“He’s probably out playing with Gus. I’ll go get him,” she offered.
“No, it’s all right. I’ll go. You stay under the canopy with the pups.” I smiled heading back the way we’d come. As I neared, I heard feminine laughter. Kyle’s back was turned and I could see the gorgeous redhead he was talking to. Bile rose from my stomach as she leaned in and hugged him fiercely, the curtain of long red hair covering her face made it look as if they were in a heated embrace. I stumbled back, hiding behind the building as the tears started to fall. Fumbling with my phone, I opened the app and called for an Uber. I was lucky I had the good sense to do that through my quiet sobs. Thankfully there was someone less than a minute away, and I was able to run to the car.
Climbing open the door, I made the mistake of looking up into tortured hazel eyes. Why would those eyes be so tortured unless he’d done something wrong? He took a step forward and I panicked jumping in the car and telling the driver to go quickly. He didn’t disappoint as he crunched over the gravel driveway.
The fifteen minutes it took to get to my grammy’s house in Henderson, Kyle called thirty times. I ended up shutting the ringer off because the constant sound was giving me a migraine on top of the constant sobs. The driver must have thought I was a psychopath. He never once uttered a word, either that or he was one of those men who didn’t know how to handle a hysterical woman. I was hoping for the latter. My chest felt like it was going to cave in on itself. My stomach ached with the knowledge that Kyle was just like all the rest. I’d been stupid to put him up on a pedestal. To believe all his sweet words. Once again I was the idiot. On what felt like wooden legs, I walked up the sidewalk to my gammy’s big white house and rang the doorbell. I still hadn’t been able to quiet my sobs.
“Delia? What on earth?” My grandmother looked both confused and concerned as I practically fell into her arms wailing and crying into her neck babbling incoherently. “Come on in, let’s get you some tea and you can calm down and tell me what’s wrong.” She petted my back as she led me to a high backed arm chair in her den.
Moments later there was a steaming cup of earl gray tea in my hand. I breathed in the aroma hoping it would relax me as it usually did but felt nothing but heartache. Grammy sat in a matching chair across from me, eyeing me closely while she sipped her own cup of tea. “What has you so upset, dear?”
“K-Kyle, he, he… Brandon.” I sobbed again nearly dropping my tea. Grammy had always been the first person I went to when things were good or bad. She knew everything about my relationship with Kyle and the way Brandon broke my heart.
Grammy cocked her head to the side as if thinking. I had no idea what she was thinking but she stared into my eyes as if trying to piece together a puzzle. “You confronted him?”
“Well, no….” Shaking my head I looked up into the stern eyes of my grandmother.
“Then how do you know it wasn’t just a misunderstanding? Didn’t you say he has three sisters?” She eyed me shrewdly. Deep down in the logical side of my brain that I was trying really hard to suppress, I knew she was right. I should have confronted him.
“His one sister that I know looks just like him and he has a picture of another one and her husband who also looks similar. This woman looked like a total opposite. She was a fair-skinned redhead with green eyes. The rest look Mediterranean with dark hair and hazel eyes.”
“Just because she doesn’t look like them doesn’t mean that she isn’t related in some way.” Grammy loved playing devils advocate. It didn’t matter. I’d already run off.
“Can I stay here for a while until I can figure out what I want to do?” I asked hopefully. Grammy shot me a stern glare but agreed just the same. I needed time to process what happened and decide where to go from there and I couldn’t be in my apartment. Kyle could not be a part of that decision.
***
The next morning after a night of crying and doing very little thinking, I woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs in the nearby kitchen. My stomach roiled and I nearly didn’t make it to the toilet before retching everywhere. I shrugged it off thinking it had everything to do with crying. I’d gotten so upset as a child that I literally made myself sick, so this was no surprise to me, but over the next several days it happened more frequently. I couldn’t drink my coffee or even smell it without rushing to the bathroom. Grammy started getting even more concerned. I looked like I’d lost weight in the short time I’d stayed with her.
