Isabella (The Mitchell/Healy Family #2)(16)
Author: Jennifer Foor

I probably should have kept walking away, except I knew that he was the one person around that would listen to me and not go crazy. “Not really. I’m in trouble, and I don’t know what to do.”

“What kind of trouble are you in?” His concern made me feel like he was way off with theories.

“Not anything illegal, if that’s what you think. It’s personal. I really don’t know what I’m goin’ to do. Everything’s a mess. My family is goin’ to freak out.” I started to sob, and felt strong arms wrapping around me. He smelled like sweat and after-shave, reminding me that a man was comforting me. Instead of being freaked out, I let my arms wrap around his back. “I’m so scared. They’re never goin’ to forgive me, Rusty. They’ll never trust me again.”

He pulled away and looked right into my eyes. “Tell me. What’s really going on, Iz. I won’t say anything.”

I looked away, feeling ashamed to even admit it out loud. “I’m pregnant. I’m pregnant with my ex’s child, and I don’t know what to do.” It was all I could get out before I lost it.

He pulled me back into his chest and held me tight. “It’s going to be okay.”

He had no idea how bad it was going to be for me, but I appreciated the temporary comfort. “Thanks, but it’s not. I can’t lose my family over this.”

Rusty grabbed the sides of my face and looked right into my eyes. “Just try to calm down. You’re going to be okay, and I’m goin to help you make sure of it.”

Chapter 10

Rusty

She had no idea what I meant when I’d said it, and neither did I. All I knew was that she was in trouble and something inside of me was determined to be the one to help her.

I held her there in that pasture for a long time. Her hair smelled so sweet, and I couldn’t help letting my lips linger against it. This was the closest I’d ever been to her. Though the circumstances were desperate, I knew she needed me.

I helped her back to her house that evening, and stuck around for a while until I got her settled down. It was hard to leave when I knew she’d fall apart as soon as I was gone, but I couldn’t take the chance of getting caught by Noah.

That next morning I got up early and snuck over again. She answered the door and let me inside. I could see that she hadn’t gotten much sleep. “I’m just checking on you.”

“I’m still the same.” She tried to conjure up a smile, but failed horribly. “I never imagined that my life would be like this. I’ve never had to make a decision without everyone in my family before. Just knowin’ how upset they’ll be is makin’ it even harder. How am I supposed to do this?”

I reached for her hand. “You’ve got a friend, Iz.”

She looked up at me with such sad eyes. “I don’t deserve it. I’ve been a bitch to you since we met.”

“Well it ain’t like anyone else is knocking on my friend door. Besides, you had your reasons to steer clear of me. I’m not saying that I’m a good influence, but I sure as hell can’t stand seeing you so distraught. Your family is going to come around. It may take them awhile, but they’ll understand.”

She shook her head. “No. They won’t, Rusty. They hate Tate that much. They’ll want me to abort the baby so that I don’t have anything to do with him. This pregnancy forces me to let him back into my life. Don’t you see? This is the worst thing that could ever happen.”

I understood why she was scared, but this was a baby, a miracle that she’d been given. No matter what her family thought, it was always going to be her decision. “What can I do for you?”

She shrugged. “Nothin’. The damage is done.”

I brought her hand up to my lips and kissed it. “If you need to talk, you know where to find me. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the middle of the night.”

“Rusty, I appreciate that. Are you just bein’ nice to me because you think I might give you a chance?”

This time I was the one shrugging. “Would it really make a difference?”

“No. I’m sorry. I wish I could offer you some kind of hope, but we both know that’s not goin’ to happen. I’m just not interested in being with anyone. After this, I’ll probably never be interested. It’s not you. I just can’t dig my grave anymore than I already have.”

I understood, but it was still a kick to the balls. “It’s fine. Friends then.”

She seemed reluctant, but knowing that I was all she had, she couldn’t refuse.

I can’t say that it didn’t bother me. I wanted more from her, and it was never going to happen.

For the next few weeks the more I tried to be a friend to Isabella, the harder she tried to push me away. I saw her falling down a wormhole and couldn’t seem to figure out a way to pick her back up out of it.

Her cousin was too focused on his new house, and the wedding to be able to notice that something was seriously going on with her. To make matters worse, she was doing a great job keeping it a secret from everyone.

I stopped by at least once a week to check on her, only to hear the same load of crap about her trying to handle things herself. It wasn’t until I overheard her on the phone that I decided I needed to step in. I’d stopped by to give her dinner one night after work. She was standing on her porch on the cell phone. Since I approached the house from the opposite direction, she never knew I was standing there.

It was obvious right away that she was making an appointment at the clinic. She was responding to questions that they’d ask when one was planning on terminating a pregnancy. Right away I had to clench my fists and fight to keep my cool. She didn’t know how lucky she was to have something so wonderful growing inside of her. She had a chance to give life, which was precious in it self. I couldn’t allow her go through with it.

So I did what every person in my situation would have done. I listened to the rest of her conversation, and waited to hear her confirm the date and time. With that information I followed her on the day of the appointment.

She parked her vehicle and sat in the hot car with her head down. That’s when I realized that she was broken up over it. The weak woman didn’t want to end her pregnancy, but she didn’t see any way around it without losing her wonderful family.

I couldn’t sit in my truck and observe her over there in so much pain. My feet hit the pavement, and I started walking across the parking lot before I even knew what I was going to say to her. I knocked on the window with my knuckles and waited for her to respond.