23. Juniper
I didn’t expect Kevin’s rental house to be as big as it was. The front door was massive with a giant ornate window in the middle of it. I felt dwarfed as I stood next to it. My confidence waned as I raised my hand and knocked a few times on the solid oak.
Thoughts of my conversation with Mom floated through my mind before I forced them out. Mom didn’t want me to come. She feared what Kevin would do to me. Of course, there was always a chance things would go south, but I was going to be stronger this time. Plus, I needed this closure. I needed to tell Kevin to his face that we were over. I needed to take control of my life or I was always going to feel powerless around him.
The sound of a truck driving past drew my attention as I waited for the front door to open. I squinted in the dim evening light to make out what looked like a black truck. I wondered if it was Boone but shook my head. I needed to stop thinking that Boone was going to show up. I needed to get him out of my mind, or I was going to go mad.
Boone wasn’t the only guy in Harmony who drove a black truck. For all I knew, he was long gone from this small town. Even though I regretted how I left things with him, my life was a mess, and the last thing I wanted to do was drag him into it. He deserved to find happiness with a woman who wasn’t pregnant with her soon-to-be ex-husband’s baby.
Just thinking those words made my stomach lurch.
My life was in shambles.
I turned my focus back to the door and knocked again. I peered through the clear glass sections to see if there was any life on the other side. I contemplated texting Kevin to let him know I was standing outside, but before I could reach for my purse, I saw his head pop out from another room.
I waved as he walked into the hallway and headed toward me. The sound of the lock disengaging filled the air around me, and I was met with the cool, conditioned air of his rental when he pulled the door open.
“Hey,” he said as he moved to the side so I could enter.
Worry washed over me, but I pushed those thoughts aside as I stepped into the foyer and turned to smile at him. “Hey.”
He glanced over at me as he shut the door. “Were you waiting long?”
I shook my head. “Not terribly long.”
He stood in front of me, his gaze drifting over my body. “Good.” He smiled down at me. “I hope you came hungry.”
“Famished.” I offered him a small smile, but my nerves were going haywire. It made my stomach feel like I was on a Tilt-A-Whirl. Eating was the farthest thing from my mind. But I didn’t want to tell him that.
Suddenly he was stepping toward me. My entire body tensed as he lifted his arms and pulled me into a hug. I wanted to push him away. I wanted to step back and break his hold, but my body wasn’t responding to the screaming in my head.
“I missed you,” he whispered. His voice was deep and his gaze intentional as he held me close. Then he was leaning forward and his lips were inches from mine.
My body suddenly caught up with my mind, and I turned just in the nick of time. His lips landed firmly on my cheek. He pulled back, and I could feel his stare on me. I wasn’t ready, so I took a moment, making sure to ground myself, before I turned to face him.
“We should talk,” I said, ignoring the elephant that had wandered in and was now sitting squarely in the middle of the room.
Kevin’s eyebrows were raised when I finally met his gaze. He paused before he nodded. “Yeah, I think we should.” He glanced at his watch. “We have about ten minutes before the food will get here. Let’s go sit in the living room.”
He led and I followed as he walked from the foyer to the living room. He collapsed on an armchair that was perpendicular to the couch. He tipped his head back and closed his eyes, his chest visibly rising and falling with each breath.
Not sure where I should sit, I moved to the seat on the couch closest to him. I couldn’t relax. The tension in the room was high, and I could feel it with every fiber of my being.
Such a stark contrast to how I felt with Boone. He made me feel at home, relaxed. I didn’t have to fear when he was around. I missed that.
I could cut through the silence that surrounded us with a knife. I glanced around, wondering what to say. I wasn’t sure how to say that I wanted a divorce. Or how to say that I was pregnant. My tongue felt like lead in my mouth. Even though I wanted to speak, it was as if I’d forgotten how. Nothing seemed to be registering with my mouth.
“How are things at the stor?—”
“I’m pregnant.”
Kevin stopped mid-sentence as he stared at me. I heard the words, but it took me a moment to realize that I had said them.
As if I needed to make sure that he heard them, I parted my lips and spoke them again. “I’m pregnant.” There. It was out in the open now. He knew. I knew. My parents knew. There was no one else I needed to worry about. Everyone who needed to know about the pregnancy now knew.
