15. Lainey
Lainey
“Hey, Lach.” Beau’s voice traveled up the stairs.
I stopped, holding my breath to see if my sister’s voice followed.
Maybe I was sleep walking? My leg did feel oddly numb.
But I knew that was just from the way I’d slept, curled up on my side, and the nerve in my back that the space invader loved to press against.
“Hey, Beau. Birdie.”
God. There was my answer. I hadn’t even had a day to just sit and think about my life imploding. My sister would want answers. She’d want to make a plan. And what I needed was to just turn my brain off.
“Why is Lainey’s car here? Where is she?” Birdie sounded frantic, but I wasn’t ready to face her yet. I pulled at the short sleeves of the shirt Lachlan had let me borrow, but it wouldn’t hide the bruises on my arm…or face, for that matter.
“Upstairs. Still asleep the last time I checked.” Lachlan’s cane tapped against the table. He must be sitting on the couch. God, was he going to tell them what happened?
“Asleep? What? Why is she sleeping here?”
“Greg called.” Beau cleared his throat, and my heart banged wildly in my chest. “Said he and Lainey had a fight, but she left in the storm and she hasn’t been picking up her phone. He’s worried something happened to her.”
“She’s okay…isn’t she?” Birdie asked.
“That piece of shit waited until this morning to reach out?” Lachlan’s anger was palpable, even more when he lowered his voice. “He should know why she isn’t answering her goddamn phone. She doesn’t have it with her. Because of him.”
“What’s going on, man?” Beau asked.
“She got here in the middle of the fucking storm! Was soaked through, crying, she didn’t even have shoes on.”
You promised!! Please don’t say anything else…
“What?” Birdie gasped. “Why didn’t she come up to our place? She could have come to me. Or called me once she was here? I would have come to get her.”
“I would have come to pick her up, Chickadee.” God, Beau really was protective of my sister. After everything they went through a few months ago, it made sense. We almost lost her. Shit. I should have let her know I was okay…
“It doesn’t matter who would go. She could have called me!”
No. No, I couldn’t. Because my sister was the person Greg knew I’d run to. Birdie was always solving my problems.
“I think she would have, except she knew he’d go right to you. Looking for her.”
“But why did she come here?” Beau asked, Juniper screeching over his question. “To you?”
Lachlan didn’t answer, at least not in a way I could hear.
Shoving off the wall, I tiptoed into his room until I made it to his closet.
I needed to cover my arms. My eyes bounced all over the closet, landing on the cowboy hat he had tucked up on the top shelf for a minute before continuing on.
He had a few sweatshirts, but honestly, I was already feeling too hot.
I’d definitely throw up if I put one of those on.
A couple items over, my eyes landed on his collection of flannels.
They would still be warm, but I could leave the collar and a few buttons undone. That would be better than a sweatshirt.
Exhaustion washed over me as I finally made my way downstairs.
“Oh my God! Are you okay?” Birdie was next to me the instant I stepped off the stairs, wrapping me in a big hug. “Greg called, and all I could think was that you were in a ditch somewhere!”
I hugged her back for a second, sinking into the bond that was always my safety net. I’d been so horrible to her for so long, trying my hardest to push her away so she wouldn’t see what a mess my life was.
“Please don’t pick up the phone if he calls again. We’re over, and I'll never go back to him again.”
Her hold on me loosened and she stepped back, her eyes going wide before her finger came up to my face and pushed away my hair. She brushed against the bruise that had gotten darker overnight.
“Oh, God. Lainey. What happened? What did he do to you?”
I couldn’t get words past the lump in my throat. So I just stood there and shook my head. My eyes met Lachlan’s, and I felt the sting of oncoming tears hit.
“That asshole hurt her.”
And there it was. The truth I’d been so ashamed of, laid out right in front of my family, and Lach’s, too. Because as soon as Beau heard, he got the same look in his eyes as Lach did last night. It was only a matter of time before every Ford was talking about the pathetic mistake I’d made.
“Lain. I thought things were better between you two. That he was so excited for the wedding, and the baby. I’m sorry I didn’t push more. I didn’t protect you.”
“You did nothing wrong.”
Lachlan cleared his throat. “Why don’t you both go into the kitchen?” His eyes moved to mine. “I made breakfast about an hour ago, and put a plate in the fridge for when you were feeling up to eating.”
“Thank you.”
“No thanks necessary.”
Birdie slipped her arm through mine, but Beau stopped us before we walked away.
“Are all of your things still at his place?” he asked.
I nodded. “I left everything behind.”
“Okay. Hayes and I will handle it.”
