by Gia Riley
He doesn’t even have to turn around to know it’s me behind him. “Morning. Sleep okay?”
“Um, yeah. I woke up once, but I got back to sleep.”
He sets a plate of toast in front of me, and a glass of juice. “I heard you get up.”
“Oh, did I wake you up?”
He shakes his head. “No, but I couldn’t seem to get back to sleep. Been working on the puzzle ever since.”
I glance at the other end of the sprawling antique table, and he has puzzle pieces all over the place. The frame is loosely built with a few pieces to connect it all together, still missing.
“Do you want to go out for a little while? Maybe take the four wheelers for a drive?”
“I don’t know how to drive one of those things.”
“You can ride on mine. I won’t go fast.”
It actually sounds kind of fun, and I don’t want him to think I’m not grateful for the offer. He’s always trying to make me happy, and I should probably make the most of this little getaway since I’m here. “Sure, sounds like fun.”
He smiles and sets some scrambled eggs on the table. “Eat up,” he says.
I narrow my eyes, and he laughs. “When were you planning on telling me you knew how to cook something other than toast? All this time I’ve been making food for you so you wouldn’t starve.”
He shrugs his shoulders. “Maybe I liked you taking care of me.”
“Maybe,” I whisper. I concentrate on my food, hoping the awkwardness between the two us will disappear. I would do almost anything to get our friendship back to the way it was before he kissed me. Ever since, it’s been weird, and I don’t have the heart to tell him I can’t be with him. Even if I have to.
“Meet me out back when you’re finished. There’s someplace I want to show you. Wear something warm.”
After I finish my breakfast, I take a quick shower and throw my hair into a lazy ponytail. I dress in a warm sweater, my coat, and jeans. These are the last pair I can actually get on and still breathe. They were my period jeans, as Becca called them—the ones you buy a size or two bigger for days you’re super bloated. Now, they’ve become my everyday staple.
“Who’s all coming?” I ask Carson, as he pulls his four wheeler out of the shed. He hands me a helmet, and I put it on, clipping it under my chin.
“It’s just me and you. Wyatt’s taking Becca to some wine tasting thing. Kate was going to tag along with them. I figured since you couldn’t drink, I’d find something for us to do.”
“Becca’s not even twenty-one. How can she go?”
“It’s a little vineyard. Wyatt plays football with the owner’s son. So, he invited them to stop by.”
I guess when they wanted to spend more time together as a family, it didn’t include me. They could have at least invited me. I would have been okay watching.
“Are you mad?”
“It’s whatever . . .”
Carson stands in front of me, holding my face in his hands. “It’s not whatever. If you’re upset, say so.”
“I’m pissed my own brother still hasn’t spoken to me. And I’m pissed I was forced to come all the way here, and they don’t even want to spend time with me. So, yeah. I guess I’m just pissed.”
He leans forward and kisses the tip of my nose. “You’re pretty damn cute when you’re pissed, Kins.”
Right now would be the perfect opportunity to tell him I’m not comfortable with him kissing me, not when I’m pregnant with someone else’s baby, but again, I chicken out. It’s not in my DNA to hurt feelings. “Can we go now?”
“Sure, come on. I’m taking you about a mile from here. There’s this really cool bluff that leads to a waterfall. It’s not huge or anything, but it’s pretty cool. I think you’ll like it.”
I stare at the four wheeler, wondering where he wants me to sit. “What do I do?”
He chuckles, hopping on first. “Grab onto my shoulders, and pretend you’re getting on a horse.”
“Sounds easy enough.” Once I’m on, Carson reaches behind me, and wraps my arms around his stomach. “Hold on tight, and don’t let go. Even if we’re not going very fast, okay?”
“Okay.” I don’t tell him, but I’m actually pretty scared about being on the back of this thing, but he would never put me in danger, so I trust him to get us where we’re going in one piece.
