Pulled(15)
Author: A.L. Jackson

“It’ll be okay, baby. I just don’t think we should wait much longer to tell him. You don’t need to be feeling that much stress every time you talk to him, okay?” I reached over and squeezed her hand, encouraging her. “I think it’ll only make things worse, like we were trying to hide it from him or something.”

“Well, aren’t we trying to hide it from him?” Melanie frowned.

“That’s exactly my point, Melanie.” I agreed with us making some definite plans before we told him, but we couldn’t let this go on for very long.

“He has a right to know. Yeah, he’s going to be pissed.” I softened my voice, hoping to soothe her. I knew Steve could be harsh, and Melanie didn’t want to face that.

“But we’ll get through it. He loves you, and I think if we give him some time to deal with the shock, he’ll be okay.” At least I hoped that’s the way he’d react, but I didn’t want my own fears worrying Melanie more. I mean, I was eighteen, and, well, Melanie was not. Steve could have my ass if he wanted to.

There were so many things we needed to talk about, and I could see those questions and fears swirling behind her eyes. I couldn’t even think straight when she looked at me like that. All the rest of this stuff didn’t matter; we had each other. Everything would work out. It had to.

Closing the distance between us, I kissed her gently.

“I love you, baby,” I whispered against her lips.

She giggled. “I think you’re going to have to stop calling me that because I’m not quite sure who you’re talking to.” She reached down and rubbed her belly as a huge smile came to her lips.

I chuckled, reaching my hand down to cover hers. “Yes, I love you too, baby.” It was true. Sure, I’d only known about “her” for the last two hours, but I did. How could I not be in love with something that Melanie and I had created?

My body trembled as all the regrets of my life washed through me, my heart feeling as if it were on the verge of failing. My soul cried out for her. It had never stopped its search for her in nine years, and I could still feel her cal ing for me.

It was all I had left of her, this connection that could never be broken no matter how much time and space passed between us.

“Melanie, I don’t want to do this without you. It was only supposed to be you.” I dug my fingers into the carpet, praying I could feel her for just one second more. When my body had no more to give, I succumbed to the darkness that blurred the images in my mind.

Chapter 07

My head spun as I slowly drifted toward consciousness. My body was stiff, muscles aching. My eyes fluttered, and flashes of floor and eyelashes were the only things visible as I tried to get oriented to my surroundings. Rays of sunlight filtered in low through the windows, an indication that the sun was just setting. My mind gradually all owed my body to come back to life.

I brought myself to my hands and knees, trying to gain enough strength to stand. My phone vibrated on the floor beside me, surely the trigger for my arousal.

I looked to the clock on the wal —five-thirty.

“Shit.” I raked my hands over my face, trying to rub the drowsiness away. I had to get moving, or I would be late. Reaching for my phone, I ran my finger over the faceplate to read the message.

Vanessa’s address.

Acid burned in my stomach. I couldn’t believe I’d gotten myself into this mess. How could I be so stupid?

I dragged myself to the shower and turned the water to as hot as I could tolerate, easing my body into the stream. It washed over me, somewhat easing the tension I felt. I breathed in the steam to try to clear my thoughts.

What was I going to do? I was so lost. Having a child had been the single most important thing to me, but that dream had died when she did.

First off, I needed to find out if this was even my baby. I mean, now after five months she tel s me I’m going to be a father? I did not trust her. I never had, and I wasn’t going to start now. But if the child was mine, what then?

Marry Vanessa?

Not a chance in hell.

The thought of living with that bitch put every fiber of my being on defense. There was no way I could do it.

Yeah, it might be the right thing to do, but I was just not that noble or stupid. I would have a responsibility to the child, but not to Vanessa.

After my shower, I dressed, putting on the suit I’d picked up from the cleaners a couple of days before. I ran my hands through my wet hair and called it good.

I grabbed all the information I needed and stuffed the papers into my bag, praying I was organized enough to pul this off after ignoring the work I had planned to do this afternoon.

Locking my apartment, I headed down to the parking garage to my car and typed Vanessa’s address into the navigation system. It was six-twenty—plenty of time to pick her up and still get to Cushing Gril on time.

I sat for a moment when I pulled up to the curb in front of her house. She lived in a little duplex in a nice area, nothing upscale, but it had a family feel. At least she’d have a decent place for the child to live.

I rushed up the sidewalk and rang the bel , nervously glancing around me and trying not to focus on our encounter.

Vanessa answered the door just seconds after I rang. I was taken aback as she stepped out, and I could see the obvious bump showing through her dress. In all the shock of the day, it had never registered just how far along she was. In four months, she was having this baby.

Nerves prickled across the back of my neck, and it was not a pleasant feeling.

“Hel o, Daniel.” She brushed my arm with her hand and started walking toward the car.

She let herself in, and I went around to the driver’s side and slid into my seat, not hesitating to start my car and pul away. My hands shook against the wheel. I stared straight ahead and never made eye contact with her as I struggled to find the right words.

“Five months?” They were the only words I could find. I didn’t believe she couldn’t have found a way to tel me sooner, and suspicion was boiling under the surface.

From the corner of my eye, I could see she was playing with the zipper of the purse on her lap, shaking her head.

Finally, she answered, “I just didn’t know what to do. I cal ed, and you never called back. I got scared. I wanted to barge into your office and demand to see you, but I thought you’d just run. I figured if I kept cal ing, eventually you’d give in and cal me back…just like you did.” With the last statement, she looked my way, waiting for my response.