Laney grabbed my hand. “What exactly do you mean, ‘someone like him’?”
“Someone who’d be so easy to fall in love with. Someone so exactly everything I’ve ever wanted,” I confessed gravely.
Remember that Great Wall? The one that love laughed in the face of? Well, it had one crucial design flaw. One that would inevitably bring the whole thing crashing down in a pile of dust and bricks time and time again. I was beginning to understand that I could re-erect it all I wanted, but it would never be impenetrable. It could only ever offer brief periods of protection until my traitorous heart threw a damn rope ladder over the side along with an engraved invitation to come on over and steal it.
I sniffled and Fiona handed me a tissue. “Oh, sweetie.”
“I know,” I gave a pitiful laugh. “I’m half in love with the smartass already. You wouldn’t know it from hanging out with me, but it doesn’t take much. I’m kind of a love wimp.”
That made them both grin.
I felt a couple fat tears roll down my cheeks. “And to make matters even worse, I think I’m finally turning into a girl!” Cue sobbing mess, yet again.
Shit.
I watched Jake’s chest rise and fall as he slept beside me. I only felt a little like a creeper, but I couldn’t sleep and he really was a sight to behold. My fingers itched to stroke the contours of his well-developed arms, but mostly, I just wanted to kiss him again. There was something about his kiss that flipped a switch inside me. I knew I was in deep trouble.
After we’d finished the champagne, we made out some more and talked into the night. We joked and bantered back and forth and even had our first fight—well, I had to call it that because how could a person seriously try to argue that Goodfellas is better than The Godfather. He was clearly trying to make me mad. We quickly had make-up sex, though, so all was right with the world again when Jake finally passed out and I found myself still wide awake.
This night had been the most incredible of my life and I was ripped to shreds that things with this man couldn’t last past this one night. I could feel my heart wanting to give itself to him already, and I wanted to kick myself at my stupidity. Jake had the power to utterly crush me as I’d never been hurt before. I knew it and I couldn’t let it happen.
I’d just have to write a note with some made-up excuse, and sneak out before he woke up. I couldn’t bear to see his face when the light of day broke whatever spell had been cast on us. To hear him make false promises and walk out the door would hurt too much. I resolved to carry out my plan just as a powerful yawn forced my eyes to close. I supposed I could just close my eyes for a moment.
Sunlight pierced through my eyelids and I blinked them open. Shit! I’d fallen asleep. I looked quickly to the side, but, apart from me, the bed was empty. I swallowed the lump in my throat that had suddenly formed.
Well, it looked like I’d gotten my wish after all. I wouldn’t have to see his face when he promised to call. And I wouldn’t have to fight against the urge to give in and take a chance.
I slowly sat up and stretched. My body ached in places I didn’t know could ache—a bittersweet reminder of my night as Bailey 2.0. I made my way to the bathroom and caught sight of a piece of hotel stationary on the counter.
Morning, Irish. I didn’t have the heart to wake you—you were sleeping like the dead so you must have needed it. I guess I did a good job wearing you out last night! My mom called and needs help transporting some supplies this morning. I’ll call you later today.
—Jake
I walked back out to the bedroom, still holding the note in my hand. I read it over one more time before sinking back onto the bed, my head a confused mess.
Of course he wrote a note, I told myself. He’s a great guy. Good guys write notes the morning after. But I wouldn’t hold my breath for that call. And even if he did, by some miracle, follow through, I would have to steel myself to resist the temptation to take things any further. Because when Jake Beckett walked away, as I knew he would, he’d take more than I could afford to lose.
It was Monday morning, and I was at my desk, staring at my phone as it sat there taunting me. I had a missed call from Jake and a voicemail I had yet to listen to.
The girls had finally left my place around dinnertime the night before, and I’d fallen asleep almost immediately thereafter. All that sharing was exhausting. I don’t know how they did it on a constant basis. Before they left, I voluntarily doled out hugs instead of arm punches, which would have been my normal MO. These girls had given up their Sunday to hang out with me and try to make me feel better. I was realizing how lucky I was to finally have girlfriends. Crazy, I know.