He keeps his promise, and doesn’t go very fast. As he points out places he’s been hunting since he was a kid, we see two deer near his tree stand. He shows me where he shot his first deer, and a couple minutes later, he pulls up next to a rocky cliff. After he helps me off the four wheeler, I peel my helmet off my head.
“We can walk around the back side. There’s a little trail over there.”
“Thank goodness, I thought we were going to expect me to scale this thing.”
“We’ll save the real adventures for after you have the baby.”
The way he hints at the possibility of a long-term relationship, only makes me feel guiltier for spending time with him. Rhett’s the one I should be with today—at his uncle’s cabin. I didn’t even get to wish him a Happy Thanksgiving yesterday, but falling asleep with him only a phone call away, makes me smile. Even through the rough parts, he’s willing to help me.
I follow Carson and he reaches for my hand, helping me slide between some trees. The leaves on the ground are a couple inches thick, and mixed with the rain we’ve been getting, it’s slippery. But he gets us to where he wants to go, safely.
“We can sit here.” He points to a large rock with a flat surface that looks like it’s been placed here on purpose.
“It’s really pretty out here.”
He looks around at the trees and all their changing leaves. “It’s one of my favorite places to be. Ever since I was a kid.”
“It’s really special.”
“We’re you ever going to tell me?” he questions, out of the blue.
I assume he’s talking about the pregnancy, so I answer him honestly. “I probably wouldn’t have told you yet. Rhett was set on keeping it between us until we figured out what to do.”
He nods his head. “Good to know, but I meant about last night.”
“Last night?”
“I came to check on you when I heard you get up. I heard you talking to someone, and there’s only one person you would talk to that late.”
“I didn’t realize you were awake.”
He stares off into the distance as he says, “I came into your room, and you were asleep. I saw your phone resting on your face, and pulled it off. When I did, I saw he was still on the line.”
“Did you hang up?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you say anything?”
“Yeah.”
“Why would you do that? You have no right coming into my room and messing with my stuff. What did you say to him?”
“That we were going to sleep—and that I’d make sure you were taken care of from now on.”
I gasp, covering my mouth with my hand. “Please, tell me you’re lying.”
“Why does it matter? You broke up with him. You said you couldn’t be with him.”
“I’m having his baby. His child!”
“I told you I’ll take care of you. You don’t need him anymore, Kins.”
I rip my phone out of my pocket, trying to dial Rhett’s number, but there’s no reception. I hold the phone in the air, spinning in a circle to get it to work—but there’s still nothing. “I have to call him.”
I hurry back the way we came, slipping a couple times, but managing to make it back to the top on my own. I check my phone again, but there’s no service. “Take me back. Now.”
“Kinsley, you’re making this a bigger deal than it is. It was late.”
I spin around to face him. “No, Carson! You’re rubbing it in his face. Nothing about what you did is okay.”
“Just, calm down. Talk to me, Kins. I love you so much.”
“Carson, no.”
“Baby, th
is is our chance. We can finally be together.”
I look him straight in the eye, and never second guessing it, I tell him the truth. “I love Rhett. He’s the one I want to be with.”
Carson runs his hands over his face, growling with frustration. He throws his hands up in the air, and starts walking in the opposite direction. Where to, I have no idea.
“Carson, if you don’t take me back, I’ll do it myself!” My threat doesn’t faze him. He just shakes his head and keeps walking.
I straddle the ATV like I did the first time, and turn the key in the ignition. I haven’t actually driven one on my own, but it can’t be that much different than the motorcycle my dad used to have. I get it started, only it’s a lot more powerful than I anticipate. I lurch forward a couple times before I get it going.
“Kinsley! No!”
I hear Carson, but I don’t stop. He didn’t stop for me. I press the pedal all the way down and gun it back to the cabin. The last thing I remember is hearing Carson’s voice in my ear, telling me to hold on.
I never figured out what I was supposed to be holding onto before the daylight was replaced with darkness.
