by Quinn, Taryn
What I was going to do was go home alone and act like a mature freaking man.
“Nah, I’m awful company right now, but thanks. But hey, maybe you could come over tomorrow? We can throw some steaks—” nope, that was out, they made me think of Luna, “—uh, scallops on the grill on the roof.”
“You know I hate seafood.”
“Okay, burgers then. I found a good veggie—”
“Dude, you’re sure you impregnated Luna? You’re not sounding like the guy I know. Veggie burgers? Damn, son. I’ll bring my own burgers if you’re grilling that garbage.” He clicked off and made me laugh in spite of myself.
Leave it to Lucky. As crazy as he was, I hoped he never changed. Then again, he loved his social life, especially the naked variety, and we knew what that meant for most single dudes in the Cove.
But he didn’t seem worried. Perhaps he’d curtailed some of his extracurricular activities. We’d been the last two men standing—well, not really, there were far more single men in town—and look what had happened.
I glimpsed the baby book I’d shoved in my briefcase along with my school paperwork. It was already getting dog-eared. There was so much I didn’t know.
I shuddered. So much I did not want to know.
Too bad for me. If Luna was going through this, then so was I. Every single horrifying step.
I turned out the lights and waved to Ms. Duncan who taught fourth grade across the hall. She was chatting with Mike, who was leaning over her and sniffing her hair as if she was a bucket of fried chicken.
My stomach growled. Obviously, I needed dinner. And not a veggie burger.
Sorry, Lu.
She was a carnivore like me, but she mixed it up with more “ethical options” as she called them.
My shoulders slumped where I stood outside my classroom. I really did not want to go home alone. I’d gotten too used to having Lu there. Her presence had been more sporadic over the past week, but I’d known she was across the hall. We hadn’t touched each other since she’d told me about the baby. It didn’t matter. I just wanted her close.
Wanted them close.
“Oh, hey, man, didn’t see you there.” Mike sounded affable on the surface as he turned his head, but I noticed the irritation in the set of his jaw.
He must think I wanted to take my turn at sniffing Ms. Duncan’s hair. Since she was new this year and I couldn’t even remember her first name, that was a definite no.
I nodded stiffly. I still didn’t walk away. This whole “Luna taking a break” thing was going swimmingly. Now I was creeping on fellow teachers.
“You know Holly.” He gestured awkwardly at the pretty brunette in her cardigan, floral dress, and sedate pumps. Nothing the least bit tight or revealing or not Catholic school approved.
I wasn’t thinking of Lu again. I really wasn’t.
“Sure. I’m not sure I knew her first name though. Caleb.” I smiled and moved forward to extend a hand to shake.
Her grip was firm and cool. “Nice to re-meet you with actual first names.” She laughed and glanced at Mike as she released my hand. “Do these parent-teacher nights get any easier?”
“Not really,” I admitted just as Mike chimed in.
“Oh, yeah, they’re usually a breeze.”
Figured. Everything was just rainbows and glitter farts for him.
“So, Holly, our Caleb here is dating a honest-to-goodness witch.”
Inwardly, I groaned. This was my own fault for lingering for non-productive chitchat. I usually knew better. Head down, out the door.
I was definitely out of sorts tonight.
“How do you know she’s a witch?” I demanded.
“Everybody knows.” Mike shrugged. “Someone said she has a pentagram tattoo.”
“She does not.”
Not that I would mind if she did. Pentagrams didn’t mean what a lot of people assumed. They usually represented the elements—fire, air, water, earth, and spirit.
“A witch?” Holly’s honey-brown eyes sparkled. “How fascinating. Is she meeting you here, Caleb? I’d love to meet her.”
“Yeah, I wish. She’s on a sabbatical. Possibly in Canada. I’m not really sure.”
Holly and Mike exchanged a glance. I didn’t blame them. I was nearly spiraling.
Time to leave.
