Isabella (The Mitchell/Healy Family #2)(57)
Author: Jennifer Foor

“I’m glad you feel that way.” The baby started to kick, causing me to hold onto my belly. Just as I was about to say something I saw Jenn heading in our direction.

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I wasn’t the only one carrying a child. Tate’s child. She placed her hand on her bump and walked toward us, before realizing who I was. To say that she was in shock would have been an understatement, especially when she noticed my appearance. “Tate, honey, I was looking everywhere for you.”

The first thing after noticing her pregnancy was the huge diamond that she had on her hand. With one quick glance I noticed the band on his left finger.

“So you guys got married? That’s great.” I wasn’t lying. It was good that Tate had a life now. His life would no longer be something I felt guilty about.

“I thought you moved away, Bella.” I could see in her eyes that she was assuming Tate was lying again.

“I did. I live in Kentucky with my boyfriend.” Tate’s eyes were on me, as if I’d kicked him where the sun didn’t shine.

“How far along are you?” Her question made me freeze. We could all do the math in our heads, especially with her pregnancy due date probably being so close to mine. This was my opportunity. The decision had to be made.

“I’m just five months along. How about you?”

She looked at Tate before answering. “We’re seven months along, right baby?”

Tate gave her a worried smile. “Yeah. Seven months now.”

“Well, for all that it’s worth, I’m glad you to are so happy. Congrats on the baby and the marriage.”

I turned to get the hell away from both of them, felling as if the room had suddenly begun to spin. If I didn’t find some fresh air and a seat I knew I’d be waking up on the ground. I no sooner found the rocker section and sat down when I saw Jenn approaching me. Tate was nowhere near her and I had no idea what was about to happen.

“Bella, can I talk to you?”

I nodded, even though I was freaking out. “Sure.”

“Listen, I know you hate me, and that you probably think I had it out for you. I honestly didn’t know about you for a long time. When you sent me that video it killed me, but I dumped him. I couldn’t trust him anymore.” She looked down at her belly. “Then I found out I was pregnant. I thought about having an abortion, but my heart wouldn’t let me. I’ve loved Tate since we were kids, so my decision wasn’t hard to make. We got married before telling my parents, so that they couldn’t try to talk me out of it.”

“Why are you tellin’ me all of this? I have nothin’ to do with Tate.”

“I need you to be honest with me, Bella. When I came around that corner and saw you in your condition one thought crossed my mind. I may be way out of line, but I need to know if that baby is Tate’s. I know you slept together, so just tell me. Please.” She started to break down in front of me, as if my being there was destroying her happiness. It was at that exact moment when I realized that I wasn’t ever willing to destroy their happiness, mostly because I wanted the same for myself. “This baby isn’t Tate’s, Jenn. It’s my boyfriend, Rusty’s.”

She smiled through her tears and nodded. “That’s really good to know.”

My mom came out of nowhere with her hands full of items. “You okay, Bella?”

I stood and walked toward my mother, waving to Jenn as we left the aisle. The moment we were away from her, I grabbed the stuff in my mom’s hands and sat it down, then pulled her out of the store as quickly as I was able to move.

“Bella, what is the matter with you? Is it the baby?”

I fell into my mom’s arms, clinging to her as I started to collapse. The rush of emotions overwhelmed me, sending me into a uncontrolled crying fit.

We stood there in the middle of the parking lot until I could calm down enough to explain. “The baby is fine, Mom.” We climbed into the car and I wiped my tears with a napkin. “There’s somethin’ I need to tell you. You’re probably never goin’ to forgive me.”

“The baby is Tate’s, isn’t she?”

I nodded and looked at my mother. “How do you know that?”

“Mother’s intuition.”

“No, really. How did you know?” I was going to kill Jake and Jax if they’d told her.

“There’s a couple of reasons. The first is that I knew you went to see him when you came to visit last time. Then at the party you asked me about Tucker. You’ve never asked me about him, Bella. It was a dead giveaway.”

“He can’t find out, Mom. He can’t ever find out.”

“Bella, are you with Rusty, or is he just coverin’ for you?”

“We’re together. We’re in love, and he wants to raise her as his own. Please don’t tell Daddy. He’ll never forgive me. Nobody will.” I continued to be over-emotional, realizing that this could destroy the relationship I had with my family.

“This decision is yours to make.”

“That female in the store was Tate’s wife. She’s pregnant and they went and got married. Don’t you see? He’s already got a baby on the way. He’s got a second chance at a future with her, and I have a new life that doesn’t include him. This secret needs to be buried. My baby is goin’ to be Rusty’s. He’s goin’ to raise her as his own.”

“Honey, that is all so easy to say now, but what happens if the two of you don’t work out? What happens if your child needs medical attention and they require the father’s information?”

“I will cross that bridge if it ever happens. Mom, I want my daughter to have a good life. Rusty’s already lost one child. Even if something happened between us, he’d never give up another child. That’s why I know it’s the right decision. If Tate gets to have a second chance at happiness, why can’t Rusty?”

My mom reached over and placed her hand over mine. “Oh, Bella, he can. You both can.” We hugged each other for a few minutes, both crying at this point. My mother just wanted me to be happy, and even though I thought I was before, I knew this time it was going to happen. “Who else knows about this?”

“Jake and Jax. That’s all.”

“This secret stays between our immediate family. You don’t need to share it with anyone else.”

“What about Daddy?”