Unfinished Business: A Riverton Crossing Novel

by Savannah Maris

  Ginger placed both of her hands on Evan’s face so he was forced to look at her. “Evan, Kayla told me about you dating a girl in high school, but she didn’t tell me the details. I think she wanted me to hear them from you.”

  “Kayla doesn’t know the details. Hell, Mitchell doesn’t even know. You’re the first person I’ve told the whole ugly truth.”

  “Do you still have feelings for her?”

  Evan shook his head. “I felt pity for a while, but that’s it.”

  “I can see that. I don’t think I felt anything but anger.”

  “I can understand that, too,” he said.

  “If her mother was whoring her out, why would people assume it was you?”

  “The Riverton Crossing grapevine is speedy, but not accurate. Everyone knew we were dating, and when I didn’t break up with her immediately they assumed I was okay with it. To my knowledge, it was just her teacher until we broke up. I don’t know, maybe there were more.” He shrugged.

  “So you think the writer had to know about Ruby Mae?”

  “With the choice of words, I’d say yes.”

  “Did you see anyone that night from your childhood?”

  “I hadn’t taken my eyes off you all night. I have no clue who was in that restaurant.”

  “So it could’ve just been someone pulling your chain because you were there with someone they don’t know.”

  Evan sighed. “The valet said the man came from the road, not the restaurant. He walked up so the valet didn’t see what he drove. It had to be someone that knew we went into the restaurant.”

  “Or he could’ve given the valet a big tip to be forgetful.”

  “There was a vehicle following us there. It stayed approximately the same distance behind us from the time it pulled onto the road. It wasn’t harassing us, but stayed back far enough I couldn’t tell anything about it. When we pulled into the restaurant, it went straight so I thought I was being paranoid. Now, I’m not so sure.”

  “What do you want to do?”

  “I need to stay here at least until Mitchell gets back. Is your house rented?”

  “Yeah through the following Sunday then the cleaners will be there Monday. We can go Monday afternoon if you want.”

  “A little over a week. Do you want anything special to eat? I can send Daniel to the store tomorrow so we don’t have to leave.” Evan paused for a moment to mentally switch gears. “What did you find out with your research?”

  “Not as much as I’d hoped. It said if a patch falls off not to use another one until after my next cycle and call my doctor. It also said use other forms of birth control until I know for sure.”

  “If you’re already pregnant, why would it matter?”

  “Until we know if I’m pregnant, we should use condoms. If I’m not, I’m not protected until I have my period.”

  “I told you I see this as forever.”

  “I remember.” She rubbed her hand on his chest. “If I’m pregnant I’m okay with it, but if I’m not I’d like just you and me for a while. You know, maybe actually get married before we have a child.” She leaned forward and kissed him. “Let’s just wait until I can talk to the doctor on Monday.”

  “Promise me you’ll call them first thing.”

  “I promise.”

  It was already after midnight, and they moved to a more comfortable position. Evan was behind Ginger with his arm over her and his hand on her belly. When his hand rested right where their baby would be, he heard Ginger sniffle.

  11

  Sunday was uneventful as they hung around the ranch. Evan finished reviewing the ranch’s financial reports while Ginger finished her article. They swam, rode horses, and made love. After Daniel left, Evan went into protector mode and was preoccupied with the events of the weekend.

  On Monday, Evan woke before Ginger which was abnormal so he quietly left the room to start breakfast. He thought about everything that should happen and everything he needed to tell Mitchell. The one thing he wanted to tell, he’d promised Ginger he wouldn’t. As he poured a cup of coffee, he ran his hand over the island when he saw her round the corner. “I’ll never look at this island the same way again. I just hope no one ever asks why I smile every time I look at it.” The twinkle in his eyes made her smile, too.

  “Mitchell and Kayla may want to replace it if they ever find out what we did.”

  “Not gonna happen. All changes to the house have to be agreed upon by both of us. I won’t agree,” he said with a chuckle to his voice. “But, I made sure to take the cloth to the laundry room to hide any evidence.”

  “You’re a pervert, you know that?”

  “Yep. I’ll try not to laugh the first time I see Mitchell eat anything off the island top. This is gonna be our secret. I swear.” He held up the boy scouts sign even though the look on his face said something totally different. “Good morning, darlin’.”

  “Good morning.” She hugged him. As he kissed his spot she asked, “Will this be my greeting every morning?”

  “That’s my plan.”

  “What happens when you go back to work and we’re in separate states?”

  “I don’t know, but we have a week and a half until then. Here,” he said as he gave her a cup of coffee.

  “You’re spoiling me.”

  “Also in the plan.” He kissed her temple as she took a few sips. Then asked, “What time can you call the doctor?”

  “The office opens at eight-thirty. I’ll call then, but I don’t know if I can speak to a nurse right away.”

  “Darlin’, it’s after nine.”

  “What? I can’t believe I slept that long.”

  “You must’ve needed it. You sending in your article today, right?”

  “How did you remember?”

  “I wanna know everything you do, so I try to remember. I do recall telling you I wanted to read every page in the Book of Ginger,” he said just before he kissed her. The expression on her face was one of astonishment as if no one had ever cared about what she did. He’d show her he was the one who cared. “Can you call them now?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll have breakfast ready when you get back.”

