Love Found a Way (Hell Yeah! Book 0)

by Sable Hunter

  Blindly, he walked toward the deeper part of the swamp, moving mindlessly, instinctively. What was he going to do? There was nowhere he could go to outrun what was waiting for him back at his house.

  All he ever wanted.

  The woman of his dreams and a child they’d created together.

  And he could keep neither one.

  …Glory sat nervously on the couch, watching the clock. He’d been gone for almost two hours. She couldn’t do anything but sit and wonder at what would happen when he returned. Part of her wanted to stay furious with him, but she couldn’t. Glory understood why he felt the way he did. He didn’t really hate their child, he hated himself.

  Buford announced T’s arrival as the last tendrils of sunset peeked in through the oak trees across the bayou from T’s house. When he came in, Glory was waiting on him. She could tell by his face that he hadn’t come to terms with her announcement.

  “I don’t know what to say, Glory.” He sounded sad. Resigned.

  She went to him and took his hand. “Don’t say anything, T. Let’s just think about it for a while.”

  Easier said than done, Glory had thought of little else. She knew this was a shock to T but surely once he considered everything, he’d get used to the idea. She would make it just as easy for him as she could. “It will be okay, T-Rex. You’ll see. I’ll do everything.”

  T shook his head. He didn’t know what to do.

  “Don’t make any decision yet. Go with me to the doctor on Monday. I’m supposed to have an ultrasound.” Glory had no doubt that the sight of their tiny child would make all the difference. “Please,” she begged. He’d never know how much she wanted this baby to live, to have a life, to have a father. Glory wanted to give T this child. He didn’t need to know she had a bad heart, or that deciding to keep the child would most likely cost Glory her life.

  Because none of that mattered.

  “You’d be the most wonderful father in the world. I saw how you were at the shelter. The children loved you. You were so gentle and kind to them.” She came to him, stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m not sorry this happened, T. This baby was meant to be.”

  “Don’t.” T couldn’t handle the thought. Not now. “Let’s don’t talk about this anymore now. I can’t handle it.”

  “Okay,” Glory agreed hesitantly.

  For the rest of the evening, they abided by an uneasy truce, easing around one another as if the floor beneath their feet was made from fragile glass and they thought it might shatter if they stepped on it too hard. No one brushed up against the other and a hush settled over the house. Buford was confused, his head moving from side to side as he watched first one, then the other of his people acting strangely.

  T knew Glory wanted to talk further about her pregnancy, but she didn’t bring it up. Instead, they watched a movie. Afterward, neither of them could have identified the film by its title or its plot. When it came time to eat, T wouldn’t let Glory fix anything for supper, he insisted it wouldn’t hurt them to eat cereal. But after she consumed a bowl of Raisin Bran, he jumped up and fixed her eggs and toast, worrying that she hadn’t eaten enough.

  In truth, T felt like he was being torn in half. He kept going back and forth, arguing with himself about the rules he’d set for his life. One minute he decided he wanted Glory to keep the baby. The next, he was angry at himself for getting carried away. Part of him wanted to demand that she get an abortion and if she refused…tell her to get the hell out of his life.

  Even as he entertained the thought, T-Rex shuddered.

  Running her off so she’d be safe was one option – getting down on his knees and begging her to stay with him forever was another. Just the thought of returning to his miserable life of solitude was almost unbearable.

  But what choice did he have?

  T was convinced he was destined for a certain fate and nothing could get him off that path, no matter how much he wanted to escape it.

  For her part, Glory was over the moon. Even if he wasn’t talking about it yet, she was more than relieved T knew the truth. Her hopes were sky high that he’d come to terms with the baby and be as happy as she was. As the evening wore on, Glory just cuddled up on the couch and focused on her pregnancy and the joy it brought to her heart.

  “Are you tired?” T asked, sitting down beside her.

  “A little.”

  He pulled her feet in her lap and began to rub them. “I bet you are, you need to slow down. Maybe you shouldn’t be working at the bait shop anymore.”