“It’s all good though. She’s doing what’s best for her. I’m sure she’ll come back someday. She has to, since I knocked her up. Okay, well, nice convo. Have a good night.” I pointed at Mike. “You can go back to sniffing her hair now.”
I had an instant to glimpse Holly’s cheeks going bright red under her freckles before I got the heck out of there.
Once I was in my vehicle in the parking lot, I called my sister on the in-dash screen. I needed to talk to someone. I wasn’t supposed to be telling anyone about this baby, and here I’d just told my colleagues. Not the smartest move. They were mostly all cool people, and minds were opening up a bit even in our school, but unmarried and procreating second grade teachers weren’t exactly welcomed with open arms at St. Agnes Academy.
I hadn’t even thought of that until this very moment, because I didn’t care. If someone had a problem with how Lu and I were living our lives, then they just would. I wasn’t caving to pressure. We were on our own schedule, and no one was going to rush us.
When she came down that aisle toward me—or across that sandy dune—it was going to be because we wanted nothing else but that. Fuck society’s supposed rules.
Ivy picked up, sounding harried. Rhiannon was wailing in the background. “Caleb?”
“Bad time?”
“Kinda. Rhi has decided she hates bathtime. Last week, it was her favorite thing.” She sighed. “What’s up?”
“Luna’s having a baby.” So much for easing in. And so much for keeping this news to myself.
If I couldn’t have her physically with me, I had to talk about her. Talking about her meant talking about the bean burrito.
Smaller than a bean burrito right now. More like the size of a raspberry. Maybe. We didn’t even know when she’d gotten pregnant. Could’ve been the first night. Or the next.
God, I needed answers, and they just weren’t forthcoming right now.
I leaned back against the headrest and released a long, slow breath.
Patience, grasshopper. You’ve got probably around seven months to go in this rodeo.
If Luna was even back by then.
She had to be, right? She wouldn’t just leave for good.
The woman I loved wouldn’t just take off permanently. No matter how relatively new we were to being together, I knew her better than that.
Sounds of chaos came through the speaker. I’d forgotten Ivy was there. I had to stop calling people. I couldn’t even focus on talking to them.
Not that my sister was speaking to me. She was whisper-shouting at someone in the background. Probably Rory. She was using the voice she typically used when dealing with her temperamental toddler—or her unhinged brother.
Ivy came back on the line after a brief howl from Rhiannon that abruptly ended, indicating she’d either been removed from the area or possibly dunked in the bathtub. “Okay, sorry,” she said breathlessly. “She finally told you?”
I opened my mouth and immediately shut it again. “What do you mean finally? Did you already know?”
“Sort of.”
“Ivy. Either you knew or you didn’t.”
“She didn’t intend to tell me. She didn’t even know herself. We figured it out together.”
She explained the whole incident at Kinleigh’s the day before our planned dinner with Ryan and Preston while I rubbed at the tension in my right shoulder. It felt as if all my muscles were seizing up.
“I knew she was getting sick a lot, but not that bad. She’s not telling me stuff.” I drummed my knuckles into the steering wheel. “Why isn’t she telling me? Why the hell won’t she let me be the father in utero of the year?”
Ivy surpr
ised me by laughing. “Did it ever occur to you that what you think she needs isn’t what she actually does?” Before I could answer, she questioned, “You didn’t ask her if the baby was yours, right?”
“Why would I do that? Of course it’s mine. Who else’s would it be?”
“So not all men are brain dead, just your brother-in-law. Got it.”
“I heard that.”
I flexed my fist. “Rory asked you if Rhi was his? That bastard. I’m going to kick his ass. I’m in the mood right now. I’m on my way over.”
“Cool your jets, mate,” Rory answered in the background, his voice entirely too clear.
“Do you have me on speaker, Ive? What the heck. This is a private conversation.”
“Sorry to inform you, but Rory is family.”
“He thought you were sleeping all over the Cove. He’s been ex-communicated.”
“I thought nothing of the sort. We’d been apart a bit of time and not strictly together so when I came back to—you know what, mind your own relationship, Cal, how about that?”