I was still trying to work up the nerve to listen to Jake’s voicemail when a call from Kelly came through. That was odd. We rarely spoke on the phone. I had a sudden fear that she was calling on behalf of Jake. That thought was both frightening and laughable. Before I could think too hard about it, I answered.
“Hi, Kelly.”
“Bailey, hi. How are you?”
“Apart from needing a nap already, I’m good,” I joked. “What’s up?”
“Oh, well,” she paused, her voice sounding a bit strained. “Could we meet for lunch today?”
“Uh, sure,” I said, still feeling a bit wary. “Any place in particular?”
“Well, I was hoping you could come over to my house. I’ll cook.”
Ah, she was trying out recipes. I was always up for that. “Sure! I’d love to be your guinea pig. Fiona was over yesterday and made this awesome frittata. I didn’t even know what one was until then.” I laughed.
She returned my laugh before continuing, “Great. How about noonish?”
“Sounds good. I’ll be over then.”
I was starting to think having professional caterers as friends was one sweet deal.
When midday approached, I snuck out without telling anyone where I was going. I hadn’t seen Mark all morning and I was kind of glad. Part of me was embarrassed about the previous day, but the other part just needed a break from anything remotely emotional.
Kelly answered the door wearing a yellow top that brought out the various colors in her eyes—eyes that were eerily similar to Jake’s, I noted. Damn. She beckoned me in and wrapped me up in a hug, which was kind of a new thing, but I went with it. I was getting super good at this sharing stuff.
I looked around the small but tidy living room. “Is anybody else coming or is it just us?”
That’s when I noticed her wringing her hands. This could not be good.
“Kelly, is something wrong?”
She gave me a pained smile. “I don’t know.”
I just looked at her questioningly.
“Oh God, this is none of my business.” She covered her eyes with one hand and shook her head.
Jesus. Was she really going to step in on Jake’s behalf? Had he asked his mommy to talk to a girl for him? What the hell? I was pretty sure using your mom as your pimp broke some sort of cosmic code of conduct.
“What’s going on?” I asked quietly with a tilt of my head. I half expected Jake to pop around the corner and yell, “Surprise!” in some impossibly sexy way.
“Do you want to eat? We should eat,” she said and nervously shuffled toward the kitchen.
“Kelly?”
She stopped in her tracks and then turned slowly to face me again. Inhaling deeply, she threw her hands out to the sides. “Okay, you’re probably going to laugh, but something occurred to me yesterday and I can’t get it out of my head.”
Okay, this didn’t sound so bad. I gestured for her to continue.
“Well, it’s just that I know you fairly well and I heard some things.”
I cut her off. “Oh God, Kelly. I know. I’m sure it’s really weird for you that Jake and I went out a few times. But I’m pretty sure it’s over anyway. And I’m also pretty sure you heard all about the fiasco on Friday. Really, let’s just move on. You don’t need to worry, and I’m sorry if we put you in
an awkward position.” Kill me now.
She held her hand out to stop me. “No, that’s not it. Well, not really. I was actually thrilled when I heard you and Jake were dating.”
I couldn’t help it—a little smile escaped before I remembered we were over.
“But I’m referring to a few…other things. It’s just that you’ve been uncharacteristically emotional lately, right? I mean, in all the time I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you shed a tear.”
Huh? “Um, yeah…” Where was she going with this? “I think Fiona and Laney are on a campaign to free my inner girl,” I tried to joke.
She didn’t acknowledge my lame joke. “And I heard about you passing out a couple weeks ago—and then Jake said something yesterday about you throwing up.”
I covered my eyes. “Seriously?! He told you about that?!”
“And you said earlier that you needed a nap.” She powered right on through.