  The thought of staying home sounded good to her. Every day she felt a little more fatigued. For the past week, dragging herself to work and taking care of restocking the shelves and getting fresh bait for the shop had become harder and harder. She’d been able to convince herself it was no big deal, but deep down Glory knew she was facing an uphill battle. Since she’d been staring death down from an early age, Glory couldn’t say for sure if she was just brave or sublimely naïve, but somehow she was managing to push the futility of the situation out of her mind.

  “That feels so good,” she purred as he massaged the arches of her feet. His impromptu pampering was the last thing she was aware of…

  The next thing she knew, morning had arrived. Glory awoke in her bed, dressed in one of her pink sleep shirts. Apparently, T had undressed her and put her to bed after she’d konked out on the couch. Sitting up, she scrubbed a hand across her face. “T?” she called, wondering if he’d gone to work or if he intended on taking her to the doctor for the ultrasound.

  Hearing no answer, she pushed the covers off and stood up. “Whoa,” she made a grab for the dresser, a tide of nausea almost bringing her to her knees. “Hello, morning sickness,” she whispered as she made a frantic scramble for the restroom before she threw up on the floor.

  Downstairs, T could hear Glory being sick. Taking the steps two at a time, he rushed to her, wetting a rag, and kneeling next to her. “Does this happen often?”

  She shook her head and he grasped her hair, holding it off her face. “Nope,” she gasped and took the rag from his hand, wiping her face and mouth. “Just lucky, I guess.”

  “Yea, lucky.” T-Rex stared at her pale face. She was so beautiful. He wanted to tell her how ethereal she looked, but their setting left a little bit to be desired. “What time’s the appointment?”

  “Ten.”

  He helped her up. “Why don’t you take a shower and I’ll fix you some breakfast.” How easy it would be to fuss over her. “You should’ve told me as soon as you knew. I bet you’ve been lifting heavy things at the shop.”

  “I was afraid.” She gave in to her weakness for him and her constant fatigue and leaned against him, resting her face on his chest.

  “Of me?”

  “No, silly.” She swatted him weakly on the arm. “Not of you, of disappointing you.”

  T resisted for about half a second before wrapping his arms around her. Closing his eyes, he wished he could find a way to make things right for them both. Glory was a damsel in distress, but he was nobody’s hero.

  …A few hours later, they arrived at the clinic. Glory could feel many pairs of eyes watching their entrance. She could see the admiration in every female’s eyes. A sense of pride filled Glory. Her baby would be so lucky to have such a daddy. After Glory registered, they sat and waited, T kept tapping his size 16 boot on the tile floor. Glory grabbed his knee to keep it still. “Nervous?”

  “Petrified,” T admitted.

  “Don’t be.” She patted the knee she was holding. “I’ll do the hard part.”

  T felt an odd sense of foreboding. She didn’t realize it, but he might be one of those expectant fathers who suffered sympathy pains along with their pregnant partners.

  “Ms. Hudson, the doctor will see you now.”

  Glory jumped, taking T by the hand. “Come on, it’s time.”

  As T followed Glory to the examining room, he felt like he was headed for the gallows. After waiting for
an endless time, finally the nurse came and T found himself standing nervously by the bed as Glory reclined. Her shirt was pulled up, revealing her very flat tummy. T could remember placing kisses all over the creamy expanse. He chased away the erotic thought as the woman checked Glory’s vitals, before squirting some clear goo on Glory’s stomach.

  “Yikes!” Glory cringed. “That’s cold.”

  Glory held her breath as the outline of a tiny child appeared on the screen. “Oh, he’s beautiful!”

  “The baby is too small to determine sex at this point,” the young nurse informed them in a calm even tone.

  T stared hard at the monitor. In the beginning, it all looked like a blur but as the nurse zeroed in on the right spot, he could make out a tiny human on the screen. The microphone amplified the heartbeat, which seemed so loud it filled the room.

  “I’ll get you a printout to take home with you,” the tech said with a smile.

  “Okay, I’d love that.” Glory was so happy, she trembled.

  Once the image was printed, the technician gave it to Glory who had to hold herself back from kissing the paper. After a few seconds, she handed it to T. “See?”