The silence was sticky between us. Like the humidity on a hot summer’s evening. Kevin kept staring at me like he was trying to process what I’d said. Which was understandable. I had a near freakout in the bathroom when I found out, with Boone there to witness it.
“Is this a joke?” Kevin finally asked.
There was a bite to his tone that sent a shiver down my spine, but I brushed it off as shock instead of the anger that normally caused his sudden shifts.
“No,” I whispered, offering him a smile with the hopes that it would help him calm down.
It didn’t seem to work. Rage flashed in his gaze as he sat up straighter. Fear crept over me as I watched him stare down at me.
“Is this a ploy? A way to get me to stay with you?” His voice had gotten louder now.
This was a mistake. Coming here had been a mistake.
“Kevin, listen, I’m not lying to you.” I raised my hands in a show of surrender, hoping that he would see I wasn’t trying to rope him into anything.
“Who told you?” He narrowed his eyes as he jutted his forefinger in my direction.
“No one told me anything.” I pulled back until the couch pressed into my back. I needed to get further away from him to protect myself and the baby. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He lunged forward. I yelped and brought my arms and legs in to protect myself. I expected a blow, but instead, he stood and started pacing.
My heart was pounding so hard, I could hear it in my ears. But seeing him put distance between us caused my adrenaline to dissipate, which left me shaking. I was grateful that he was on the other side of the room now.
“You have to know. Why else would you say you’re pregnant?” Kevin was talking to himself now as he moved back and forth.
I wanted to jump in and reiterate that I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I knew better. When Kevin was upset, the best thing I could do was remain out of sight, out of mind.
“Someone had to have seen me coming out of his office.” He stopped and turned to face me. His gaze was dark as he pinned me with it. “You knew I filed for divorce.”
I blinked as I processed his words. He was divorcing me? “Kevin, I had no idea. I just saw a divorce lawyer myself.” I raised my hands once more to let him know that I was telling the truth.
His gaze didn’t soften. If anything, it hardened even more. It was a look that I’d grown accustomed to. A look that said if I didn’t do something, and quick, I was going to become the recipient of his anger.
“You planned this all along. The lies. You just want my money. You want to tie me to you.” He stalked toward me. “You whore.”
I pulled myself as far back on the couch as I could. “I don’t want your money.”
He shook his head. “You’re lying. You know the courts will side with a poor pregnant woman.”
“I’m not lying, Kevin.” My heart was pounding so hard, I feared it would break free from my chest. The only way I knew I was going to get out of this was to stand my ground. I’d come here tonight to prove to myself that I had the strength to walk away, and that was what I was going to do.
I planted my feet on the ground in front of the couch. I wasn’t going to let Kevin push me around. I was going to say my piece and leave. I was going to be the strong mother this baby deserved.
I moved to stand, but Kevin must have anticipated it. He crossed the space between us so that, when I straightened, he was towering over me.
“Where are you going?” he asked, his breath hot on my face.
I did everything I could to stand my ground. Even though the heat and the smell of his breath made my stomach heave. I wasn’t going to show weakness. I was going to be strong.
“I’m leaving,” I said, turning my gaze up to his so he knew that I was serious.
“No, you’re not.” He stepped closer, and we were almost touching.
“Kevin, I’m leaving,” I repeated, my voice stern. I wasn’t going to listen to what he had to say anymore. I’d done what I’d come here to do. I’d told him about the baby and that I was leaving him.
This was a chapter of my life that I was ready to turn the page on and move forward.
His hand wrapped around my upper arm. “I said no,” he said as his fingers dug into my skin.
I winced but forced my voice to remain calm. “Let go of me.” I reached up to push away his hand.
Suddenly, he threw me down onto the couch, the force taking the breath from my lungs. Fear surrounded me as I watched him lift his hand.
“You’re not leaving!” he bellowed as he brought his hand down. I saw stars before I realized what had happened. My ears were ringing from the impact of his hand on my face.
He hit me. Again.
When my mind finally cleared, I curled my body to the side to protect myself from another blow. “Kevin!” I screamed, but that was muted by the sound of the front door slamming open.
I turned to see Boone barrel into the room. He glanced at me, cowering on the couch, and crossed the space between us. He shoved Kevin to the side before he knelt down in front of me. My purse appeared as he shoved it into my hands.
