
Catherine Charles currently resides in a small town in Texas with her husband, two children, and two goldendoodles. She was born an army brat, spending her childhood moving every two years. Born in Germany, she spent the first half of her life roaming across Europe and surrounding countries before moving stateside.
Though her travels have taken her all over the world, a cattle farm in small-town Nebraska is where she calls home. Big cities are nice for the wine-loving foodie, but at the end of the day, nothing beats a small-town bar.
Strong women are her forte, damsels in distress don’t stand a chance in her books, and the men that fall for these fiercely independent women will only bring out their best. Her works will give you butterflies, but will also have you yelling in anger. No emotion goes untouched, and tissue warnings are a given. Sit back and lose yourself in one of her books; you never know where her characters will take you, and usually, neither does she.
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