  Ginger found her phone. She pulled out the notebook with her questions as she dialed the number. Now, she read over them while she waited for the nurse to pick up. The longer she sat on hold, the more nervous she became. When the nurse finally answered, Ginger went over exactly what had transpired. She asked all of the pertinent questions and wrote down the answers. She thanked the nurse and disconnected the call.

  While she walked down the hall she saw Evan dip the breakfast he’d prepared. As soon as she was in the kitchen he asked, “What did she say?”

  Ginger sat on a barstool as she looked him in the eyes. “First, she said it’s too late for the morning-after pill.”

  He nodded in agreement.

  “Then basically what the web site said; not to use another patch but to use another form of birth control if I plan to have sex again before my next period. Even though I drank alcohol before I realized my patch was gone, it was probably okay, but I shouldn’t have anymore. If I’m pregnant and it’s a healthy pregnancy, riding the horse shouldn’t have hurt anything. Other than that, I have time to decide if I want to terminate a potential pregnancy.”

  Evan’s face paled when those last words left her mouth.

  “Is terminating the pregnancy even an option for you?” He looked as if he was going to be sick, but she didn’t know if he was scared she’d say yes or worried she’d say no.

  “It was my decision to have sex without a condom, regardless of my birth control being in place or not, so I’m not terminating the pregnancy. If you’ve changed your mind, I need to know now. I won’t ask anything of you if you want out. I promise.”

  “Oh thank God,” he said.

  With everything swirling around in her head she may have been confused, but she definitely heard the relief in his voice. Maybe he just said those
things to keep her here for a weekend of fun-filled sex, but now that reality was hitting, he’d changed his mind. With tears in her eyes, she walked back to his room. It wasn’t theirs anymore. By the time he caught up to her, she’d already gotten out her bag.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  “I’m packing so I won’t be a burden for you. If I leave now, I may get home before Kayla and Mitchell leave.”

  “Whoa! What did I miss?”

  “I heard the relief in your voice after I said I wouldn’t ask anything of you.”

  “No, darlin’. You heard the relief in my voice when you said you wouldn’t terminate the pregnancy. Ginger, it wasn’t just your decision, it was mine too. I thought we talked about this.”

  “We did, but I thought maybe you’d changed your mind.”

  “How can we have forever if you leave?” he asked with a small smile.

  “We can’t.”

  He walked to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “And didn’t I tell you that’s what I wanted?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is that what you still want?”

  “Yes.”

  “All right then. With that settled, how long before you’ll know?”

  “I don’t know. If I miss my period, I guess.”

  “When will that be?”

  She looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “I just had it the week before last, remember?”

  “Shit. Yeah, it drove me crazy to only touch you. So two weeks?”

  “Something like that.”

  He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her forehead. “The only time I wanna see you packing a bag is when we go to your house. I’ve already got enough shit on my mind, so please don’t make me worry about you leaving me too.”

  “You’re right,” she said as she looked into his eyes.

  He ran his hand up and down her back. “Let’s go eat our now-cold breakfast so we can get our work done.”

  While Ginger reheated their breakfast, Evan put on his music. As they were moving around the kitchen “The Fighter” by Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood came on. Evan patted Ginger’s ass. “This song reminds me of us,” he said. They were quiet so she could hear it.

  “Evan, those words,” she said with tears in her eyes.

  “I know. He says them better than I could, but that’s exactly how I feel. I added it to my Ginger playlist.”

  “You have a Ginger playlist?”

  He smiled. “Yeah.”

  She tilted her head to look into his eyes. “What’s on it?”

  He motioned for them to sit as he said, “Songs we’ve danced to, made love to even before it was love, songs I haven’t played for you yet. You’ll eventually hear them all.” He shrugged a shoulder and flashed a cocky grin at her.

  By the time they’d finished eating, Ginger’s leg was bouncing with excess energy that she couldn’t expend. Maybe she’d gotten used to Evan taking care of that more than once a day. That hadn’t happened yesterday, nor had it this morning. A swim would help her so she went to their room to find a bathing suit. With her back to the door, she searched for a bikini. As she was pulling one out of a drawer, Evan’s voice broke the silence, “Not the green one.” Ginger jumped and placed her hand over her heart.

  “You scared me.”

  “You’re jumpy. What’s going on in that head of yours?”

  “I don’t know. I just need to get out. I thought I could burn off some energy with a swim since you aren’t taking care of it.” She had her hands on her hips.

  “What? You need me to wear you out, darlin’?” he asked with a concerned smile as he tucked some hair behind her ear.

  “Maybe. Yeah. I don’t know what to do with myself.”

  Evan placed a finger under her chin and tilted her face toward his. “Why didn’t you say something?”

  She closed her eyes and shrugged her shoulders. “Gin, open your eyes.” He waited until he saw her beautiful green eyes. “Unless we’ve agreed to play, you tell me what you need. I’ll take care of you, one way or another.”

  “Okay.”

  He waited, but she just looked into his eyes without a sound. “Well?” Her face grew hot. “Darlin’, open and honest, remember? I admit I’ve been preoccupied so tell me what you need.”

