Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Scarlett
“ I ’m going to be starving by the time this test is over,” I tell Zander after the nurse gives me the glucose drink and watches me drink it in the allotted minute. She smiles at me, then her gaze bounces to him and she blushes. After she stares at Zander a few seconds longer, she gets my initial fasting blood draw.
Me too, sis. Me too. This man of mine would make any woman blush. He’s ruggedly handsome with his dark hair and eyes. There’s an air of mystery about him too. At times, I think I should pinch myself when we’re together to make sure I’m not dreaming.
“We’ll draw your blood an hour from now, and then again at the two-hour mark. Once we do the two-hour draw, you’ll be done and you can go eat lunch,” she says kindly.
“Thank goodness. I’ll be ready,” I tell her and then laugh.
“When will we get the results of this test?” Zander asks.
“Dr. Ray’s office should call you next week with them,” the nurse says. “You’re free to walk around but be sure to be back here in exactly one hour for the first draw,” she says, smiling in my direction again.
We make our way down the hall until we find a waiting room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the most beautiful view in the distance. It’s not occupied by anyone else, so we take a seat. He looks so imposing in this sterile, small waiting room. I clear my throat in order to push down the desire blooming through me. I’m not sure if my desire for this man is amplified by being pregnant with his child or if it’s simply him, but regardless, Zander Bailey has me in a chokehold. I can’t get enough of him. I’m not sure if that should scare me or not given everything we’ve been through, but it doesn’t.
He glances at me with a raised brow. “Is something wrong?”
“Nope. I was just thinking about being hungry, except this time I’m not talking about food,” I admit with a wink.
“Mmm. I like the sound of that,” he says while sliding back in his seat with his muscular thighs spread in invitation. My mouth goes dry as I think about sitting on his lap and straddling him, one leg on each side.
“Don’t tempt me, Zander. Me and this sex drive of mine from all these hormones doesn’t care where we are. I’ll find somewhere and have my way with you,” I tell him and then pull my bottom lip between my teeth. I’m not joking. This desire for him is unmatched to anything I’ve ever experienced before.
He chuckles and shifts back to a normal position that doesn’t present such a naughty invitation to sink down on him right here for anyone to see. I cross my legs to try and calm the pulse between them.
“Is tomorrow still good for the gender reveal party?” he asks, steering the conversation to safer territory but watching me squeeze my legs together intently.
“It should be. Anna said she’ll come around lunch to help me set up one side of the bar. Leah may swing by too,” I tell him.
He takes my hand in his and kisses my knuckles. His tone changes from playful to serious. “I don’t want you to overdo it. Leave any big stuff for me and Dad.”
“Okay. I think the only big thing will be putting the balloon arch up.”
His smile widens. “Balloon arch, huh?” he asks.
“Absolutely. It’s pink and blue. We needed something to lighten up the corner we’ll be set up in,” I tell him.
“Sunshine, I can still close for a private event. I am the owner,” he says.
“Not necessary. You have friends here in Greendale Valley that would love to celebrate with you and a lot of them come to your bar regularly anyway, but I don’t really have anyone. Especially with the way things are with my parents right now, Anna is who I have, and now Leah,” I say quietly.
Sure, I have a few girlfriends, but they already said they couldn’t make it, which is fine. They promised to come to our shower in a few weeks. The situation with my parents still breaks my heart, and we’ve not verbally spoken since the night we told them about the baby. Only a handful of texts have been exchanged. Generic questions like asking if I’m okay.
Not going to pretend that it doesn’t sting. They’re supposed to be walking alongside me, but they’ve basically ghosted me, and I don’t understand why. I guess the disappointment in me and my choices is heavier than the joy of welcoming their first grandchild into this world.
He stands and pulls me up with him, and then he presses a gentle kiss to my forehead while holding me as close to him as my pregnant belly will allow. “You have me. You have my parents, and Anna and Leah too. You also have Brittney and Hawk. I know you don’t know them all that well yet, but they already love you for simply being the woman to bring me back to life. And the better they get to know you, the more they’ll love you. I promise, the more time you spend here in Greendale Valley, you’ll see that my friends, my people, are yours too.”
My chin wobbles as I stare into his dark eyes. He takes my chin and tips it up to kiss my lips. In his kiss, his love for me shines brightly through and dims the rest of the world around us. It’s tender and intentional.
When his lips leave mine, he still holds my chin to make sure I see him. Little does he know, he’s all I see. Even when I try to imagine our son, I see him. I’m sure he will strongly resemble his father anyway. “Your parents will come around, sunshine. It’s just taking them longer to catch up to the joy we already know.”
“Whatever you want, Scarlett. You’re growing my son, so you pick where we eat for lunch,” he says while gripping the steering wheel with one hand and holding mine with the other.
