Chapter 13 Thriller
THRILLER
Summer
The days were dragging. There were only eight left until Halloween and, for once, I wished time would move faster.
That way I could know once and for all if I was pregnant.
Waiting to get tested was an agony I couldn’t cope with, so even though I’d told Daisy not to bother, I did buy one of those at-home tests.
Yesterday, I’d perched on the edge of the bath, holding a pee-soaked strip in my trembling hands.
The minutes I had to wait for the result felt like an hour.
My stomach lurched at the two strong pink lines.
Pregnant.
Days passed as I waited for my doctor’s appointment. I kept having nightmarish visions of being in the clinic, only to end up having my worst fear repeated back to me.
“You’re pregnant.”
If it happened, the words would hit me like a boomerang.
Of all the permanent marks I could’ve walked away with from that night, a baby was the last on my list. It’d literally tie me to him forever.
Wild thoughts flashed through my head. Would the Fitzgeralds drag me to court and yank full custody from me? Ashley and Henry were going through that right now. Could I feed my baby on the entry-level salary I earned?
To think, that night I burst into that home fully expecting I’d end up with a murder hanging over my head.
Instead, I have my father’s murderer hanging onto my womb.
How could you even plan for an insane detour like this?
Maybe, don’t get tipsy on the night you’re supposed to shoot your archenemy dead.
Clearly, that one Halloween party created more problems than it was worth.
And how do I feel about Thaddeus? He took away the last important person from me but now might have given me a child.
Could I still hurt him? Would the child resent me for killing their father?
After frosting the pumpkin-shaped cookies I made last night, I packed a few for Marni and was determined to use the session to gather my thoughts.
Nobody better to do that with than my accommodating therapist. Who, thank goodness, told me to stop by after I blurted out I was pregnant over the phone.
Knowing Marni was busy and had made time for a lunchtime appointment in her schedule for me, I laid the container of thank-you pumpkin cookies on the seat next to me and drove through town to her office. Marni opened her door.
“These are for you,” I said, shoving the container to her chest.
Marni took them with a smile and wasted no time. “Are you really pregnant?”
Walking past her, I lowered myself onto the cracked leather couch.
“According to the at-home test I am, but it’s not one hundred percent.” I crossed my legs.
After lowering the container to the desk, Marni grabbed her pad and pen, then came to sit by me. “Is it Thaddeus’s?”
I stiffened. How? Of all the men in Tarrytown, how did she guess? “Well . . .”
“Wow. Okay, I see you’ve kept some things to yourself in our weekly sessions.”
“Marni, it wasn’t my proudest moment.”
“Tell me what happened,” she prompted, and I did. I filled her in on all the parts I didn’t previously. The very strong punch, using the bathroom, and the man I slept with.
“You had no idea at all it was Thaddeus?” Marni asked in a tone I didn’t miss. She thought I had done it intentionally.
“I didn’t.”
She studied me. “You’re not the type to have casual sex.”
“Well, the alcohol must’ve helped with that.”
She nodded. “And now you’re pregnant.”
“Looks that way.”
Marni lowered her pad and placed it down beside her. “Does Thaddeus know? If not, you do know you have to tell him.”
That’s when I told her all my fears. At the end of my explanation, I added, “What if Thaddeus takes this baby away from me too? He’s already taken away my dad.” My voice cracked.
She kept her voice low and patient. “Summer, you told me Thaddeus is marrying the other woman to have a child.”
Yeah, Mimi; who I saw the other day buttoning her shirt outside his office, clearly after they’d had a midday fuck.
“Marni, Thaddeus and I can barely share the town. We hate each other. How the hell are we supposed to share a child?”
We went round and round in circles until I blurted out a thought that was in the back of my head. “Maybe I’ll leave town and focus on being a good mother. I never had one.” I found myself cradling my tummy and thinking again about a tiny little hand in mine. What would it feel like?
Marni nodded slowly. “Your mother abandoning the family was a subject we’ve talked about many times. It’s likely part of the reason you’re fearful of Thaddeus taking the baby. However, for the moment let’s tackle the biggest issue right now: telling him.”
This must be why Marni made the big bucks. She really knew how to compartmentalize. “Okay.”
“Okay, what?” Marni said, not letting up one inch.
I shut my eyes and took a deep breath. “I’ll talk to Thaddeus. Though maybe I should wait until after I see a doctor and confirm that at-home test result—”
“You’re pregnant. All the throwing up, plus you have a glow. Sorry, Summer, but there’s definitely a bun in that oven.”