“Grammy, it’s just a stomach bug. I don’t need to go to the doctor.”
“Delia, do not argue with me. I’m taking you to the doctor. That’s the end of it.” When Grammy started yelling, that was it—there was no coming back from it. I got in the car like she told me too and she took me down to the family doctor.
Dr. Powell had been my doctor ever since I could remember. He was a sweet old man and I always liked him, but that still didn’t make me want to go see him. We pulled up in front of the old brown, one story bungalow style building. Grammy let me out at the front and went to park the car.
The waiting room smelled like butterscotch and disinfectant and almost had me retching again, but I just barely held it in. Nurse Powell who happened to be Dr. Powell’s wife handed me a plastic cup and pointed me to the bathroom. She was deaf and couldn’t speak, but she could read lips with the best of them.
After I did my business and brought her the cup she had me take a seat back in the waiting area. It was only a few minutes before the doctor came out and took me back to the exam room.
“It says here you’re prescribed birth control. When did you stop taking them?” Dr. Powell asked kindly.
“What do you mean?” Suddenly I couldn’t breathe. Why would he think I stopped taking my pills? It all came together, the sickness every day, the restlessness and tenderness of my breasts. I tried to remember when my last period was but I couldn’t. “I didn’t stop.”
“Well, you’re gonna have to now. You’re pregnant.” He looked at me a bit concerned before looking back at my chart. “You were prescribed antibiotics a couple months back. That may be when your pills failed. Antibiotics sometimes cancel out the pill.”
I’d heard that before but at the time, it hadn’t even occurred to me. Shit. It all started to sink in. I was pregnant? How the fuck was this even possible? Well, he just told me how it was possible. My heart sunk to my toes when I thought about the situation I found myself in. My phone had been off for days and I’d been talking to everyone who I needed to from my grandma’s blocked phone line. Just because my heart was broken didn’t mean there wasn’t work to do, but now? Hearing this, all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball. My heart was breaking all over again, but not simply for myself, for the tiny baby growing inside me that would have to be without it’s daddy. I know Grammy thought it was a misunderstanding, but I couldn’t get past seeing that girl’s face pressed against him like that. It turned my stomach every time I thought about it.
The doctor prescribed iron and prenatal vitamins and sent me on my way. As I made my way to Grammy’s car, I made a decision, one I hoped I wouldn’t live to regret.
“I think it’s time to go home and get my life back on track,” I said once I got in the car.
“I think it’s for the best. You need to call that boy and tell him the news.”
“What? How did you know?” I hadn’t told her what was wrong with me but somehow she’d guessed.
“Psh, please? You know how many pregnant women in my day?” She rolled her eyes at me. “I knew days ago.”
“Then why not tell me instead of making me feel like crap for days and then forcing me to go to the doctor?” I grumbled.
“Would you have listened to me?” She had a point. I hadn’t missed a pill in seven years. I would have argued to the grave.
“Fair point,” I conceded thoughtfully.
“You’re going to talk to that boy whose been blowing up your phone too.” She looked at me sternly.
&nb
sp; “What do you mean, Grammy. I turned my phone off days ago. What did you do?” I glared at my meddling grandmother.
“I figured you hadn’t called your friend so I thought to text her, but when I powered your phone back on it rang and I answered it.” She shrugged like that wasn’t a complete violation of privacy.
“When?” I growled.
“The day you got sick.” Again with the shrug.
“What did you say to him?” The horror in my voice was apparent. Did she tell him about the baby before I even knew what was happening to me?
“He did most of the talking and if you ask me, you’re being an idiot. That boy loves you and is nothing like that Brandon person. You should hear him out,” she admonished.
“Grammy,” I whined. “You don’t understand. I saw them together.”
My grandmother shook her head sadly before parking the car and stepping out. “You’re gonna regret giving him up. I see the pain in your eyes. I know how much you love him. Don’t let this ruin your life. Talk to him.” She walked down the path to the front door leaving me in the car to stare after. That crazy old lady answered my phone. I should have been angry and I was, but she was right at the same time. I was so confused.