“Go,” he said, his gaze desperate as he studied me. “Get in your car and drive home. Right. Now.”
Suddenly, Kevin’s hands were on Boone’s shoulder, and Boone was thrown to the side. I scrambled to stand, wanting to help him, but Boone had stabilized himself and confronted Kevin before I could think.
The sound of a fist hitting skull made bile rise up in my throat. I turned, desperate to make sure it hadn’t been Boone who had been hit.
It wasn’t. He was shaking his hand, and Kevin was pitched forward, cupping his face.
“Go, Juniper,” Boone said as he positioned his body between me and Kevin.
Not wanting to distract him, I nodded, shoved my purse strap up onto my shoulder, and hurried out the front door and down the stairs. I didn’t stop until I pulled into my parents’ driveway. I closed my eyes as my breath turned ragged. I could still see the way Kevin stalked toward Boone as I shoved my car into reverse and backed out of the driveway at Kevin’s rental.
I couldn’t shake the worry that Kevin had hurt Boone. I needed to know that he was okay.
A knock on the driver’s window had me screaming and clutching my heart. I pinched my lips shut when I saw Mom peering in at me.
“Juniper?” Mom asked. Her gaze raked over my face, and I watched as her expression fell. Suddenly, the door was being yanked open, and Mom leaned in so she could get a better look at me. “Dear lord,” she whispered as she reached forward and touched my swollen cheek. She tipped my chin so she could get a better look at my busted lip.
“Get out,” she demanded as she stepped to the side.
My entire body was shaking now. “Someone needs to go back,” I murmured as Mom wrapped her arm around my waist and pressed me to her side. I let her walk me away from my car for a moment before I stopped. “Mom! Are you listening to me? I have to go back. Boone needs me.” I moved to push her hand away so I could break free.
“Juniper, you need to go to the hospital.” She kept her arm wrapped around me as she started to lead me to her car.
“No. No, Mom.” Tears were flowing now. Boone had done so much to protect me this last week. I couldn’t walk away from him now.
“You can’t go back there. I’ll call the sheriff on the way to the hospital. I’ll tell them what happened. But you need to get checked out.” We were standing next to the passenger door of her car. Mom’s fingers were wrapped around the door handle.
All I could do was shake my head and cry.
“Juniper, you need to make sure the baby is okay. Boone can take care of himself. He’s strong.” She’d turned her body so she was staring at me now. Each hand gripped my upper arms as she held my gaze. “You have to think of the baby now. Please.”
I stared at her, trying to process what she was saying. And then, slowly, I began to nod. “Okay,” I whispered.
Mom looked hopeful. “Okay?”
“Okay. But you’re calling the sheriff on the way.”
Mom pulled open the door, and I collapsed on the front seat. “Of course,” she said as she shut my door and hurried around the hood to the driver’s side.
She stuck the key into the ignition, and the engine roared to life. I closed my eyes and tried to relax as she drove the familiar streets to Harmony Medical Center. I listened to her voice as she talked to the deputy sheriff. She relayed what had happened and the address of Kevin’s rental. Then she thanked the deputy before hanging up the phone.
A few seconds later, her voice drew my attention. “Juniper?”
“Mm-hm?” I opened my eyes to see her face illuminated by the red light we were stopped at.
“The sheriff is going over to Kevin’s place. He’s going to take things from here.” She glanced over at me. “Boone will be okay.”
My throat felt crackly as I swallowed. My emotions rose up in my chest as tears pricked my eyes once more. All I could do was close them, or the dam inside of me would break and I was going to be unconsolable.
I had Boone all wrong. I’d allowed my fear of Kevin to cloud my judgement when I yelled at Boone. When I’d accused him of lying and manipulating me for his own gain.
From the look on Kevin’s face when he saw Boone enter the living room, one thing was for sure. Boone did not work for Kevin, because Kevin hated Boone.
I’d run off the first man who had been there to protect me. If I ever got the chance to apologize to Boone, I would. That man deserved my eternal gratitude, and I was willing to give it to him.
Problem was, I doubted he wanted it.
To him, I must be this emotional and fickle woman who jumped to the wrong conclusion every time. My life was a mess, and I doubted he wanted to be the man to help me sort it out.
No, Boone was going to leave at the first chance he got. And the truth was, I didn’t blame him. I’d leave me, too.