Chapter 5
5
C hastity stared at the stick she just peed on with the big, fat, fucking plus sign in the little window.
Pregnant.
She and Duncan had never discussed that possibility.
Nope. The only thing discussed had been that it could never happen again and that her friendship meant the world to him, which she knew without a doubt was true. He’d done everything to make sure they got back on track.
And so had she.
They had been texting nonstop for the last few days while he’d been on assignment with the Aegis Network. He’d returned yesterday and was planning some party at his place later.
She wrapped the stick in toilet paper and dumped it in the trash. What the hell was she going to do? In a couple of months, she’d have to tell Arthur she was pregnant, which meant everyone would know, and she’d have to tell Duncan way before that.
Fuck.
Stepping from her bathroom, she avoided the kitchen and went straight to the family room. She stood in front of the liquor cabinet, itching for a shot of Jack, but that would be stupid. While she knew she could have an abortion, it went against every belief system she had.
Besides, she wanted children.
She just didn’t want to do it on her own.
Nor did she want any man to feel trapped, and that is exactly what Duncan would feel. While she was no closer to understanding what happened between him and his ex, she knew that Duncan could never give his heart again.
He’d made that perfectly clear.
But he was also an honorable man. He would want to do the right thing, and the most significant thing they had in common besides their work was their religious upbringing. A strict Christian family had raised him. He wasn’t overtly religious, like his family, but he did still believe.
As did she.
Only neither of them had the same bond to their families’ churches. It was if it had been rammed so far down their throats that it had been impossible to resist rebellion.
Her phone buzzed.
Great. Her mother. Just the person she wanted to speak with. Not.
“Hey, Mom, how are you?”
“Have you heard from your sister?” her mother asked with a tightness in her voice that she hadn’t had in a long time.
“Which sister?” She had two younger sisters and two younger brothers, though she suspected her mother was talking about Serenity, who was about to turn eighteen, and not Lilly, who was eleven.
“Chastity Elenore, please don’t get fresh with me.”
She shivered. There was nothing worse than being a grown-ass adult and having your mother call you by your full name. “I’m sorry, Ma, but I haven’t heard from Serenity since she called all upset over the last fight you got in, and if you recall, I phoned you right away. I’ve been worried about the way she’s acting too.”
“Really? You ran out of here in the middle of the night the day after graduating high school. And your brother Manly did the same thing.”
“Mom. Manly went to college. With your blessing. He didn’t do what I did, and I thought we were past all this.”
Her mother let out an audible sob. “Serenity is gone.”
Chastity bolted upright. “What do you mean, gone?” The last time she’d spoken to Serenity, she’d been dating a boy who not only wasn’t on the approved dating list but was actually no good. Chastity had always tried to be there for her siblings, even when she’d left the community, to guide them, help them navigate the outside world, and make good choices.
Manly had also broken from the practice of being a Mannite, but he lived quietly, married a good Christian girl, and avoided trouble.
Serenity, on the other hand, well, she made Chastity look like a saint.
“She didn’t come home two nights ago and?—”
“She’s been gone for two days, and you’re just now calling me?” More importantly, why hadn’t Serenity called? For the last few months, Serenity had been bugging her every week about how to leave as soon as she graduated high school. Chastity tried to tell Serenity she needed a plan and that it would be better to get Mom and Dad behind it than to take off like she had.
Crap. She knew why her sister hadn’t called. She’d told her little sister to get her head out of her ass and grow up. That it was one thing to want to leave the church, but it was something entirely different to act out.
“Did you call the police?” Chastity asked.
“They’re treating it as a runaway teen.”
Well, it wasn’t the first time Serenity had run away.
“Is she still seeing that boy?” Chastity asked, scratching her head. “What’s his name? Joey?”
“We forbade her to see him ever again,” her mother said with a gasp.
“Shit,” Chastity mumbled.
Her mother broke out in prayer.
It might make her feel better, but it wouldn’t change the reality that Serenity had likely run off with this young man.
“Mom, I’ve got some friends who have contacts with people who know how to find missing teens. Let me contact them, and I’ll call you back.”
A few sniffles echoed through the phone. “Thank you,” her mother said humbly. “Your father and I tried to talk to her about college. We’re open to the new world's ways, to a certain point. We are proud of you. You know that, right?”
She sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She wasn’t sure her mother had ever said those words, but she’d honestly felt them the day her parents had come to visit her for the first time three years ago. “Yeah, I know.”
“I only want what is best for my children.”
“I’ll be in touch. And Ma?”
“Yes, dear?”