MOM’S GOING ON and on about the pumpkin pie at the club, and how it’s the best it’s been in years. She’s been trying, since she woke up, to get me to go to the social this afternoon. I already told her I wasn’t interested in putting on a suit to eat pie with stuck up people.
Her response? “Then wear a sweater.”
She’s never going to understand that just because she’s living this life, I don’t have to do the same. It was fun when I was a kid, going to huge houses, and parties at the kids’ club, but now, it’s just one big stage for the wealthiest in town to show off.
“You’ll be missing out on a fun time.”
“That’s okay,” I tell her. Luckily, my phone rings, saving me from this never-ending conversation.
“Becca?”
She’s breathing heavy into the phone like she’s been running or something. “Are you at the gym?”
“No, Rhett. I’m just getting to the hospital.”
As soon as she says the words, I start to sweat. I sit down on the couch, preparing myself for what’s coming next. “What happened?”
Before she can explain, she breaks down, sobbing into the phone. “She had an accident on the four wheeler, Rhett. She wrecked and she hit her head. Carson carried her back to the cabin and then we called 911.
“Fuck! I’m on my way.” I hang up my phone, running to my room, grabbing the first pair of pants and shirt I can find.
“Rhett, honey. What is it?”
“Kinsley’s been in an accident. I think it’s bad, Mom.”
She covers her mouth. “The baby.”
“I have to get to her.”
“You can’t drive like this. Let me take you. Your father’s in the garage. We’ll all go.”
My hands are shaking so bad I can barely hang onto my keys. I hand them to her, like she’s going to take my truck instead of her Mercedes. She doesn’t say anything though, only tucking them into her purse.
I message Becca back as soon as I’m sitting in the car, praying she has good news for me.
Rhett: Is she okay?
Becca: I don’t know. They won’t let us see her yet.
I throw my phone on the seat beside me, tipping my head back against the head rest. I spend the next hour and a half reciting every prayer I can think of. I’ve prayed more on the car ride to the hospital than I’ve ever prayed in my life. But I make sure to say each prayer twice—once for Kinsley and once for my baby.
Dad pulls up to the ER and lets me out of the car before going to find a place to park. Once I’m inside, I search for Becca, and I find her cuddled on Wyatt’s lap. “Where is she?”
Kate stands up, walking toward me. “I just left her room. They were prepping her for stitches.”
“Stitches?”
“She hit her head and she has a gash above her eye.”
Becca stands up and hugs me, tears still falling from her eyes. “Go see her, Rhett. She needs you.”
Kate takes my hand, and walks me toward Kinsley. “She can only have one visitor at a time. They’re doing some labs and some tests, but they said it’s okay to sit with her through it all.”
“She’s alone?”
She swallows before shaking her head. “Carson’s with her.”
I take a deep breath before I walk in her room. Carson’s sitting in the chair next to her, holding her hand. Her eyes are closed, but they flutter open as soon as I’m near her. “Rhett,” she whispers.
Carson’s head swings around and I grab him by the back of his preppy sweater, physically removing him from the chair he’s sitting in. It’s my chair. Next to my girl. “Get the fuck out of here.”
“I don’t have to do a damn thing you tell me to do.” He’s about to come at me when Kinsley starts to cry.
“Carson, I need to talk to Rhett. Alone.”
“Sure. I’ll be in the hallway if you need me.” He glares at me before leaving the room with his head hanging. I can’t stand him.
Once I dry Kinsley’s tears, I hold both of her hands, warming them up. She’s so cold she’s practically shivering. “I was so scared. I thought I lost you.”
“The baby, Rhett.”
“What do you mean?” I knew it was a possibility, but I didn’t let myself go there on the ride here. I told myself that if she was okay, the baby would be okay, too.
“I’m bleeding. I-I could lose the baby.” She sobs harder and harder as she says each word. Saying it makes it real, and I know it’s not easy for her to do. Not when the mere thought of losing either one of them was enough to bring me to my knees.
