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“I’m so excited for you guys.”
“I’m excited too. Any day now.” He closed the binder and filed it back on the shelves. “Alrighty. Heading home.” But he paused and stared at his best friend. “First, I’ll go and check on Mitch.”
Eric walked around, his footsteps echoing against the concrete floor. “Jasmine, right?” She nodded. “Obviously, this is big news for Mitch. Why don’t you leave me the number of the place you’re staying at and give him a day to work through this? He’ll give you a call tomorrow.”
“We’ve rented a cabin on Bay Drive, near the end.” Jasmine dug through her purse and pulled out some papers, hastily flipping through them until she found what she was looking for. “Here’s the place.”
Eric held his phone over top and took a picture. “Thank you. Give him time.”
“We’re only here for a week, and I need him to sign a few documents.” She gathered her things. “Pack up, Jackson, and let’s go.”
When all was collected, the hurricane of change breezed by me.
Whether I wanted to be a part of West Coast Air at the moment or not, I was still in uniform and had to act accordingly. I swallowed down the budge at the back of my throat. “Do you need a ride?”
She lifted her phone. “Nah, my cousin is enroute.” She tugged her son’s hand, who had a firm grip on his teddy bear. “Oh, crap. His suitcase. I’d hate to ask, but do you mind grabbing it for me?”
I slowly shook my head. “Not at all.” While she made her way to the door, I walked over to Mitch. “Hey, honey.” For assurance I rubbed his leg but got no response out of him. Wanting this day to be over with, for an entirely new reason, I grabbed Jackson’s suitcase and raced it over to them. “You have a great day.”
Normally I would thank them for flying here, but polite words failed to produce. Instead, I wanted to scream, but I also wanted to be back with my man, so I left her outside under the darkening clouds. Back in the building, I sat next to Mitch.
“Take him home. We’re done for the day anyways.” Eric sat back at the desk and grabbed my walkie-talkie to announce we’re closing for the day.
With our things in hand, he gave me a pat on the back as I tugged Mitch outside to the car.
Guess I was driving home since there was no way Mitch was in any condition to drive. The man could hardly move properly.
“Say hi to Lily for me.” I waved at Eric.
“I’ll have her call you later.” Eric stood by the door. “And I’ll come by later too, to check up on things.”
“Appreciate that.” I fell into the driver’s seat. “Mitch?”
“After all this time, she shows up now?” He sounded far away, and he turned to face out the car window.
“Should I cancel our reservation?” Just thinking about having to pick up the phone was like a knife through the heart.
“I don’t know. I just need to think.”
Mitch was in bad shape, so my plan for tonight went straight out the window. Probably wouldn’t be able to share ourexciting news with him for a while, but how long is too long to wait? Obviously whatever time between him and Jasmine, so if I told him within that time frame, it should be good, right? One day later wasn’t too much to ask, was it? Damn. I hated arguing with myself.
Chapter Three
Under the circumstances, I let Mitch sulk the rest of the afternoon, and I hadn’t made the cancellation. Selfish, sure, but I wanted to celebrate our anniversary and figured it would be good for him. A distraction.
Besides, it couldn’t be true. The child couldn’t be his. The kid was younger than five, and we’d been together for five years, so the timing didn’t add up. Mitch wasn’t loaded, so it’s not like she – Jasmine – was coming after him for money, although I couldn’t figure out why someone would claim another as the father of their child and only announce it now. There had to be some alternate reasoning. And until we got to the truth of the matter, I was going to let it slide. At least for tonight.
Maybe it would be good if Eric and Lily joined us and helped to take his mind off this wild woman and her false accusations.
“Mitch,” I sat beside him on the couch.
He’d alternated between sitting and pacing while running his hands through his hair. He did it so often I worried he’d rub his scalp free of hair.
“How about if our friends join us tonight?”
“I don’t know.” The only words he seemed capable of.
I sighed and picked up the phone. Mitch and Eric went back further than me and Mitch. Maybe he’d have some insight.
