Page 28 of Derecho

I took the makeshift ice pack from Lach, hissing as the cold seeped into the raw, swollen skin on my face.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded. “Better now that the symbol of every bad decision I’ve ever made in life is off my body. The ice pack is nice, too.” The little alien must have woken up because he chose that particular moment to jab me in the ribs with his foot.

The most awful thought filled my head. My son…he would always be a reminder of Greg. Of the abuse I suffered. He was created out of it…

I gasped, shaking the thought free from my mind. “I’m going to be such a bad mom.”

“What?” Lachlan’s face filled with confusion. “No you’re not.”

“I am. I knew things were falling apart, and I let him…He was drunk, and I didn’t stop him. He’d been distant again, and we hadn’t been together like that in so long. When I found out I was pregnant, I had hope. That he’d choose to engage in our relationship again. Change for the baby in a way that he’d never been able to change for me. How could I be so stupid?”

“Stop saying that. Right now, Trouble. You weren’t stupid then, and you aren’t stupid now. And you did not deserve what he did to you.”

I heard the words Lachlan was saying, but they felt meant for someone else. Not me. Never me.

“I want to take a picture. Of your leg and your cheek.” He reached over to the coffee table and grabbed his phone.

“Why?”

“For when you report him. When you get a restraining order and press charges against him.”

“Oh. I hadn’t thought that far ahead.” I pulled the ice pack away from my face. “Do you really think they’d grant me one? I provoked him⁠—”

“I don’t give a fuck if you provoked him.” Lachlan’s voice was so low it sent a shiver through my body. “He hit you. Which is disgusting and makes me want to kill him flat out, but you’re also pregnant. And you were so scared that you left your house without your phone, or any extra clothes, or fucking shoes on your feet. You’re pressing charges against him, and I want you to know, as badly as I don’t ever want to leave this ranch again, I would love to track his sorry ass down and end him for what he did to you tonight.”

“You can’t do anything stupid like that. You’re the only person—” My eyes dropped away from his face and I pressed my lips together.

“I’m the only person you’ve told.” Lachlan reached over, touching the underside of my hand and guiding the ice pack back to my face.

I nodded. Let him think I meant that. Instead of the truth. That he was the only person who ever cared to see the true me. The only person who didn’t give up on me. “You’re the only person who knows. I feel so embarrassed.” The groan left my body before I could stop it. “I don’t want to always be known as the woman who let her fiancé hurt her. No, the woman who was so pathetic and begged her emotionally abusive boyfriend to get engaged, and then got pregnant, blindly hopeful that it would fix everything. Oh my God. I can never leave this house again.”

“None of that matters right now. Let’s get the pictures, and then you can get some rest. Tomorrow we’ll figure out what to do. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Tomorrow. I closed my eyes as Lachlan snapped the pictures, hoping that when I opened my eyes, this nightmare would just be over. But it wasn’t. And tomorrow, I’d have to figure out how the hell I was going to rebuild my life.

Lachlan

Lainey had been asleep for at least an hour. I knew because I couldn’t stop checking on her. Couldn’t stop walking past the bedroom where my brother usually stayed. I’d never bothered to check if he was okay or not. But now that I knew she was in there, I couldn’t stop worrying.

Was she comfortable? Was she still in pain? What if she was in pain, and she was too worried to say something to me? I walked extra gently down the hall again, making sure my cane didn’t clang against the floor as I stepped closer to her door. She’d left it open a sliver, like I’d asked. In case she needed me.

I couldn’t keep doing this. Sinking to the ground, I pulled my phone out of my pocket after I laid my cane down on the floor beside me. There was anxiety radiating through my body, and I needed information to settle it.

The only thing I knew about pregnancy was the very little bit I’d picked up from being around Jessie when she was pregnant with Beckett, and Violet when she was pregnant with Connor. It wasn’t like I’d had any real experience with it, though, and that freaked me out. How would I know if something was wrong? If Lainey was being stubborn but she really needed help, would I be able to tell that?

I needed answers. I needed to know what could go wrong, so I could practice how to handle everything in my mind. Because if I thought about it enough, it wouldn’t happen.

My thumb scrolled past article after article of what new dads needed to know. For supporting their partner in pregnancy. During labor. After the birth. Not that I was going to be a dad…but I did hope Lainey could lean on me.

Before I knew it, I’d downloaded three books and bookmarked at least ten articles I wanted to go back to when I wasn’t half asleep. Who knew holding a comb during labor could help trick the brain into lessening the pain signal from a contraction? Actually…I should try that for my muscle cramps.

A groan pulled my attention away from my phone. Lainey shifted in bed, and I panicked as I heard her footsteps making their way toward the door. I grabbed my cane, but I was too slow, her gasp hitting my ears as I watched the door open fully.

“Lach?”