12. Naomi
TWELVE
Naomi
I woke the next day feeling…optimistic. After dinner yesterday, I went to bed early, which probably accounted for the positive feeling that pulsed through my body with each pump of my heart.
Spending time with Fiona seemed to be just what I’d needed, and it gave me the hope I’d been looking for.
I lay on the bed, staring at the drawn blinds. The sun was shining on the other side, and I could see its brilliance through the slits.
I took in a deep breath and allowed my hand to move toward my stomach. I could feel a bump now. It was growing more noticeable by the day. I guess when a person is sitting in a chair, it’s harder to notice those types of things. But right now, lying flat on my bed, I could feel everything.
There was certainly a life growing there.
Tears stung my eyes as I thought about my poor child. No matter how you looked at it, I was bringing a baby into the world under less-than-ideal circumstances. Either I was going to raise the baby on my own and they would lack a father. Or I would give the baby away and they wouldn’t have their mother.
Both situations made my emotions catch in my throat, and I withdrew my hand from my stomach. I knew I wasn’t going to be happy either way, and I wasn’t ready to pick which poison I would take.
Not wanting to wallow in self-pity, I sat up, swinging my cast so that my leg hung off the edge of the bed. I sat there for a moment, and just as I moved to push myself up, my phone chimed.
I settled back down on the bed and reached over to grab it. The phone chimed again, and my heart stopped in my chest.
Walker.
He’d sent me a text.
I swallowed as all of my emotions moved up to my throat and settled there. Everything around me spun as I stared down at the notification.
What had happened? Why had he finally messaged me? It had been over a month since I last talked to him. Why now?
Even though I imagined this moment every day, I couldn’t bring myself to read the text. It was as if I had to finally face what my future held. That thought was terrifying .
I took in a few deep breaths as I closed my eyes to ground myself. I needed all the strength I could muster.
I needed to be prepared for whatever his words contained.
My phone chimed again, startling me. Tears stung my eyes as my stomach flip-flopped. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to ignore his messages much longer. He was persistent when he wanted something, and he wasn’t going to stop texting me until I messaged him back.
I was going to have to face this even if I wasn’t ready. So, I typed in my password and pressed on the message icon.
Walker: I haven’t heard from you. I’m sorry I went MIA. Things were crazy at work, and I was called away.
My throat ached from his words. I knew he was busy. He worked on an oil rig and would be gone for months on end. But he always texted me. He always let me know that he was leaving.
Why was he messaging me now?
Walker: I dropped my phone in the ocean, and I finally got a replacement. I went to your house. Did you sell it? Is everything okay?
Guilt coated me as I read his texts. Here I’d thought he’d left me for another woman, but the truth was he was called to work. And his phone was destroyed, which was why he couldn’t contact me. As soon as he got back, he’d searched for me.
I was a terrible person to think that he would cheat on me .
Walker: Text me back and let me know that everything is okay. I’m worried about you, Naomi.
Tears clung to my eyelids. As much as I wanted to say that it was because of the pregnancy, I knew better. I missed him. And even though I had heard a woman on the other side of the call, that didn’t have to mean what I’d thought it meant.
It could have been something completely different, and I’d spent the better part of a month hating the man for cheating because of it.
My fingers shook as I responded.
Me: I had no idea where you were. I was in an accident and am in Magnolia, RI with Jackson.
My fingers hovered above the keyboard as I contemplated telling him that I was pregnant. But then I shook my head. That really was a conversation that I should have with him in person. A text message felt too impersonal.
I didn’t have to wait long before his response came in.
Walker: I’m calling you
No sooner had I read his words than my phone started ringing. My whole body went numb as I pressed on the green icon and brought the phone to my ear. I’d been waiting for this moment for so long that it felt surreal that it was finally happening.
“Hello?” I asked.
“Naomi? It’s Walker.”
“Yeah, I know.”
He paused as if he didn’t know what to say. “Are you okay? ”
It hurt to speak with my emotions choking my words. So, I just nodded until I realized that he couldn’t see me. Feeling like an idiot, I gathered my strength and said, “Yes.”
He sighed, and it felt nice. He was worried about me. He had thought about me. I’d figured that he was starting his new life with the girl on the phone while I was stuck here, pregnant and alone. But from his texts and the sound in his voice, what I’d feared hadn’t been the truth.