“I feel bad for asking to go to the little Italian place close to my apartment. It’s an hour away. But I am craving it,” I admit.
“Then that’s where we’re eating lunch, sunshine.”
“Are you sure you’re not needed back at work?” I ask.
He stops at the red light leading out of Greendale Valley and stares at me with his dark eyes. The same ones that can see every inch of me, every flaw and imperfection, but somehow still he loves me. “Right here with you is where I’m needed.”
The drive to Franklin flies by quickly and we’re at my favorite Italian restaurant in no time. We walk hand in hand to the hostess stand and she seats us immediately. I order my favorite angel hair pasta with a lemon butter sauce, asparagus, and shrimp. The breadsticks are divine. Zander ordered a classic dish…spaghetti and meatballs.
We order a slice of key lime pie to share, and as we wait on it, I feel a strange sensation crawl up my neck. Almost like I’m being watched. I glance around and come up empty.
But right as the pie arrives, I hear someone say my name. “Scarlett.”
A shiver runs down my back as I turn toward the owner of the voice to find Eric staring at me. I’m afraid to look at Zander. He obviously knows exactly who Eric is.
I begin to feel sick. Why here? Why now? Why are our ex-significant others popping up out of nowhere? Are we being tested?
In typical Eric fashion, he strolls over not caring about anything but what he wants. The tension radiating from Zander is palpable. By the time he reaches us, Zander’s jaw is clenched so hard, I worry his teeth might crack.
“Where have you been? I’ve been trying to call but you must’ve blocked me. I swung by your apartment a few times but you’re never there. I even called Anna, but all she told me was to jump off a cliff. We should talk,” he continues speaking, oblivious to my discomfort. Was he always an asshat?
Zander practically growls as he says, “Take a hint. She has nothing to say to you. You said plenty when you put your dick inside another woman.”
Eric finally turns his attention to Zander and recognition flickers in his eyes. “What do you care? You’re just a washed-up photographer who loves his bar more than anything else.”
Zander stands abruptly causing his chair to scrape loudly against the floor and it draws unwanted attention to the tumultuous situation unfolding.
Eric doesn’t back down. Personally, that seems like a bad choice considering Zander stands at least five inches taller and is pure muscle. I know from tracing those same rock-hard muscles with my tongue and fingertips every day.
Before Zander can speak up, I stand up and move in front of him. “You need to leave, Eric. There’s nothing left to say between us. You made your choices; now you deal with the bed you made.”
His gaze drops to my pregnant belly and his eyes widen. When he looks back up at my face, it’s like I slapped him. He takes a step back. “You’re pregnant?”
I cover my stomach with my hand. “I am,” I say as I raise my chin defiantly. I know nothing he says next will be good and I brace for the hateful words he’ll inevitably spew at me.
“Damn it, Scarlett. What have you done? You screwed everything up like you always do,” he says while staring daggers at me. I can practically see the anger rolling off him in waves.
I don’t have a chance to reply because Zander steps closer to Eric almost shielding me from his view. “You’re the one who messed up. You cheated on her and lost the best thing you ever had. It sucks, but you’ll live. Now back off and don’t contact her again,” he says through gritted teeth.
Eric scoffs. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You’re knocked up by this guy?” he asks crudely, peering at me around Zander’s tall frame.
It’s my turn to shift in front of Zander. I point at Zander behind me as I get so close to Eric, I can see his pupils dilate. “ This guy has loved me more in the months we’ve been together than you ever did in all the years I was with you,” I say, defending him with every beat of my racing heart.
Eric laughs. “This guy is a player, been nothing but one since his own little heartbreak years ago. Looks like you fell for his bull crap and now you’re stuck with him. What did you do, sleep with him on our wedding day?” he asks, still laughing, assuming I’d never do such a thing.
When I don’t answer, he pieces it together and anger masks his usually handsome features again. His eyes narrow as he says, “You’re kidding me. You slept with him on our wedding day?”
“It wasn’t our wedding day. It was the day I almost made the biggest mistake of my life. You and your little slut did me a favor,” I say, seething. How dare he compare the months he cheated to me sleeping with Zander after I left him to clean up the mess he created.
“It sounds like you’re the slut,” he throws back.
Zander lands a punch to his face quicker than a lightning strike. Eric stands taller and wipes the blood from his lip on the back of his hand. “Don’t you dare come near her again, or I’ll make sure you’re eating through a straw,” Zander says, threatening him.
Eric just grins at him and starts to back away. When he reaches the door, he stops and throws over his shoulder, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you about his playboy reputation, Scar. If you thought I was bad for you, you haven’t seen anything yet. This won’t last, and then where will you be?”
With that, he knows the thorn of doubt he planted will sting and fester.