I moved my hand and looked at her again. What in the world was she getting at? “Yeah, I’ve been totally exhausted. I have this cold and I’m all congested. It’s kicking my ass.”
She folded her hands neatly in front of her and gave me an expectant look. When I didn’t respond, her expression turned to one you’d give someone who insisted unicorns existed. I’m sure the look I returned fell somewhere on the scale between bat-shit crazy and utterly stupid.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
“What?!”
She approached and took both of my hands in hers, leading me to the couch where we both sat. Oh, look, another person making me sit. Gah!
Finally, she spoke. “Bailey, sweetie, I know this is intensely personal, but I have to ask anyway. When was your last period?”
What. The. Fuck?
I stared at her silently. I was dumbfounded. I mean, I was the absolute definition of dumbfounded.
Kelly just held my hand and waited for a response.
My eyes finally fell to the side as I counted. Then I counted again. The sum was not good. My period was four weeks late—how had I not noticed this? What the hell was wrong with me?
But, no—this was impossible. There was no way I could be pregnant. The only person I’d had sex with in the last several months was Jake. We’d used protection! Not to mention, I’d just been to the hospital where they’d checked me over and declared me healthy—as in, not pregnant!
Wait, no. Shit. They hadn’t actually done a urine test. I am completely incapable of peeing under pressure—the expectations are too intense for my poor bladder, and it always crosses its legs and refuses to cooperate.
But, regardless, I couldn’t be pregnant.
Oh, God. Please don’t let me be pregnant. Are you listening?
My panicked eyes found Kelly again. She gave me a half-smile and squeezed my hands. “I got you something,” she said before rising from the couch and retrieving a drugstore bag from her purse.
It didn’t take a genius to know what was in that bag, and I wanted no part of it. No, ma’am! I was done being a girl.
Chapter Twenty
Discovery
JAKE
“Put the taller trees in the back corners,” I instructed Tom, one of the crew working with me on the Vaughn project. “I don’t want them potentially obstructing anyone’s view if they decide to grow much taller.”
I wiped the sweat from my brow with the back of my glove and surveyed the yard. We were making good progress and I was hoping to finish the planting in the next few days. Then we could focus on some of the material installations while keeping an eye on the shrubs and trees to make sure they were acclimating. Last week, the yard had been an unholy mess as we’d pulled old plants and began digging holes. I was afraid Mrs. Vaughn was going to kill me but, as promised, everything was now coming together. My vision was coming to life, and even the prim older woman was beginning to relax.
“I’m quite partial to the rose trees,” a voice sounded from behind me. I turned to see the older woman as she watched Tom settling one of the trees in its new position.
“I’m happy you like them. They’ll be beautiful next summer, just in time for the wedding.”
I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket, and I quickly pulled a glove off to snatch the device before the call could go to voicemail. Jax. Damn.
“Not who you were hoping to hear from, I take it?” asked Mrs. Vaughn. I felt myself color a bit as I realized my emotions must have been written all over my face.
I shrugged sheepishly. “Not exactly.”
“Well,” she began, dusting some invisible lint from her skirt, “perhaps it’s old fashioned of me to say, but don’t you think you should call her instead of waiting around for her to call?”
I chuckled, surprised that she was delving into this. “Believe me, ma’am, I’ve been more than clear about my intentions. And, just for the record, I did call last night. I even left a message,” I said with a grin as if divulging a secret.
She nodded and smiled shrewdly. “And you’re worried she’s not interested, is that it?”
I looked at my boots, trying not to smile outright. “That’s not exactly the impression I’ve gotten.”
At that, Mrs. Vaughn actually laughed. “I think I’m beginning the get the idea, Mr. Beckett. In that case, all I can tell you is that a young woman always has her reasons. Perhaps it’s time you go discover hers.”
She gave a nod and turned to walk back to the house. Then she paused, looking toward Tom again. “Tell your man he’d better line those trees up precisely. We’re striving for perfection, Mr. Beckett.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I smiled and headed toward Tom while Mrs. Vaughn walked back to the house. A return call to Jax would have to wait. We had perfection to attain this afternoon.