That made me happier than I’d been in a long time.
“I’m so relieved. You about ripped my heart out when I read your message.” His voice was wavering, which only gave me further hope that I’d been completely wrong about the phone call.
Walker cared about me.
“I’m sorry. When I couldn’t get ahold of you, I went to find you. That’s when I got into the accident.” Phantom pain coursed through my body as the memory of being thrown against the steering wheel played through my mind.
It didn’t help that, at that moment, it had felt as if my heart was breaking as well. But now that I knew where Walker had been, a sort of peace was settling around me, making it easier to breathe.
“Can I come see you? I need to see you.” His voice sounded pained, and all I wanted to do was reach through the phone and hold him.
“Yes. Please.”
I rattled off Jackson’s address, and he read it back to me. He said he’d get in his car as soon as he was off the phone and head to Rhode Island. “Expect me there by this evening.”
I nodded as my smile grew to the point where it hurt. I was going to get Walker back. I was going to have this baby, and we were going to be a family. This entire nightmare was going to be over.
We said our goodbyes, and a feeling of warmth washed over me when he told me he loved me. I returned the words and we hung up.
I set my phone onto my bed and flopped back, letting out my breath as I stared up at the ceiling. A smile played on my lips as I replayed our conversation in my mind.
Walker was back. He was coming to Magnolia. My life could finally start back up.
I was excited.
Wanting to look presentable when Walker showed up, I pushed myself up and climbed into my wheelchair. Then I headed into the bathroom and started the tub. It was definitely interesting, trying to bathe myself while my leg was completely covered in a cast, but I was getting better at it.
Plus, it made me even more excited to be getting this blasted thing off.
When I went to therapy, I was going to talk to my therapist about what it was going to take to get back to normal. I finally had a life to look forward to, and I didn’t want to miss a moment of it.
I may have gone overboard getting ready, but I couldn’t help it. I was excited. I slipped on a black skirt with a dark- purple top that made me look tan. I did my makeup and curled my hair.
I definitely looked like I was going out on a date instead of a physical therapy appointment, but I didn’t care. I finally felt normal, and I was going to lean into that.
With my shoes on my feet and my purse in my lap, I wheeled out of my room. As I made my way into the kitchen, I paused. Colten was leaning his elbows against the counter and was clutching his phone between his hands. He was completely engrossed with what was on his screen when I approached.
Butterflies took flight in my stomach at the sight of him. Even though I had Walker, I still had eyes. I knew a good-looking man when I saw one. And Colten was very good-looking.
Which made me wonder—why was he still single?
Not wanting to delve into those thoughts too much, I wheeled over to the fridge. “Waiting for Jackson?” I asked as I pulled open the door and grabbed a water bottle.
Colten straightened, slipping his phone into his pocket. “Naw, I was—” He stopped as his gaze ran over me.
My cheeks heated from his approving smile.
“Well, don’t you look nice today.” He straightened and puffed his chest out. “You didn’t have to get dressed up for me.”
I scoffed. “Why on earth would I get dressed up for you? I didn’t even know you were coming.”
He feigned a hurt expression. “Jackson didn’t tell you? ”
I shook my head. “Tell me what?” I didn’t like where this conversation was going.
“He had something to do with Fiona. He asked me to drive you to your PT appointment.”
I swallowed. “What?”
“I” —he pointed to his chest— “will take you” —he pointed to me— “to your appointment.” He wiggled his fingers like they were two legs walking away.
I gave him an exasperated sigh. “I understand that part, but where did Jackson and Fiona go?”
Colten shrugged. “I’m not sure. But I think it might have something to do with Dave, Fiona’s ex.”
I studied him for a moment, wishing that I could just drive myself, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen. Not when my leg was in a cast.
He was my ride, and if I wanted to get better for Walker, I needed to go with him.
“Fine,” I said as I twisted the cap back onto the water bottle. “If there’s no one else, I guess you’ll have to do.” I wheeled my chair over to him.
He wrapped his hands around the handles and pushed me toward the door. “Well, geez. I’m honored.”
I moved to swat him. “Hey, you used to tell me that mud pies were just a strange type of chocolate. Forgive me if I’m a little skeptical of you.” I punctuated the sentence with a death stare in his direction.