  T took the ultrasound photo and placed it in his pocket without a word. “We’d better get going.”

  “Okay.” Glory couldn’t help noticing that he was being very cold. He had the face of a gunfighter preparing himself to do battle. She straightened her clothes, picked up her purse and followed him out.

  “Glory!”

  The couple stopped in their tracks, the voice had come from a room they’d just passed.

  “Oh, Doctor Osbourne,” Glory murmured, taking a step back and looking into a room to find her doctor. “We were just here for my first ultrasound. Show him the picture, T.”

  T fished the photo out of his pocket, his expression still flat.

  Osbourne took the picture. “Looks just like you, Glory,” he teased with an awkward tone.

  Glory beamed. The thought that her child would look like her brought a thrill to her heart.

  “I’d like a moment of your time, if I may,” Osbourne addressed Glory, returning the ultrasound. When he looked at T, he nodded. “If you’d just wait outside, this won’t take long.”

  T did as the physician asked, taking a seat in the waiting room. He took a good long look at the image of his child, then put it back in his pocket – right over his aching heart. Bowing his head, he tried to make sense of what was happening to him.

  …Inside the doctor’s office, Glory received more bad news. “Your blood pressure is elevated. I wanted to reiterate my recommendation that you terminate this pregnancy.”

  Glory pressed her lips together. “The answer is still no.” She closed her eyes in pain. “How can you bring this up right after I see my baby for the first time?”

  Dr. Osbourne scooted forward in his chair. “I’m sorry if my bedside manner is not to your liking, young lady. I’m doing my very best to save your life. Why don’t we invite your young man back in? I’d like to hear his opinion. I assume you’ve told him all the details.”

  “No. I haven’t. And I’m not,” Glory spoke emphatically. “I’m trusting you won’t betray me. When and if he finds out, will be on my terms. I don’t want T-Rex to feel like he has to choose between me and his baby.”

  Dr. Osbourne just shook his head. “You are one stubborn woman, Glory Bee Hudson.”

  …In the waiting room, T-Rex was fighting his own battle. He had a choice to make. A hard choice. Until he saw the ultrasound, the baby hadn’t been real in his mind. Talking about a child and seeing it was two different things. Immense terror gripped his heart. A father’s greatest responsibility was protecting his child. T knew what he had to do.

  “Are you ready?” Glory’s voice broke into his thoughts, causing his whole body to jerk.

  “Yea, I am.” He stood. “What did the doctor want?”

  Glory refused to say. “Just routine stuff.”

  T figured he wasn’t being told the whole story, but he didn’t deserve to know the details.

  Once they were on the road, they drove a few miles in awkward silence. Finally, Glory turned in her seat and looked across the space to T. “I know you still have reservations, T. You told me once that you wanted a child more than anything. Please let me give you one.” This might be the last thing she ever did, but Glory knew what a good man T was, he deserved to have a child of his own to love, despite what he believed about himself.

  T felt ripped in half as they drove on in silence. He wanted what she was offering more than anything else. A woman to love and a child of his own. A family was his greatest wish in life. But a vile monster lived inside of him and he couldn’t expose the people he loved to that danger. He turned to look at her when they pulled up to his house. For a moment, it all felt so possible. He could see his little boy running around on the soft, dewy ground. Glory was on the porch, yelling down for their little son to be careful around the bayou, Buford nipping at the little squirts heels while T watched with a wide smile.

  “Glory…I.” His mother’s words invaded. ‘The devil lives inside you son. You have your father’s temper.’ He took the ultrasound from his pocket and gave it to her. “I can’t do this, Glory. I’m sorry. I wish things could be different.”

  Glory gasped, accepting the paper he held out automatically. “What?”

  T kept his foot on the brake, but he didn’t turn off the engine. “I can’t be with you. I can’t be a part of this. You knew how I felt about a baby – a family.”

  “I didn’t get pregnant on purpose, T. I didn’t think you could get me pregnant.” Glory placed a hand over her heart, willing it to keep beating.