By the time the day was over, I was filthy, smelly, and exhausted. We’d kicked ass and accomplished more than I’d planned for the day, however, so I was feeling good on the drive home.
I gave Jax the return call I owed him and learned that a certain Tessa McGuire was not sharing my good mood.
“Man, you weren’t kidding with that one,” Jax said.
“What one?” I had no idea what he was talking about.
“Tessa McGuire. She stopped by today since you apparently didn’t return her phone calls this weekend.” I could hear the delight in his voice. Why was my pain so pleasing to him? Ass.
“Seriously? I texted her back telling her we were right on schedule! Her project isn’t even starting until next week.”
He chuckled at that. “Well, apparently, she was looking for a little more personal attention.”
“Shit,” I groaned into the phone.
“Relax, I got you covered. I told her you would stop by tomorrow afternoon to answer whatever questions she has. I also talked to Ollie and he’s making himself available to go with you.”
I sighed. “Thanks, man. I don’t want to drop this project, but I do not have a good feeling. I appreciate you having my back.”
“Not a problem. Apart from the money we’ll make on a project this size, I gotta say the entertainment factor is making this one worth the trouble.”
“Says the guy who doesn’t have a stalker.”
He laughed. “No. I mean, you should have seen Fiona when Mrs. McGuire came in asking for you. I thought our girl was going to claw that woman’s eyes out. You’ve officially got yourself a five-foot bodyguard, complete with high heels and a dirty mouth.”
“God, I can just imagine.” I chuckled at the mental image.
“I’m thinking of installing surveillance cameras for the next time your admirer stops by,” he joked. “And I’m guessing there will be a next time.”
Unfortunately, I was guessing the same thing.
Thoughts of Tessa McGuire flew from my mind as soon as I pulled onto my mom’s street and noticed Bailey’s car parked in our driveway.
“Hey, man, I gotta go. Thanks again.” I didn’t even wait for a response before hanging up.
I parke
d my truck on the street and jogged up to the front door. I walked directly to the living room, expecting to see her on the couch, but there was no one there. An inspection of the kitchen proved the same. I’d just turned around when I was halted abruptly by my mother as she raced from the hallway.
“Jake, wait,” she said in a quiet but urgent voice as she practically ran into me and put a hand on my arm. She seemed a bit panicked.
“You okay? What’s wrong? Where’s Bailey? I saw her car in the driveway.”
“Come into the kitchen.” She dragged me by the hand and I followed, trying to guess what was going on. “Sit.” She gestured to one of the kitchen chairs, but I didn’t feel like sitting.
“What’s going on, Mom?”
She sat down and began wringing her hands.
“Did something happen?”
“No. No. I just wanted to catch you before you went bursting into your room.” She paused and bit her lip before continuing. “Bailey’s asleep in there.”
I looked down at my mom. “Oh, is she all right?”
“Yes. Just exhausted. Let her sleep, okay? When she wakes up you can see her.”
“Okay.” I sat down, now unsure what to do with myself. “Just curious. How long has she been here?”
My mom stood up at this question and walked to the fridge. “Um, since around lunchtime?” she asked more than said. “You look like you need a drink. Water?”
“Yeah, thanks,” I responded distractedly, trying to work out why Bailey would have come over in the middle of a workday. “Didn’t she have to work today?”
Setting the water in front of me, my mother said, “Oh, I invited her over for lunch and she wasn’t feeling well. I suggested she lie down and she’s been asleep ever since. I called Mark and told him to let work know she was ill.”
“But you said she was fine.” Something wasn’t right here.
“She is.” I got a pat on my hand. “Like I said, you can talk to her when she wakes up.” My mother left the kitchen and headed quietly down the hall to her room.
The Lucky One (Carolina Connections Book 3) Page 15