I pull back her blankets, careful not to sit on any of her wires, or mess with the IV in her hand. “It’s in God’s hands now, Sunny. But you’re going to be okay.”
“My baby,” she says. “I need my baby to be okay.”
“Our baby is strong, Sunny. Just like you.”
Before I can give her anymore words of encouragement, the doctor strolls in with a clipboard in hand. Only he doesn’t look like we’re feeling. In fact, he smiles when he sees the two of us together in her bed. “You must be Rhett.”
“I am.” I hold out my hand, and he shakes it.
“I’d say luck was on your side today. The baby is doing well, the labs all came back perfect, and your x-rays were clear. No broken bones. Other than the soreness, and the stitches on your forehead, you’re doing very well considering.”
“What about the blood?” she asks him.
“It may or may not have been caused by the accident. Your placenta is low lying, and this could simply be the beginning signs of placenta previa. It’s a fancy word meaning part of your placenta is blocking the cervix. It gradually moves upward during pregnancy, but if yours stays low, it might be cause for concern. You could possibly need a C-section during delivery. We’ll know more with time.”
“She’s not from this area. Will her doctor get all this?”
“Absolutely. We’ll do another pelvic exam in a couple hours and we’ll continue to monitor the baby. If all goes well, we’ll discharge you tomorrow and you can follow-up with your physician.”
I need a little more clarification after he rattled all that off so fast. “The baby is okay though, right?”
“Yes, perfectly fine.”
We both sigh with relief. “See, Sunny. The baby is strong.”
The doctor jots down a few of her vitals before leaving the room. As soon as we’re alone, Kinsley reaches for me and I hold her tighter than I ever have before. I rest my hand on her stomach, gently stroking her skin.
“I love you, Rhett.”
“You have no idea how much I love you, Kinsley West.” She sniffles again, and I reach for a tissue on the tray near her bed.
“Thank you,” she says, as she takes it from my hand. “I’m so sorry Carson lied to you last night. He told me what he said to you, an
d I was so upset. I took the four wheeler so I could get back to the cabin to call you. I was so scared you would think I didn’t want you.”
She wrecked and almost lost our baby because of Carson. “I get that you care about him, but I don’t want Carson anywhere near you or the baby anymore.”
“Okay.”
That was too easy, so I say it a second time in case she thinks I’m not serious. “I mean it. Even if you have to move.”
“Rhett, I kissed him,” she says in a rush.
As if this day couldn’t get any worse, another bomb’s dropped on me. The thought of her lips coming anywhere near his, makes me want to break things. A lot of things—everything. “Did you sleep with him?”
She lifts her head off my chest, shaking her head. “No, I could never do that. I don’t even know why I kissed him. I regretted it before it was even over. My head was so mixed up about losing you.”
“You didn’t lose me, Sunny. You left.”
“I know. I regret that, too.”
“All you have to do is come back.”
“You’re not mad at me?”
I’m so mad at her for leaving me in the first place, but after what she’s been through, I’m more thankful to have her than anything. “Sunny, it would be a whole lot easier to marry you someday, if you were my girl.”
She giggles, and it’s the sweetest sound I’ve heard in a really long time. I lean in to kiss her, wanting and needing to remove Carson from her memory. All I want her to think about is my kisses—my lips claiming hers.
I hear someone clear their throat, and I know we’re not alone anymore. But I don’t expect it to be my mother.
“Mrs. Taylor, I wanted to—”
Mom holds up her hand, shushing Kinsley. “No, let me first. I spoke to the doctor for myself. He couldn’t give me specifics, but he said the baby is okay.”
“Yes.”
“Until today, Rhett has always been my baby. I’ve coddled him more than I should. I put up with more than I needed to, but I love him more than anything in this world. Sometimes, I lose sight of the important things. For that, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I threw you out of my home. I’m sorry I called you names a mother should never speak of. I’m ashamed of the way I’ve behaved and I can only ask for your forgiveness.”