“If Serenity calls or comes home, don’t lecture or toss Bible verses at her. Just hug her. Tell her you love her and wait a day before having a serious conversation.”
Her mother let out a dry laugh. “Someday, you’ll make a great mom.”
If her mother only knew she was with child, out of wedlock, she might not utter those words.
Chastity clicked off the phone and stared out the window. The entire team had seventy-two hours off, which meant Arthur, Rex, and Kent were all spending time with their families. Buddy and Kaelie were doing baby things, getting ready for the birth of their twins. The rest of the crew, those that were single, were gathering tonight at Duncan’s.
She couldn’t wait that long.
Slipping on her flip-flops, she exited the front door and down the path toward Duncan’s house. The sun shone bright in the Florida sky. A warm breeze ruffled the treetops. Knowing him, he’d be out in his garden tending to his plants, herbs, vegetables, and berries. God, that man loved blackberries.
He also made the best blackberry cheesecake known to man.
As soon as she stepped onto his property, she could hear the country music playing in the backyard. Had she not taken that damn test, she wouldn’t be so hesitant.
She pushed open the gate and followed the sound of the music.
Bent over a couple of bushes, wearing only loose-fitting jeans, Duncan flexed his muscles as he pushed dirt around. Perspiration beaded down his tanned skin. She could stand there forever and watch him work effortlessly. He was all man, but he had such a sweet and tender side that it was impossible for her not to have fallen in love with him over the last year.
But it wasn’t meant to be. Something she had accepted.
He glanced over his shoulder. “Hey, you,” he said with a smile, brushing the sweat from his forehead.
“Hey, yourself.” She took a moment to look him over from head to toe. His dark hair always looked like he should be a model in some hairstyling book. Chunks of his hair went in different directions, but all by design.
“Shall I turn around and give you a better look?” He smiled and winked. So much for the banter ending.
“I just want your hair,” she mused.
“I’ll never give away my secret.” He took a few steps closer. His gaze scanned her body.
They hadn’t done this dance in a while and it shook her to her core. Her attraction to him was as strong as ever, but he’d decided friends was all he was capable of and she needed to respect that.
“What brings you by?” he asked. “Dinner’s not till six.”
“I need Darius’ contact information,” she blurted out, seeing no need to beat around the bush. Darius Ford was a buddy of her captain, Arthur Knight, and also a close friend to Gunner, the man who helped Harper bring closure to her sister’s murder. Both had been at Kaelie and Buddy’s wedding, and both were good men.
Darius’ specialty was finding people; right now, she didn’t know where else to turn.
“Why? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“My mom called, and Serenity might have run away.”
“Might have?” He took a beer from the cooler on the deck and waved it in her direction.
“Water, please.” It wouldn’t be long before people asked why she wasn’t drinking.
Duncan tossed her a bottle. “Your sister has been majorly rebelling for a while now.” Over the last year, long before their one night of wild, crazy sex, she and Duncan would discuss their religious upbringing and their families. He’d always been a good listener, never judging, and understood her plight for freedom without the burden of guilt.
“She’s been gone for two days, and last I spoke with her, she’d still been dating that little prick.”
“The one you thought was bad news?” He waved to a chair on the deck before settling into the one next to it.
God, she wanted a beer right about now. “I know she’s been drinking and that boy smokes pot. My parents tried to lock her away so she couldn’t see him, but that obviously didn’t work.”
“I take it this kid’s not a Mennonite?”
“I really don’t know. My parents have been trying hard to keep an open mind since Manly got married, and I turned out not so horrible, but ever since Serenity met this guy, she’s been ten times worse than before, and I don’t blame them for being upset.”
“You have the name of this young man?”
“Joey Richards. But that’s all I know.”
“All right. Well, let me shower while you call Darius.” Duncan tossed her his phone. “I’ll call Timothy White over at the Aegis Network. I’m sure he won’t mind me borrowing a plane to go to Ohio to help find your sister.”
Her mouth fell open. “I wasn’t asking?—”
“I know. But I’m offering. We’ve got a few days off, and I will have no assignments with the Aegis Network anytime soon. Might as well make good use of the resources in front of us.” He chugged his brew before standing.
“What about the party tonight? You’re hosting.”
“It wasn’t really a party. Besides, a lot of people had made other plans, so it was going to be small. Really small. Passcode on my phone is 242784.” With that, he disappeared into the house.
One thing she knew about Duncan was that he always did what he said he would do.
And maybe over the next couple of days, she’d gain the courage to tell him she was going to have his baby.