Chapter 26
Jacob
Icouldn’t look at my kitchen counter or chop an onion without thinking about Erin spread apart and whimpering on the countertop. I ran my fingers over the surface before I grabbed my phone. I didn’t even make it through half an onion before I had to talk to her.
ME:I can’t be in my kitchen without thinking about you. Wish you were here.
I watched the screen for a minute, waiting to see if she’d respond. Then the door clicked and the hinges squeaked when it was swung open. My chest fluttered, and I dropped my phone to the counter.
“I just texted you!” I said, moving towards the living room. “I didn’t think you were coming over tonight, but I hope you’re hungry.”
When I turned the corner, my stomach lurched into my throat. It wasn’t Erin standing in the entryway. It was the same cheekbones and the same nose, but it wasn’t the auburn hair I loved to run my hands through. Her eyes would never match the intense green orbs I’d looked into for the last several weeks.
“What are you doing here, Liz?” I asked, standing back by the entry to the kitchen. Her face lit up while my stomach sank.
She took an excited couple of steps into the house like it was an invitation. “We need to talk.” Something was wrong. My skin prickled with a warning.
“What’s wrong? Is Erin okay?” I bit back the worry. Liz was smiling. Why would she be smiling if something was wrong? The excitement on her face was replaced with confusion.
“Erin? What?” She crumpled her brow. “She’s fine. Why wouldn’t she be?” Liz tilted her head. The closer she got to me, the more the air between us felt like static—the same kind you felt before a big storm.
I put my hands up. “Then what do you want?”
“Is that any way to talk to the mother of your child?” The smile on her face made my stomach flip, and I stiffened when she took another step forward. I could smell her patchouli perfume before she could reach me.
I glared at her. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I’m pregnant.” Liz put her hand on her belly, rubbing it, and I clenched my hands into fists. “You’re going to be a daddy.”
“The fuck I am,” I said, gritting my teeth. “That’s not my kid.”
“It is, honey.” Liz put her hand on my chest, backing me against the wall, and I stuffed my hands in my pocket. If I didn’t, I wasn’t so sure I wouldn’t punch a hole in the wall next to me. It was tempting.
I slipped from between her and the wall, storming back to the counter and planting my hands against it. “It’s not possible.”
“I’m almost seven weeks,” she said, reaching into her pocket and producing a slightly wrinkled, very blurry photo. My mind was flooded with images of her fucking another man on the couch—images I had replaced for the last six weeks with better images of her sister. This wasn’t happening.
“I’m telling you. It’s not mine.” I emphasized every word, looking at her face. Her smile fell, and I bit back the feeling of guilt that nagged at me.
Liz tried to offer me the picture, and I just stared at it. I wasn’t taking the photo from her hand. It wasn’t my kid. “Why are you being like this?” she asked, disappointment fogging her features.
“You cheated on me! You treated me like shit.” I slammed my hands against the counter, and Liz gasped. “I walked in on you fucking another man and begging him for more. Even if that were my kid, I don’t want you. I don’t love you. I’ll never love you.”
Liz looked shocked and then angry before she resorted to pouting. “Why can’t anyone just be excited? First my sister, and now you!” Her eyelashes fluttered, but I didn’t feel sympathy for her. Erin knew.
I looked at my phone on the counter, realizing she still hadn’t responded to my text. I needed to talk to Erin now. She had to know there was no way this baby was mine. “You need to get out of my house.”
“Fine,” she said, sniffling but not walking away. “I’ll leave, but I’ll be back when you calm down. We need to talk about this. We’re going to be a family.”
“No, we’re not. Don’t bother coming back.”
I watched her walk out of the house, and when the door slammed behind her, I grabbed my phone. Erin was my most recent call, and I clicked on her name to call her again. The phone rang in my ear, and when it rang a second time, I closed my eyes.
“Please answer,” I begged.
The phone clicked after the third ring. “You’ve reached Erin. Leave me a message.” I hung up the phone and hit call again.
“I’ve called her five times,” I said, taking a swig from my water bottle. “She’s not going to answer. I have to go over there.”
Darren and Blake looked up from their lunches. It had been a long morning, and I had probably complained about the situation a hundred times. I was sure they were tired of hearing about it. “Do you think she really believes it though?” Darren asked.
“I don’t know!” I snapped, throwing my hands in the air. How would I know when she wouldn’t answer her phone or respond to my text messages?
Blake cleared his throat. “What about you? Do you think Liz is really pregnant?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t care.” I pinched my nose between my finger and thumb. It didn’t matter. “But Erin thinks she is, and she probably thinks it’s mine.”
My friends groaned, understanding that nothing good could ever come from this situation. “So what are you going to do?” Darren asked.
“I’m going over there. She has to at least know it’s not mine.” I looked at the clock, debating how badly they needed me here. It wasn’t like me to leave early—I was more likely to stay hours later than necessary, but today I needed to get out of here.
“What if she doesn’t believe you?” Blake stood up, standing next to me and putting his hand on my shoulder.
My chest squeezed, and dread burned my throat like heartburn. I was leaving. I was going to go to her office, find her, and make her believe there was no way I was having a baby with her sister. There was no way I wanted anything but her. What if she doesn’t believe you?
“She has to,” I said, starting towards my car. “I love her.”