“You know not to call me Cal.”
“Oh, do I?” Rory waited a beat. “Cal.”
“Boys,” Ivy said mildly. “Did you tell Mom and Dad yet?”
“No. I can’t.” Lightly, I pounded my fist on the steering wheel. “She’s not ready for everyone to know, and I already fucked up by telling teachers at work.”
“At work? Oh. Um, yeah. That could be a problem.”
“It’s not a problem. They’ll just deal with it. I’m a damn good teacher. If they’re going to pitch a fit because I’m not marrying Lu yet—”
“I heard a yet,” Rory said. “Did you hear a yet, Ginger Fairy?”
“Shut up. And also, ick on the nickname.”
It was actually kind of cute, but not in my current gloomy mood.
“Feck off. Not relishing the oncoming birth? Afraid you’ll get stuck changing nappies?”
“Hard to change a nappy when the mother isn’t even here. By the way, the proper word is diaper.”
“What do you mean she’s not here?” Ivy asked.
As briefly as possible, I told them. I also left out most swear words in case Rhiannon was anywhere in earshot.
I was father of the year material already.
“She didn’t leave you. She wouldn’t do that.”
Ivy’s even tone annoyed me. Not a shock, since everything was annoying me right now. “What do you know about the situation?”
“She’s a great woman, Caleb. You wouldn’t have slept with her otherwise. You’re too averse to baby fever.”
“You have a point. But this isn’t about me.”
“Yes, it is. She’s just freaked out. I saw her face when she realized. She was overwhelmed and seriously scared. Telling you terrified her, although she didn’t say that. She’s so strong.”
“But I was fine with it. I’m fu—frigging happy. Why won’t she let us be happy?”
“How long have you been together?”
“A couple months.”
“Yet you expect her to trust you one hundred percent in that time. She has a baby inside her, you jerk. She’s emotional and dealing with a million changes you can’t even comprehend. Swollen ankles, bloating, mood swings, hemorrhoids, unexpected leakage—”
“Stop right there.”
“Thanks for that, mate.” Rory sounded as disturbed as I felt.
“And on top of all that, she has a fearsome need to protect her baby. Even from you. Maybe especially from you, if she isn’t sure this whole child thing isn’t just a temporary lark to you.” She sighed. “Sorry to tell you, buddy, you don’t exactly have the best track record in town for fidelity.”
I didn’t say anything. Her truth bomb had hit me dead on.
“But she still had no cause to leave you flat out,” Rory added.
I shut my eyes. “Maybe she did. I wasn’t giving her any space. If this is a big change for me, it’s enormous for her. She said her back ached too much to even get up on her stripper pole.”
Someone coughed, and then there were the sounds of slapping and a scuffle.
“Please do not mention stripper poles in my husband’s earshot anymore, please and thank you.”
I had to chuckle. “Best thing in the freaking world, man. Though my baby sister, seriously? You dog.”
“Not the baby sister nonsense again,” she muttered.
“Would you prefer it if I wanted to see someone other than your sister on the pole?”
I couldn’t argue there.
“I’m going home to drown my sorrows in club soda and a little light pregnancy bedtime reading. Thanks for talking me down from the ledge.”
“Anytime. She’s going to be back soon, I promise. Just let her be the one who leads for a while, you know? She’ll tell you what she needs. And more than anything, just love her.”
“I can do that,” I murmured.
“Aww. I knew it.” Ivy sniffled. “My big bro’s in love. Finally. I was beginning to think it would never happen. Or else you’d just marry Lucky.”
“He does have his uses, such as heavy duty lifting.”
“And he makes a mighty cocktail. That one he made at his March Madness party got me so lit that Rory was able to talk me into going behind the gazebo and—oh, look at the time. Have to put Rhi to bed. Good luck. Talk soon, love you!” She clicked off before I could decide whether to laugh or throw up.