I smiled. The rest of the session passed a little easier since I’d got one big fat secret off my chest.
After leaving Marni’s office, I headed to the cemetery to tell my dad. He deserved to know before Thaddeus did. I was stretching my lunch hour longer than I should, but fuck it. I didn’t actually want to help Fitzgerald earn another dime.
Funnily enough, I knew Dad would be happy for me even though I was carrying the baby of a monster.
I stood in front of his grave.
“Dad, I don’t know how this happened. Well, I do, but I didn’t try to dishonor your memory.
” As I spoke, my knees buckled, and I fell to the ground, sobbing.
I just didn’t understand how. How could things have gone so wrong?
How was I supposed to navigate this? On the chilly ground, I sat alone for a while with my dad, the only parent who’d stayed, but then Thaddeus took him from me.
When I stood, I looked over the rows of tombstones, and my feet moved without any help from my brain. Gina Fitzgerald. My eyes scanned the engraved words. ‘Gone too soon. Mother of Thaddeus and Lily, friend to all who knew her. Wife of John Fitzgerald.’
What it didn’t say was how kind she was.
Gina never met a person she didn’t like.
She would have done anything for anyone.
I blinked hard, trying to prevent the tears from slipping down my cheeks.
Gina paid for my dad’s substance rehab facility not once, or twice, but three times.
My dad owed her so much. The Fitzgeralds had accepted me, even though my dad’s reputation could’ve made them object to Thaddeus dating me.
I wish it had never happened. I wish Dad had been able to hold himself together.
I wish it had happened to anyone other than Gina.
“Sorry, Gina. You know I’ve always been sorry,” I whispered.
One hand went to my stomach. My baby would carry the last name Fitzgerald. Maybe, just a little bit, it would finally be repayment for the life my father accidentally took.
After I got home from work the next day, I sat in the kitchen eating a tuna fish sandwich, thinking about the state of my life.
A loud banging came from my front door. Whoever it was clearly didn’t believe ringing the bell displayed enough urgency.
Alarmed, I hurried from the kitchen. Whatever news this person was desperate to tell me couldn’t be good.
“I’m coming!”
The banging continued. Whoever it was, they must not have been able to hear my voice over the racket they were making.
I yanked the door open and braced myself.
Ashley.
Mascara ran down her face. Tears filled her red eyes. “Summer, have you seen Wylie?”
I frowned. Seen him? “No? What’s wrong? Wait, you don’t know where he is?” My voice lifted in panic.
As I asked my questions, Ashley spun around and ran away.
“Wait!” I yelled, then grabbed a pair of sneakers by the door. With no time to put them on, I ran barefoot across the street to her house. Well, their soon-to-be former house as soon as the sale went through. “Ashley, what’s wrong?” The tension had my heart racing.
Henry and Eden walked out of the house. That was when I understood how serious this was. Only something really bad would get Ashley and Henry together in the same space again so soon. I noted Henry on the phone as Eden held Ashley. I repeated my question while slipping on my shoes.
“Wylie is missing,” Eden croaked.
Hearing the words spoken aloud seemed to push Ashley to the brink.
She fell to the concrete, looking like a mother whose heart had just been ripped out.
I jumped to help Eden comfort her as Henry ended his call.
“The police are looking, but we can’t stay here; let’s split up and search. He has to be around here somewhere.”
“What if he was kidnapped?” Ashley spat.
She was a lover of the Investigation Discovery channel, and I could imagine how much of that information wasn’t helpful right now.
Henry rolled his eyes and looked behind us. I turned to see Thaddeus pulling up. He rushed out of the car, yelling as he approached. “Any news?”
“No,” Henry admitted, his stricken face showing a vulnerability I’d never seen from him before.
Thad embraced him and spoke firmly. “He couldn’t have gone far on foot. Let’s check every inch of this town.”
“He’s right,” Ashley said, already on her feet and rushing to her car. Her tears could wait; she was in mother mode and eager to find Wylie.
Henry turned to Eden. “Can you stay here in case he comes back?”
“I’ll call the second he comes home,” Eden said with a warm smile.
Henry nodded and then jumped into the car Ashley was waiting in.
Divorce, cheating, embarrassment: none of those things mattered right now. Everyone could all go back to hating each other tomorrow, after Wylie was home safe.