Making a decision to tackle one thing at a time, I got out of the car and walked up the path. First things first, process the bombshell that was just dropped on me, then deal with the Kyle situation. It was time to go home and face reality. I was going to be a mom, and I needed to start acting like it.
KYLE
“Jesus, buddy, ease up, would ya?” Pete rubbed his thigh. “It’s called sparring but it’s like you’re trying to kill me.
“She hasn’t answered my calls in over a week.” I growled. It had been a week since her grandmother answered her phone. Five damn days since Brandy had told me she was back at home. This whole mess was pulling me apart at the seams. Two of my sparring partners had dislocated their fingers while helping me train. Pete was the only one brave enough to practice in a cage with me, and if I hurt him he’d be forced to forfeit his first AMMA match. I needed to calm the fuck down, but I couldn’t until I saw her. I couldn’t breathe until I explained the situation.
“She’s supposed to be at adoption day tomorrow,” Pete said out of nowhere.
“I know, but I doubt she’ll talk to me.” It was more of a murmur than anything.
“Quit being a pussy. Go talk to her. She’s been a mess too.” I heard Darren’s stern voice behind me.
“I thought you didn’t want us together in the first place.” I raised an eyebrow at him as he walked into the cage with a pair sparring gloves on.
“I didn’t but I’m starting to see that you two are better together than apart. Pete, get out of the cage before he messes you up and I have to replace you for your fight.”
“Sure thing, Coach.” He shot Darren a grateful smile before jogging from the cage.
“You keep beating up on your teammates, we aren’t gonna have a team left for the fights.” He shook his head. “Why are you so angry?” He gave me the perfect opportunity to vent all my frustrations. “She won’t even let me explain.” Every time I hit his gloves I punctuated it with words, frustrations. Until I was hitting them so hard and fast I couldn’t possibly speak. It wasn’t possible for my heart to crack open. It had been ripped from my chest and given to Delia. Only Delia hadn’t treated it well. It was bruised by her mistrust. Her silence and her unwillingness to hear me out had caused it to bleed. By the time I was done hitting Darren’s hands with everything I had, I collapsed on my knees in the fetal position letting every bit of sorrow, fear, and anger out until there was nothing left. Darren sat their patting my back for long minutes until I sat up with the first bit of relief. Numbness was the only thing I felt as I stood and left the gym without even bothering to change my clothes. I didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was her, and I obviously couldn’t have her so there was no point in feeling anything at all.
I parked my truck in the parking lot facing her apartment. Her lights were still on but I didn’t get out of the truck. After a few minutes there was a knock on the window. Looking over I saw Brandy standing there with a hand on her hip glaring at me.
“You two are the two of the most stubborn idiots I’ve ever met.” She rolled her eyes. “Hey creepy McCreeperson, why don’t you go to the fucking door like a normal person?”
“She doesn’t want to see me.” I shrugged.
“So, what you’re gonna go all creepy stalker on her? Because that’s sooo much better.” I nearly cracked a smile at that one.
“Nope, I was just hoping to get a glimpse maybe.” I shook my head at the admission.
“Listen, I didn’t tell you this, but she has a lot on her plate right now. Like way more than anyone should have to process on their own. Don’t give up on her. You have to tell her what really happened but give her some time. And try not to be too hard on her and make sure she understands. If that makes any sense.”
“Yeah, in a weird way it does. I’ll keep that in mind.” I started the truck smiling at her before putting it in reverse. “Thanks, Brandy.”
“See ya tomorrow, Kyle.” She waved and walked toward Delia’s apartment. I noticed for the first time that the door was open and I could see her darkened silhouette in the light of the doorway. She looked beautiful even though I couldn’t fully see her. Damn. So much for being numb. My heart both raced and ached at the same time.