Colten opened the door and pushed me out onto the porch. I had to squint while I fished out my sunglasses. “ Hey, I was just a kid,” Colten retorted as he shut the front door and locked it.
“Yeah, well, I don’t forget.”
I suddenly felt a finger jab into my side. I yelped and turned to see Colten’s wide grin. “You should learn to forgive,” he said as he pulled his sunglasses down from the top of his head and slipped them onto his face.
I glowered at him. “Poking me is not the way to win me back.”
He parted his lips. “Oh, are you available?”
There was a heat to those words. As if they meant one thing on the surface but had a deeper meaning behind them.
As if he was genuinely interested in my relationship status.
Which would be weird. He was my brother’s best friend after all. We had a long history. I’d known him since I was a kid.
Besides, I had Walker. And he was walking back into my life very soon.
I didn’t have time to wonder what Colten’s ulterior motives were.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I said as I turned and folded my arms.
Colten chuckled as he pushed me toward his car that was parked behind the house. “I really would like to know,” he said softly.
For a moment, I wondered if he meant for me to hear that or if he was just thinking aloud .
I decided not to respond. This really wasn’t a conversation I wanted to get myself wrapped up in. However, by the time we got to his car, my mind was swirling with wonderment.
What did he mean? He’d never been interested in my relationship status in the past. Was he just asking to be polite, or did he really want to know?
Why did I care so much?
He opened the passenger door, and I couldn’t help but glower at him. I hated that he made me feel so confused. Walker was coming back, and I was pregnant with his baby. My focus should be on rebuilding my relationship with the father of my child, not being confused by my brother’s best friend who had an uncanny ability to flirt with anything that moved.
“Ready?” he asked, suddenly appearing next to me. Before I could respond, he wrapped his arm around my back as he slipped his other arm underneath my legs. I was airborne before I could utter a word.
He lifted me like I weighed nothing. He pulled me close to his chest, and I could feel his heartbeat and his lungs expanding and contracting. I felt tiny against him.
“What are you doing?” I whispered, my entire body responding to his proximity.
He glanced down at me. That movement brought his lips inches from mine. I’d never realized until now how perfectly formed his lips were. Or the dusting of freckles he had across the bridge of his nose. His cologne assaulted my senses again, but this time, I wasn’t met with the same reaction. This time, I breathed it in, and it made my stomach lighten.
“I’m helping you into the car,” he said.
I needed to get away from Colten. Right now. “Put me down. I can get into the car myself.”
His eyebrows went up. “What?”
“I” —I waved toward my chest— “can get in the car without you” —I motioned toward him— “picking me up.”
He paused but then moved to set me in the passenger seat. “You could just say thank you,” he said as he shut the door before I could even respond.
I sat there fuming as he made his way around the hood of the car and into the driver’s seat. He started the engine, completely ignoring the death glare I was shooting at him.
“I was just helping, Nerdy Nomie,” he said as he put the car into drive and headed down the road.
I growled, and he just laughed. I folded my arms, feeling like a petulant child who wasn’t in control of her own body. Colten had an uncanny way of making me feel like I was his best friend’s little sister with just a statement and a look.
“I’m capable,” I said as I glanced out the window. I loved my brother and his friend, but I hated how they always treated me like I was some helpless girl who needed their help. I’d built a life for myself, and sure, I was in a pickle right now, but that didn’t mean I was always going to be like this .
Eventually, I was going to get back on my feet, and I was going to do it without their help.
“I know.” Colten’s voice had changed. There was something to it—a depth that had me holding my breath.
I peeked over at him only to see that his smile had faded. He was staring out the windshield with his wrist resting on the steering wheel. He looked like he meant what he said.
So, if he knew that I was a capable woman, and he no longer saw me as his best friend’s little sister, why did he continue to treat me this way? Picking me up. Calling me Nerdy Nomie?
Why did he always return to childish ways when I was around?
Felling emotionally spent, I pushed those questions from my mind. I knew my physical therapy session was going to be taxing enough, I didn’t need to show up exhausted before it even began.
Whatever was going on with Colten was going to have to be solved another day. Right now, my focus was on getting better so that Walker and I could pick up where we left off.
My life was moments away from returning to normal, and there was no way I was going to jeopardize my happiness now.