Chapter 9 Arden
ARDEN
Even though Jude assured me none of the guys at Vetted Paws would say anything, I can’t take the chance that Ellison will find out from someone other than me. It should be easy. There aren’t even that many words to say—Ellison, I’m pregnant.
See? Just three.
But those three words are a reminder that even though Ellison’s life wasn’t perfect, she knew her father—our father—and he didn’t leave her mother to raise a baby alone.
He didn’t know about you.
The truth doesn’t make the reality any easier.
I’d wanted something different for myself. A loving husband and a room in our house we knew would become the nursery. I wanted to do it right.
But all those unresolved issues reared their ugly heads when my mother and father decided that they’d give their love a second chance.
Evan waited till his divorce from Ellison’s mother was final before he asked Mom out on a date, but that simple act started a wildfire of emotions inside me I couldn’t explain.
I want my mother to be happy, but the worry that he’s going to break her into irrevocable pieces is too much to bear.
Jude had given me something so much better than the whiskey hangover I’d mentally prepared myself for, but that had come at a cost too.
A baby.
His baby.
Which brings me right back to where I started.
JUDE: When can I see you?
ARDEN: I don’t know
JUDE: Tonight?
JUDE: I thought we could talk
ARDEN: Maybe
JUDE: It’s kind of important, Tennessee
ARDEN: I know it is but I’m working up the nerve to tell my sister
ARDEN: I need to do that today
JUDE: I thought you said she was going to be excited
ARDEN: She is
JUDE: But you’re not
ARDEN: It’s complicated
ARDEN: Can I let you know how I’m feeling after I talk to her?
JUDE: Sure
JUDE: Do you want me to go with you?
ARDEN: Where?
JUDE: To tell your sister
I blink.
And then blink again.
Despite the fact that the announcement does, in fact, include him, I can’t ask him to do that although a part of me wants to cry at the sweetness of it.
ARDEN: I appreciate it but not this time. We can figure out another time for you to meet her.
JUDE: I do know Ellison and Montana
ARDEN: Yes, but do you know them like you see them when they come into the bar or do you know them as the guy that knocked up their sister/sister-in-law
JUDE: Let me know how it goes today
ARDEN: You got it
Leaning my head back against the seat, I try to stave off the panic, as things like why does he have to be so sweet and I can do this race through my mind.
Tap, tap, tap.
The sound against the glass has me jumping and turning toward the window, my heart in my throat for an entirely new reason.
How long have I been sitting here?
Swallowing hard, I look around the parking lot of the Kettle and Kiln and realize the cars I saw when I pulled in are no longer here.
Shoot.
Tanner Holiday stands at my window, his handsome face pulling into a frown, as he stares at me. “Are you all right?”
The words are muffled through the glass, and before I can think about it, I push out of the car and join him on the sidewalk.
“No,” I admit as his eyebrows join his sandy-blond hairline. The Air Force veteran is usually unflappable, today being the exception.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Can I practice on you?” I blurt out and he blushes, pink coloring his cheeks as he shifts from foot to foot.
“Um? Sure?” Tanner says, not at all sure but it’s fine.
This is completely fine.
He was there when I threw up so this shouldn’t be a surprise.
“I’m pregnant.”
Tanner visibly relaxes and I wonder what he thought I meant when I asked to practice on him.
“Yes, congratulations,” he says with a soft smile. “How are you feeling?”
“I don’t know.” My shoulders slump and I wrap my arms around myself. “I wanted to grab cupcakes before I tell my sister, but I’m stalling.”
“I don’t want to overstep but I understand. I don’t know your history with Jude—”
“How do you know Jude’s the father?”
Tanner snorts out a laugh. “That man was about to rip the door off the hinges following you outside. If he’s not the father…”
“He is.” I roll my eyes and Tanner chuckles. “What can I say? I’m into tall, dark, and broody. How about you?” The blush on Tanner’s face ratchets up a notch and it’s my turn to laugh.
“We’re not talking about me.” He clears his throat and looks away quickly before meeting my gaze.
“I was just trying to say if you need to talk, I’m here.
I know what it’s like to be out of your element in a situation you never thought you’d be in.
We did the best we could and some days it was hard.
I’m lucky my ex-wife is still my best friend, and our son is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, but it’s still a lot to handle. ”
“Can I hug you?” I ask, my voice wobbly as I let his words sink in.
“Uh, sure.”
Wrapping my arms around him, I rest my head against his chest and breathe a little easier as he holds me.
“Is this weird?” I ask, self-conscious but not caring enough to do anything about it.
“No, I have an Otto…” he states, amusement and affection in his tone. “There’s nothing weirder than that.”
“Thanks, Tanner.”
“Anytime.”