Family was a hell of a thing, man. But I loved mine fiercely, and I couldn’t wait to expand it with Luna.
I just had to have faith that deep down, she felt the same way for me as I did for her. I’d take a reasonable facsimile until I found the key to make her fall completely for my inimitable charm.
Reversing out of my parking space, I let out a laugh. Yeah, right. If I’d been that cocky once upon a time, I definitely wasn’t now.
Love had a way of humbling a guy.
I pulled up near my building and pocketed the keys as I headed inside. My back tensed as I climbed the stairs. I was already bracing to see Luna’s apartment, knowing she wasn’t there.
Something suspiciously like sorrow clutched my chest. I’d gone about this all wrong.
I walked up our hallway and stopped dead at the commotion around my girl’s apartment. Gavin had just placed a replacement panel for the door against the wall.
“What the fuck happened here?” I dropped my briefcase and full out ran to reach them. There was a jagged crater near the knob, and the doorjamb was splintered.
Neither of the men working on the door answered me or even paid me any mind.
Pure panic drenched me in sweat as I shoved aside Gavin Forrester and came face to face with Xavier Hastings. I grabbed him by the lapels of his designer suit jacket and shook him hard enough to rattle his fillings. “Where is she? What did you do to her?”
Sixteen
“Easy, brother.” Xavier didn’t try to detangle me, just flashed me a slow smile as if we were chatting over drinks. “Gotta say I’m glad to see this display.”
“I’ll show you a display. And I’m not your brother.”
“Good thing, or else this situation would be a bit trickier.”
I glared into his smug, handsome face. He looked rather like a snootier, harder, sharper version of Luna, which was another kick in the ribs. “I’m going to say this slowly. Where. Is. She?”
“I’m just going to take a break and give you two some time.” Gavin stepped back and dusted off his white dress shirt before reaching for his toolbox. I would’ve figured he had a handyman on call for this sort of thing, but then again, he and X had been talking quite familiarly before I arrived. “X, buzz me when we can get back to it.”
I grunted. “You’re doing repairs now?”
“Guess so.” X hooked his thumbs in his pockets. I still had a hold of his jacket, but he didn’t seem to notice. “When I cause the damage to my partner’s place, especially.”
“Your partner? You and Gavin are�
��”
“Not like that. Business partners.” His smooth chuckle infuriated me. “Luna is fine, by the way. I heard a bang in here, and she didn’t come to the door fast enough to suit me.” He shot his cuffs. “So, I made my own way in.”
Finally, I let him go and took a step back. “What kind of bang?”
“The pregnancy kind.”
My concern must’ve shown on my face, because he clapped me on the shoulder. “Come on in for a minute. The door can wait until G gets back up here.”
“X. G. Are you guys too elite to use the full range of consonants and vowels?”
He ignored me as he sauntered into the kitchen. I had little choice but to follow if I wanted to ensure Luna was okay. If he even would tell me the truth.
“You know, I had every right to react like I did,” I called. “This scene was like one from Asher Wainwright’s True Crime podcast. Young woman says she’s going away for a while, then the authorities discover her place was broken into. What was I supposed to think?”
“I’m her brother.”
“Estranged brother. And family can be the most murderous of all.”
He ignored me. I supposed I couldn’t blame him.
Although it seemed ridiculous considering its current state, I closed the door behind me before heading into the kitchen so like my own. Luna had made it hers with soothing touches like the row of leafy plants on the windowsill and the bamboo windchimes over the island.
“I smell her here.” I didn’t realize I’d spoken aloud until Xavier took down a bottle from the cupboard and slid me a glance.
“Brother, you’ve got it bad.”
“Do I need to say again you’re not my brother?”
“No. I fully grasp that fact. But I have sympathy for you. Hell of a thing when a woman is carrying your baby and makes decisions without consulting you first.”
I frowned. “Her body, her choice.”
“That’s true. But it takes two.” He poured something into a short glass and slid it toward me across the island. “You look like you need this.”
