by Holly Jaymes
I heard movement up the path and saw Tucker running along the lake again, this time in the other direction.
“Hey, Wyatt,” he jogged up to the deck. “Still on bodyguard duty?”
“Today’s the last day.”
“Too bad. I imagine this is the easiest job you’ve ever had.”
I smiled, even though on the inside, I was dying. This had, by far, been the most challenging job. “I’m the envy of men all around the world. Except you, of course.”
He laughed. “Lily Maddox is attractive, but she doesn’t come close to my Emma.”
He was wrong, of course, but I didn’t correct him. I envied him because he loved Emma and even better, she loved him back. Unrequited love was a bitch for sure.
“Shouldn’t you be in Florida or something now?” I asked him. I was sure his next football game was there.
“I leave tomorrow.”
“Good luck,” I said, knowing he’d play well. He’d won the Superbowl last year, and his team was playing well enough this year to win again.
I finished walking the perimeter of the property. Then I called the Minors to see if any of the cabins around us had been rented recently. Everything was quiet.
I headed back inside. “Where’s Lily?” I asked when I didn’t see her.
“She’s resting.” Victoria was sitting on the couch like she’d been waiting for me.
“I’m going to—”
“You can’t leave her, Wyatt.”
“I’m not leaving…what is up with you?” I asked.
“I just…Lily is strong, and she’s going to make it, but she needs you right now.”
I shrugged. “She is strong, and she’s ready to take on the world. Did she tell you about her business plans?”
“We’re not talking business here.”
Exasperated, I asked, “Then what are we talking about?”
Again, she had an expression that she knew something but wouldn’t tell me. “I’m just saying, she needs you.”
I knew she didn’t. She had her father. She had Victoria. And it appeared she could have Trask Holloway as well. So no, she didn’t need me.
When Lily woke, she still looked pale and tired, but I left her and Victoria to their whispering. I was relieved when I got the call from the sheriff that I could go.
I packed up the few items that I’d had there, and then found Lily and Victoria in the TV room watching a movie.
“Well, this is it. I’m officially off your case.” I smiled and acted like this was a good thing.
Lily let out a gasp, and for a moment, I thought she looked sad.
“Don’t go. Join us to watch the movie,” Victoria said, patting the couch beside.
“You girls look like you’re having fun, so I’ll just go unless you need anything before I do.”
Victoria nudged Lily like she was encouraging her to do something. While I appreciated her effort to play matchmaker, it was a fruitless cause.
“I’ll walk you out,” Lily said, standing.
We walked to the front door in silence.
“Well, I guess this is it,” I finally said in the opened doorway.
She nodded. “Will I see you again?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. It sounds like you have new options. You’re ready to move on.”
Her eyes were still sad as they looked up at me. I wished I knew what was going on in her head. Was she feeling bad or guilty about being with me while also in some sort of relationship with Trask? As angry and jealous as I was about that, I couldn’t blame her, really. I knew the situation when I got involved with her. My heartache was of my own making.
“So that’s it?” she asked, almost as if she was mad at me for leaving when she was the one moving on. “You’re just gone?”
I studied her. “This was the plan all the long.”
Her expression was stricken, and I couldn’t figure out why.
“Wasn’t it?” I asked.
She inhaled a breath and nodded. “Yes, of course. I just …it’s sudden.”
“I know you’re going to take on the world, Lily.” I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek savoring her soft skin and sweet scent for one last time. Then I turned and went to my SUV. By the time I got in, the front door was closed behind her.
Over the next two days, I was on my regular duty, which included periodic drive-throughs of Pine Rest to ensure all was well there. Each time, I desperately wanted to go to the cabin and see Lily to make sure she was okay. But I didn’t. It would only prolong the anguish I was feeling.
The next day I was off, and I spent my time at home, dealing with bills and chores, and anything else I could do to take my mind off of her. Usually, when I was in a funk, I went to the family’s cabin, but I knew that would only exacerbate my emotions. There was no way I could be there and not think of her.
I was getting ready to turn on the football game when there was a knock at the door. I opened it to find my brother there.
“Josh?”
“Hey, man. I brought beer and chips. Are you watching the game?”
“Just turning it on.” I let him in.
It wasn’t that unusual for him to show up out of the blue, but it had been less so since he married Allie. I wondered if something was going on.
“Is everything okay with you and Allie?”
He smiled. “We heard the baby’s heartbeat the other day. Oh, my fucking God, Wyatt. It was amazing.”
I patted him on the back, quashing my envy. “Fantastic. Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?”
“Not yet. We’re trying to decide if we want to wait or not.”
We sat on the couch, and I turned on the game. “I think mom is hoping for a girl.”
He laughed. “Probably.” He handed me a beer and opened the chips.
The pregame commentators were talking about the game, mentioning Tucker’s current stats.
“I think he’s playing better since meeting Emma, don’t you?” Josh asked.
“I suppose he is.”
“I know I’m better with Allie.” He laughed. “Did you ever think I’d be married with a kid?”