  T-Rex gripped the steering wheel to keep from reaching out for her. “This isn’t my problem. I still think you need to…it’s not too late for you to…fix this.”

  “No!” Glory felt like she was dying. “Don’t ask me to have an abortion, I just can’t. I can’t – not for anybody and not for any reason!”

  T wouldn’t look at her. “So be it. I’ll help you financially, but I can’t be around the two of you.”

  Glory couldn’t believe this. Everything was falling apart. She didn’t know what to do. Opening the door, she slid out, slamming it shut behind her. She didn’t want to be where she wasn’t wanted. Speaking to him through the open window and across the seat, she asked, “You want me to leave?”

  This was the hardest thing he was ever going to have to do and his heart fell deep into his stomach. “I told you our relationship was temporary. I never asked for this, Glory.” The lump in his throat was as big as a gator. “I can’t deal with this.” He dropped his head and wiped a tear from his cheek. “Yea, maybe you need to think about making other arrangements soon.” Putting the vehicle in reverse, he began to back out.

  Glory followed, running alongside the truck. “Where are you going?”

  “For a long damn drive. If I come back, I’ll sleep in the houseboat tonight. I think we both need time apart, time to think.” Turning his face away from her, he stared out the front windshield and hit the gas.

  Glory ran behind him as long as she could, and when she couldn’t, she stopped and folded her arms around her middle, bending double. She was crying so hard that she couldn’t breathe. An overwhelming sense of loss swamped her. T-Rex didn’t want her or the baby. She couldn’t have an abortion, she just couldn’t. “He doesn’t want me here.” Hardly able to see through the tears, she trudged back to T’s house and climbed the steps. From the inside, Buford scratched on the door. She reached into her bag and pulled out the key T had given her. Slowly, she slipped the cold piece of metal into the lock and turned it. Once the door was open, the dog bounded out, so happy to see her. Moving to sit on the doorsteps, Glory sank down next to the dog. Tears were streaming down her face. Today was supposed to be a good day. Sure, she’d known the edict T had laid down for his life. He was never going to have children, but she’d seen his face when he saw that u
ltrasound. He could love their baby, so easily, if only he’d give himself the chance.

  “What am I going to do, Buford?” She tried to think. Where would she go? Staying here, even at the bait shop was out of the question. She couldn’t do it; she couldn’t be this close to T and not be with him. Hanging her head, Glory faced the truth. T had been crystal clear about what he wanted. He wanted Glory and her unborn child gone. What Glory hoped would draw them closer, had become their breaking point. No longer would her fairy tale continue. Burying her head in Buford’s soft fur, she made her sad plans. Glory would gather her things and be gone within the half hour. Never would she return to this house.

  Never would she be with T again.

  She needed to get somewhere she would be safe and try to take care of herself until the baby was born. After that…

  She refused to think about the future.

  Right now, she just needed to deal with the present.

  She loved him with her whole heart and if she believed anything, she believed in his own heartbreaking way, T was doing what he thought best for her and her baby. “Goodbye T-Rex,” she rose and entered his house for the last time. “Buford, I’m going to put down some food for you and I’ll leave the doggie door open so you can go outside in the back yard when you need to.” Bending over, she kissed the pup, then proceeded to make good her promise, filling several plastic bowls with plenty of food and water. This way, no matter how long T was gone, the dog would be taken care of. “You take care of yourself and your daddy.”

  Slowly and methodically, Glory filled her backpack with the things from the single drawer she’d been allotted. Before she could change her mind, she left the ultrasound on T’s dresser where he’d find it. Once she was through, Glory took one last look around, her eyes memorizing every feature – the kitchen table where they’d eaten, the couch where they’d cuddled, the bed where they’d made love. With a sigh, she told it all goodbye. She’d felt so at home here. Saying one last sad farewell to the sad pup, Glory slung the backpack over her shoulder. Leaving her key on the kitchen counter, she walked out, locking the door behind her. With a heavy heart, she set out for the bait shop. She’d make a quick stop there, pour all the live bait into the bayou, then continue down the road. Later, she’d let her uncle know she couldn’t make a go of it.