Opening the door, I jumped out of the truck and headed toward her apartment. Screw giving her time. I needed her to listen to me. Brandy shot me an almost scared look as I stomped toward Delia’s door. I have no idea what I thought would happen but the door closed with a thud and the lock clicked into place. “I told you that’s not a good idea,” Brandy said as I pounded on the door.
“I don’t care if she needs time. I need to talk to her. She needs to know that I didn’t do it.” After long minutes I realized it didn’t matter, if she wanted to hear the truth then she wouldn’t have closed the door in the first place.
“Go home, Kyle. Get some rest. It’s gonna be a big day tomorrow.”
“Rest? Yeah right.” I scoffed walking back to my truck.
“See you later.”
“See ya, Brandy.” I backed out of the parking place and peeled out of the parking lot. If she needed time, that’s what I’d give her, but I wasn’t sure how much.
DELIA
The adoption day was in full swing and I had just managed to avoid Kyle so far. I had been running around making sure that everything was in order purposely avoiding the MMA table. “Excuse me,” a woman’s voice said from behind me. My jaw dropped when I turned to see who it was. Shock turned to anger as I thought about the nerve of him inviting her to my event. The event that I’d poured my blood sweat and tears into for the better part of two months. My anger must have shown because she started talking. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Before you freak out, can I introduce myself?” She asked and I gave her a curt nod. “I’m Kimmy… Kimmy Walker.”
I did a double take. Looking at her more closely I could see similar features between her and Bethy. The only real difference was her hair and eyes but it was such a sharp contrast that they looked nothing like each other. The implication of her words hit me suddenly and my arms wrapped protectively around my flat stomach. I felt like I was going to be sick. Taking off, I ran to the bathroom just making it before the entire contents of my stomach came up. I heard quick footsteps behind me and turned to see Kyle’s sister, Kimmy, standing there with a wet paper towel.
“Does he know?” she asked handing it to me. The cool towel felt like heaven on my sudden overheated skin. I shook my head in shame.
“How did you know?” I asked softly.
“It was more of a guess really. I was watching you for a bit before I decided to approach you. Every time your eyes went to my brother your hand went to your belly. I figured it was a reflex. So, he doesn’t know?” I shook my h
ead.
“I found out after I ran out of here when I saw you two. I haven’t spoken to him since.” I felt completely ashamed that I ran the way I did. Hanging my head, I buried my face in my hands when I heard a knock on the door.
“Delia? Are you okay? What did Kimmy say to you?” I heard Kimmy scoff, completely offended.
“Go away, I’m fine Kyle,” I said in a shaky voice.
“Delia, please?” Kyle sounded tortured and I felt even worse. Bile rose in the back of my throat again and I barely made it to the toilet in time to retch. Kyle must have heard me puking because the door flew open and he was fighting Kimmy to get to me.
“Kyle, she’s all right. I promise she’ll talk to you when she’s ready. She knows who I am, but there are bigger things going on here. Just give her some time.”
“Everyone keeps telling me give her time. Time for what?” he whispered sharply.
“Please,” I begged. “I can’t do this today.” I picked myself up off the floor my hair was soaked in sweat and sticking to my forehead. I looked in the mirror and my eyes locked with his. He looked unsure but nodded and left the bathroom.
“Let’s get you cleaned up.” Kimmy smiled at me before she went to work making it look like I wasn’t an outbreak victim. “It will be okay. I’m sure Kyle will surprise you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I was on the pill. What if he thinks I was doing something to trap him?” That thought had plagued me over the last week. What if he wasn’t ready? Would he leave me this time? I mean who is really ever ready to be a parent? I sure as hell wasn’t but I didn’t have much choice.
“I don’t think you’re giving him enough credit. He’s been a disaster without you. He doesn’t talk to me, because he obviously still doesn’t trust me.” She shrugged. “Which is why he stormed in here thinking I’d said something to upset you, which I did but he doesn’t need to know that and it wasn’t intentional.” She continued to ramble. “Anyway, he loves you. He’ll be so happy when he finds out.”
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