“I should go with you, too,” Birdie said. “To make sure the nursery things are packed up—”
“There really isn’t anything for a nursery,” I admitted. “I have a few pajama sets I hid away in my shirt drawer, but Greg didn’t want me buying anything before…”
My sister’s grip on my waist tightened, pouring comfort into me. “It’s okay. We’ve got time to get whatever you might need.”
“With what money?” I laughed, but tears stung at the corners of my eyes. My throat felt like it was still so raw from all the crying I’d done last night. And I had told myself no more. No more feeling sorry for myself. No more panicking. No more tears.
But here I was, still on the verge of more falling.
“What do you mean?” Beau asked.
“You have your business money, don’t you?” My sister stared at me, worry written all over her face.
“Greg took it all. The cash I’d been saving. The money in my bank account. Everything.”
“How?” Birdie looked like she was about to be sick, and I felt the same.
“He looked at my phone. I was dumb and saved the login information, and well…he told me last night he transferred it all out. I don’t have the money I was saving to pay you back for your investment, or the money I was hoping to rent a place with, or even enough money to cover giving birth in a few weeks.
I don’t…I don’t know what I’m going to do. ”
“That’s another crime we can add to the list. He won’t get away with it.” Lachlan moved to me, his hand resting on my shoulder. “I promise. He won’t.”
I knew that was a promise he couldn’t keep. Not really. But just hearing him say the words, knowing he wanted that for me, it made the panic fade.
“Go get something to eat. Beau and I will figure out what needs to get done and how we’re going to do it.”
“I don’t think anything’s broken.” Birdie poked at my cheekbone, and I winced.
It was still really tender, and I hated that I didn’t have any makeup with me to cover it up.
“I wish I had my doppler with me…are you having any pains? Has the baby been moving around like usual? Did Greg…did he hurt you anywhere else?”
“I’m okay. I promise. The alien, too.”
“I don’t get why you call him that.” Birdie chuckled.
“Because, it feels so weird that he’s in there, moving around! You’ll see when you get pregnant. It’s a weird feeling.”
Birdie laid her hand on my belly. “I think we’ll bring you up to the house before we go to pick up your things.
That way I can just give the two of you a once over for peace of mind.
Unless you think you need to go to the hospital?
I can call the office and see if they can fit you in at the clinic.
I know I don’t have rights there anymore, but Dr. Witten will take you on as a patient as a personal favor to me if I ask. ”
I covered her hand with mine. “I don’t need to go anywhere. I’m fine.”
Birdie nodded, then paused before asking, “Why didn’t you tell me things had gotten so bad?”
My fingers found the edge of Lach’s shirt and rolled the hem, as if fidgeting would save me from one of the hardest conversations of my life.
“I didn’t want you to know how bad it had gotten.
How bad it always was.” The space invader bounced in my belly, and I moved my hand over the spot where I could feel his hiccups.
“You’ve always made the right choices in life, and I always screw everything up.
I know I made it seem like Greg and his family were being wonderful about the baby and the wedding, but I don’t even think they know I’m pregnant.
I didn’t realize how isolated he was keeping me until it was too late. ”
“Lainey…”
I took a deep breath. “I just need to figure out what happens next. Where I go from here.”
“Beau and I can—”
“No,” I said sharply.
“No?”
“No. I’m not staying here. With you and Beau, or anywhere on this ranch. I’ll figure—”
“The hell you’re not,” Lachlan grumbled as he walked into the kitchen. “She’s right, Birdie. You and Beau have no room at your place. But she’s wrong about not staying here.”
“Lach, I can’t—”
“You’re staying here. Where I can make sure you’re safe, without having to run out of here to get to you.”
“Yesterday…” Beau chuckled as he rested his shoulder against the wall and smirked after setting Juniper on the floor. She immediately took off toward Birdie, her bum scooting across the floor with a big smile on her face. “That’s where you were.”
“Yeah, and I should have stayed,” Lachlan muttered.
“It’s not like you could have tossed me over your shoulder and made a run for it,” I said.
Lachlan’s face fell, and I realized he thought I meant because of his leg.
“No. Not because of that.” I paused, waiting for him to look at me again.
“Because of…this.” I pointed to my belly.
“And this,” I added, tapping against my head.
“I couldn’t admit that I needed help. All the red flags that were burning around me, and I was too embarrassed to ask for help.
” I turned to face my sister. “I’m so sorry. ”
“I should have known…” She sniffled as she scooped her daughter off the floor, wiping at her face while Juniper patted her chest. “I’m running an organization to help women who are in domestic violence situations.
I didn’t want to pry, and he could have killed you.
” Her free hand slipped back to my belly. “I could have lost you both.”
“But I made it here. I’m safe.”
“Damn straight you are,” Lachlan growled. “And we’re all going to make sure you stay that way.”