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He feigned a horrified look. “I will never cross you again,” he promised.
She studied him. Was that good enough? She didn’t want to tell him everything. She couldn’t yet. And why should she? He hadn’t told her what he’d done until things had gone way too far. She needed time to figure out how to approach him with the fact that she was pregnant.
She’d never force him to accept her, only let him know what he was getting into and let him decide.
Not yet.
The plea came from within, fragile, yet persuasive. Her eyes drew to Lily’s rose garden in the near distance. No matter what happened, she’d finish what she started there. “I’ll come with you on Saturday,” she said.
“You won’t regret it.”
She wasn’t sure about that. Already the blood pumping through her veins felt like it would drown her. She never wanted to be someone who hid who she was. Her hands clawed over her car handle so she could get away.
“You’re leaving now?” he asked. She nodded. Faced with the possibility of more heartbreak, she knew if she stayed any longer, she might burst into tears. “There were a few things I cleaned out of your car that I need to return to you,” he said.
She tried to keep it light. “Tuna wrappers?”
“Some work papers, I think.”
Another stunning revelation. Those would be what she’d taken from Lacy’s office. She’d almost forgotten that she had them. “They’re inside,” Porter said. “I can just grab them.”
She shook her head. Just thinking about Lacy made her nervous, even more so now that Porter had no idea what he was up against. She was back to facing Lacy alone. The bleak thought filled her with more despair. “I can pick them up when I come back.” She jumped in her car. It was clean. He’d vacuumed it, too, and shampooed it by the smell of things. Cadence wiped at her eyes, feeling overcome again.
Why did he have to be so good to her?
She turned the key in the ignition. Cold air blasted out at her. She jumped. Glancing up through the clean windows, she noticed Porter’s affectionate smile. He blew a kiss at her.
She smiled back weakly and backed her car up. Cadence couldn’t look at him as she drove away. Porter’s speeding had rubbed off on her. She rushed home over the country roads, lost in an absolute daze. Before she knew it, she was at Emily’s. As soon as she opened the door, she was on her knees when she saw the boxes.
Those clothes were not from Porter, were they?
This was what she was missing in all this. She’d known that everything wasn’t all right. Lacy knew where she was, but how,how? She picked up her phone, scanning through her texts to Sarah. Cadence had told her coworker that she was at the home of an old college roommate.
Cadence only had one in her whole school career. It wouldn’t take a genius to do some detective work and find out that it was Emily. Lacy might’ve even hired an investigator, but why? Why did he care? He didn’t want this baby!
She reread his note.“Hey beautiful, you left so fast that I didn’t have a chance to explain. It’s not what you think. Also, I’m guessing on your sizes—hopefully they are just what you need, but you don’t need me to tell you that you look beautiful in everything. I want what’s best for you and the baby. I’ll see you soon.”
She dialed Emily. “Pick up. Pick up.”
Her call went directly to an automated voicemail with a robotic voice repeating the number that she’d just called. Cadence quickly hung up and texted this time: “Emily, where are you? I’m in trouble.”
And then as if in a miracle, she saw a text come in from her. Gasping, she read it. “Sorry, this isn’t Emily. Wrong number.”
Her stomach dropped.
This was so not good! Cadence had just lost her one connection to the only help out there, who knew who she was. Cadence needed someone to confide in; someone who was close by and more powerful than her own weak strength, even.
She knelt near the edge of the bed and brought her hands together in pleading.God help me! I’m in trouble. I fell in love with this place. I fell in love with him…
No, no, no, she hadn’t!
I don’t love him, do I?
But she did. She loved Porter. She let out a sound of anguish and wrapped her arms around her stomach, around her baby, hugging them both. She’d been such an idiot.
Is this my second chance at the life that I’ve always wanted? Was this a blessing that you’ve given me, God? How can that be? You work in mysterious ways, I’ve heard, but this is more mysterious than I can fathom. Is this a blessing that you’ve given me? Will I throw everything away that you want to give me because of my own stupidity?
Was she just like Lacy that way?