“I suppose I wondered if that would happen. But I can see it now. You’re a terrific husband, and I know you’ll be a great dad. I look forward to being the favorite uncle.”
He was quiet for a moment. “Wyatt, are you sure you can’t have children?”
My stomach dropped. I was looking forward to a football game, not another talk about my infertility.
“Yes.”
He looked at me. “How do you know?”
I glared at him. “Because after my last surgery, it didn’t work.”
“Are you sure?”
“What the fuck, Josh? I came in a cup, and there were no swimmers. Do you want to see the lab report?”
He looked down for a moment. “I mean…did you do all the follow-ups or whatever. Maybe it’s fixed.”
I could only stare at him. “What’s going on?”
He let out a breath. “Lily is pregnant.”
Until that moment, I don’t think I truly understood emotional pain. It was stupid. Lily and I had never made any promises to each other, and yet, I felt like she’d betrayed me. From the news, it sounded like she betrayed Trask too since she was with me while apparently still being with him.
I stared at the TV as I processed all of this.
“She says it’s yours.”
I shook my head. “It’s Trask’s.” I swallowed the cry of pain growing in my chest. “How do you know this?”
“Victoria brought her some pregnancy tests that came up positive. She told Allie I think mostly to get information about you. I don’t think she wanted to violate Lily’s confidence, but since you left, she was trying to figure out how to help her. Allie then told me. She asked me not to come here, but you’re my brother. I can’t keep this to myself.”
I looked at him as anger and pain whirled. “It’s not mine.”
Chapter 21: On
My Own
Lily
I needed to tell Wyatt about the baby, but I hadn’t seen him again since he left. I was so sure I would. I’d been positive that there was enough between us that he’d want to see me again. I had this fantasy of him sneaking out here to see me. But he never came. He didn’t call. He didn’t text.
Of course, I didn’t call or text him either, mostly because I was confused by his sudden departure and cutting off all contact. But I couldn’t put it off any longer. I had to make a decision about my future. Did I stay and raise this child with Wyatt, or would I go and raise it on my own?
I dressed warmly and put on my hat and glasses, making my first attempt to go to town on my own since I’d tried it when I first got here. I found Wyatt’s address in an old phone book kept in the cabin and used my phone’s GPS to get the directions.
It was the afternoon, which was the best time of the day for me. I was the least tired and usually over my morning sickness. I drove cautiously to avoid black ice, but I did take in the lovely scenery. The snow hung heavy on the trees and glistened in the sun.
I parked in front of the little A-framed house, and for a moment, I just looked at it. It was rustic but well-kept. It had a deck with snowshoes hanging on the wall. A second-story balcony had a pretty string of white lights hanging across it although they weren’t on. It looked warm and cozy like a home.
I walked up the steps to the door and knocked.
Wyatt answered, his eyes narrowed with anger, and I knew he must already know about the baby. I supposed I shouldn’t be surprised that Victoria would tell Allie who’d tell Josh who then told Wyatt. She probably thought she was helping, but it didn’t make me any less angry.
“I need to talk to you,” I said.
His jaw clenched, but he opened the door to let me in. The inside was open, broken up by stairs that also acted as bookshelves.
I walked to the back where floor to ceiling windows opened to a wooded lot wanting the view as a distraction. Wyatt didn’t say anything.
I turned and decided to go with direct. “I’m pregnant.”
The cords on his neck tightened. “Congratulations.”
I stared at him. “That’s it?”
“I’m sure you and Trask will be great parents.”
“What?” I gaped at him. “This isn’t Trask’s baby.” How could he even think that? “It’s yours.”
He shook his head. “Not possible.”
“Not possible? Do they not teach human reproduction here in Eden Lake? We had sex. Many times. Without protection.”
“I told you it wasn’t an issue. And while I know you want out of the limelight, passing Trask’s child off as mine isn’t the way to go. He has a right to know.”
I could only stare at him in shock. “You really think I’d do that? Lie about a baby just to avoid paparazzi?”
“All I know is that the baby isn’t mine.” He leaned against the back of his couch and crossed his arms over his chest. “Was that your goal? Since you were being depicted as a homewrecker in the media, maybe you didn’t want to have to deal with the fallout of getting pregnant. Who better to dupe than some small-town sheriff’s deputy assigned to protect you?”
I could hardly breathe as I looked at the man that I thought I loved. “Who are you?”
“In the end, you’re exactly like I thought you were.”
I felt like I’d been slapped in the face. “You’re nothing like the man I thought you were.”
He flinched but didn’t respond.
It took me a minute to gather steam, but when I did, I let him know what was what. “This is your child Wyatt Dalton. I’m not here to ask you for money or to do anything. I don’t need you, and my baby certainly doesn’t need a father like you.”
He looked down, and I hoped he felt ashamed.
“Since you appear to choose to not be a man, I’ll be leaving and raising this child on my own.” I stared at him again, wondering how I could fall for a man who’d be like this. “When my father starts showing off pictures of his beautiful grandchild, I hope you regret forfeiting your rights and responsibilities to this baby.”