  “All weekend you distracted me when my brain went places it shouldn’t, but last night and this morning I’ve been on my own to deal with my insecurities. I can do it. I’ve done it before, but your way seems better and faster. Not to mention, we’d been having sex multiple times a day until yesterday. My body is humming with energy, the kind of energy you take care of so well. I need you,” she ended in a whisper.

  Evan pulled his T-shirt over his head. As he reached for hers he said, “I’ll gladly make love to you, darlin’.”

  “No. I don’t want gentle. I need…need…”

  12

  From the look in her eyes, he knew what she wanted but couldn’t voice so he released her shirt and took a step back. His tone changed as he said, “Strip.” He stood with his arms crossed over his chest waiting for her to comply. The only time they broke eye contact was when she removed her shirt. She slipped her panties down her legs and off her feet. As she stood in front of him naked he said, “If you want me to use a condom, get it.” She hesitated, and he cocked an eyebrow in question.

  “Can’t you just pull out?”

  “Not today.” Uncertainty was all over her face. He knew he was pushing her, but this is what she wanted. The only form of edge play he’d participate in. “Ginger, you wanted the Dom in me to come out to play. He’s here. You have a decision to make. You have until I count to five or I’ll make it for you, and you know what my decision will be. If I make that decision, it’ll stand from this point forward. Birth control or not. Pregnant or not. Do you understand?” She nodded so he furrowed his brows. “I need to hear your words.”

  “I understand,” she said, but didn’t make a move.

  “One. Two. Three…” Ginger turned toward his night stand. When she opened the drawer, she saw the handgun. “Four…”

  She quickly turned her head. “The gun is laying on them.”

  “Move it.”

  “Evan…”

  “Fi…” She jerked a sleeve of three out before he finished the word and brought them to him. “Go to the bedpost. Stop when you’re an arm’s length away.” She did as he said while he watched from the other side of the room. “Bend at your hips and hold onto the post. Slide your feet back until your arms are completely stretched out.” She moved into the position he described. Once she was in place, he threw the condoms on the bed where she could see them and walked past her toward the closet. When he walked out of the closet and snapped a leather belt, her eyes moved from the condoms to focus on him.

  Without saying a word he used the belt to secure her hands to the post. “Keep your arms rigid or you’ll hit your head.” He took a foil pack and walked behind her as he tore the pack so she could hear and laid it on her back. Evan knew with the energy she already had and the anticipation growing between them, she’d be shaking soon. “Spread your legs wider,” he said so she shifted her feet farther apart.

  He moved closer and made sure she could feel that his jeans were still on. When she started to speak, he swatted her behind. “I’ll take care of you. All I wanna hear is my name leaving that beautiful mouth.” With her head turned to look at him, she closed her mouth as his hand touched her pussy. She was drenched as he brought her juices from her opening to her little hole. She stiffened when he touched her there. He’d always reassured her of what’d he do, but this time he didn’t. She’s my priority. Her mouth flew open, but he cocked his brow in warning so she closed it again. He moved his hand back to her clit and rubbed. Within seconds her eyes closed as she turned her head back forward and a moan left her as her knees bent.

  “Hold yourself up.” He didn’t break his persona so she straightened her legs as he continued his manipulations. He knew
she was close so he said, “Come on, darlin’. It’s mine, give it to me,” as she flooded his hand. The words had barely left his mouth when she cried out his name. Before she came back down he backed away and unfastened his jeans, and then rolled on the condom. When he stepped back between her legs, she still hadn’t caught her breath as he pushed in balls deep. They’d done that before, but not from this position. Her gasp and sigh told him that was what she’d had in mind so he grabbed her hips and set a feverish pace. “Is this what you need, darlin’?”

  She licked her lips. “Oh, yes!”

  “Let me see your eyes,” he said between thrusts. When she turned her head back to him, he saw they were glassy and knew she’d be flying soon. “Oh, my sweet girl.” He leaned over her back and reached around to her clit. He’d help her take flight. As he continued to pound into her, he rubbed her bundle of nerves until he heard his name for the second time.

  When her legs gave way this time, he held her up while he unloaded himself. By the time he’d finished he was spent, so he unbuckled the belt as they collapsed on the floor. She was on his lap as they were still connected while he massaged her wrists and hands then kissed her neck and shoulder. “Better?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  He’d kissed his way to her temple then asked, “Gin, when I told you to get the condom, why did you hesitate?”

  “I don’t know. At that moment, I didn’t care. All I knew was I needed you inside me and a barrier was the last thing I wanted.” She took a deep breath. “Part of me was saying screw it, just get pregnant if you’re not already. Then the rational part of me kicked in and knew we needed to wait so that’s when I went to get them.”

  “I’m good, either way, you know that.”

  “I know. It’s just…” She shrugged.

  “Let’s get cleaned up.” As he helped her up, he noticed liquid running down her leg. It was too much to just be her. “Oh, shit. Darlin’, plan B may have just failed.”

  “What?”

  “The condom broke.”

  “This can’t be happening,” she said with fear in her voice. “Evan…” she cried.