His eyes flashed with heat. “It’s not mine. There’s no way it could be.” His voice was dark. “I don’t work down there.” He made a crude gesture at his groin.
I glared at him. “Maybe you need to revisit the doctor then because clearly, things do work down there.”
Realizing that he wasn’t going to believe me, I turned to leave. As I walked away, my heart felt like it was being crushed under an anvil.
I stopped at the door but kept my back to him. “This is it, Wyatt. Are you so sure about me and your condition that you’re willing to risk not being in your child’s life?”
For a minute, he didn’t answer. “It’s not mine.”
Tears flooded my eyes until I could barely see as I walked out the door and down the steps. I sat in the car, weeping for myself and for my baby. It took a few minutes, but I finally pulled it together enough to drive over to my father’s house. I realized that in all the weeks I’d been here, I hadn’t visited his place. It was a cute slate-colored one-level home set in the trees. It also occurred to me that I probably wouldn’t be back here again. Not anytime soon.
I knocked on his door.
“Lily. Hey honey, come in. I thought I was meeting you later at the cabin.”
“I needed to get out,” I said as I stepped into his home. I was a bit sparse on furniture, but it had the basics; a couch, chair, and table. There were a few books and several pictures of my brother and me growing up placed on a bookcase.
“Are you alright?”
“I need to talk to you.”
Wyatt would probably hate me telling my father about the baby, but I didn’t care anymore. If it weren’t for the baby, I’d have kept us a secret. But I wasn’t going to hide my child like I’d done something wrong.
“Okay. Do you want something to drink? I’ve got coffee. Wine?” he asked.
“Water would be nice.”
“Take a seat. I’ll be right back.”
I went to the bookcase and looked at the pictures he had. My mother, for all her faults at least had been good about sending him photos of us.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” my father asked as he handed me a glass of water.
I went to the couch and sat down. “I have to tell you something, and I’m afraid it’s going to upset you.”
“Oh?” he sat in the chair.
I looked down at the ice floating in my water. “Wyatt and I…well…”
“Wyatt, and you what?”
I could tell by his tone that he had an inkling and didn’t like it.
I lifted my gaze to my father. “I care for him, dad. Or I did. We had a relationship.” I didn’t want to call it an affair or a fling, although I suspect that’s all it was to him.
“God damn it!” He shot up from his chair. “I chose him specifically because I trusted him not to touch you.”
“I know, dad. And he tried not to, but we’re young and were attracted to each other. It’s not his fault. I wanted it too.”
He paced. Then he stopped abruptly. “So why isn’t he here telling me he’s with you if you’re coming out?”
I swallowed. “It’s over now.”
He nodded. “Good. You have a life to live.” He sat in his chair again.
I sipped my water gathering my strength to tell him the rest of it. “Dad. I’m pregnant.”
He stared at me in shock. “What?”
“I’m pregnant.” I laughed nervously. “The past is repeated. Small town cop and model get knocked up.”
His eyes narrowed. “That’s not funny.”
“No.” I looked down again.
“What does he say about this?”
I closed my eyes, knowing this wasn’t going to go well for Wyatt. But I couldn’t care about that right now. “He says it’s not his.”
“What the fuck!” My father shot up from his chair
again. “He’s shirking his responsibility? He touched you, and now is abandoning you and your child?”
I sniffed. “He thinks it’s Trask’s.”
“Could it be?”
My gaze jerked to his in horror. “No! God.” I rose and headed to the door. “What sort of person do you two think I am? I told you the truth about that. He tried to seduce me, and I said no.”
His hand reached out and grabbed my arm. “I’m sorry, honey. You’re right…I just…”
I jerked my arm back. “You’re as bad as he is.”
“No. I’m sorry.”
The tears were running down my face, but I didn’t bother to wipe them. I was heartbroken by Wyatt. I was hurt by my father.
He pulled me in. “Really, honey. I’m sorry. I’m just reeling, I guess.” I let myself be held by him. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to London.”
He pulled back. “What about Wyatt? He has responsibilities.”
“He’s not like you, dad. And if he doesn’t want to be a father, I don’t want him around my child.”
“Lily, maybe he just needs time.”
“Why? I don’t get time to decide if I’m going to be a mother. He made his choice, and it wasn’t this baby.”
He pulled me in again, and I took comfort in my father’s embrace. “Have you told your mother?”
“Not yet.”
“Well, it goes without saying, whatever you need from her or me, you’ll have,” my father rubbed my back.
“I know.”
He leaned back. “I wish you’d stay. I know why you won’t, but I think I’d like being a grandfather.”
My heart tore again that I was going to take this from him. “We’ll come to visit. I promise. I don’t know that I’ll stay in London permanently. I just need to get away, you know?”
“I know. I love you, Lily. No matter what.”
Wyatt could learn a thing or two about being a responsible father from my dad.
“Why don’t you stay for dinner, and we’ll plan out your departure. Your mom talked about being able to charter a plane from San Bernardino to New York. From there, you can fly to London.”
