Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Cameron
It was Friday afternoon, and I was swamped at work, so when my sister popped her head in and asked to talk, I was surprised and annoyed, but curious.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” I asked, stretching my arms over my head to work out the kinks in my back.
I’d been burying myself in my work since Rylee dumped me, which was better than drowning in the bottle, I reasoned.
“Me and Austin flew in to meet with the architect who’s building our house by the lake. We’ll be spending some time with Mama and Daddy and his family too.”
“Nice, but you didn’t have to drive all the way out here to see me.” I lived and worked over an hour away from our hometown. “I could’ve driven to the folks tomorrow to see y’all.”
Not like I had any other plans. Just the thought of dating another woman felt abhorrent to me after Rylee.
“Um, I know I didn’t have to, but I was afraid I’d lose my nerve. So, I just wanted to get it over with, before I talked myself out of it.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
I watched her pace back and forth across the large room, her arms curled around her mid-section.
“What’s got you so freaked out?” When she didn’t respond, I said, “Shit, it’s not Mama or P—”
“No, no,” she waved me off. “This has nothing to do with them.” She glanced at me. “Um, have you heard from Rylee lately?”
I scowled. “No, and I’m not expecting to. She dumped me, remember?”
She swore softly and took a deep breath before blowing it out. “Okay, it’s been three weeks. I promised I’d give her time, but the longer she waits the harder it will be and I don’t want you to be pissed at me because I knew and didn’t tell you.”
“What are you talking about?” I demanded, feeling my blood pressure rising. “You’re talking in riddles!”
She faced me, wrapping her hands around the backrest of the guest chair in front of me. “Easton came to me with this yesterday, because he apparently knows too. And he told me we couldn’t keep this from you any longer. He said, as a guy, he’d want to know—”
“Know what?” I roared, slamming my hand against the desk.
“Rylee’s pregnant,” she whispered. “With your baby.”
I swear the room started spinning, which meant my blood pressure was probably teetering on stroke-out high. “What did you say?”
“You heard me.” She started wringing her hands, wide-eyed, as her cheeks flushed. “I hope she doesn’t hate me for telling you this. I told her I wouldn’t. But she promised me she’d tell you. And I know she has an ultrasound coming up, and that’s the kind of thing you should be there for—”
“Stop rambling!” I shouted. “I can’t even think straight.” I dropped my head into my hands and tried to make sense of the bombshell she’d just dropped on me. “Rylee’s pregnant,” I repeated. “And she’s known… a few weeks?”
Eden nodded, looking miserable, and a little scared. “God, it wasn’t my place to tell you this. I feel terrible. But I love that girl like a sister. And she’s already gone through so much alone. I didn’t want her to have to go through this too.”
“And what about me?” I demanded. “I’m your brother, remember?”
“Yeah, of course,” she said, waving her hand in my direction.
“Like I said, you have a right to know.” She pouted.
“But I’ve wanted to be an auntie forever, and what if Rylee hates me now and won’t let me a part of the baby’s life because I broke her confidence?
You know how she is about trust. That’s the reason she dumped you. ”
“Thanks for the reminder,” I snapped. “And can we not make this about you? I’m sure she’ll forgive you for telling me, but… Rylee’s pregnant. With my baby.” I still couldn’t wrap my head around it. “Is she happy about this? Scared? Freaking out?”
I hated that I didn’t know.
“Yes,” she said, slowly. “She’s happy. And scared. And freaking out. She’s feeling all the feels, Cam. Just like you’d expect.” She smiled, before whispering, “You’re gonna be a daddy. Can you believe it?”
“No, I can’t believe it.”
I’d wanted this forever. And to be having a baby with the woman I loved, even if she hated me, was everything.
“Well, believe it.” She bit her lip. “My guess is you have between seven and eight months to prepare yourself.”
I allowed myself to finally let it sink in. “I’m not gonna let her shut me out,” I said, grabbing my keys, wallet and cell phone. “She can be pissed at me. She can refuse to love me. But there’s no way in hell she’s gonna prevent me from being in my kid’s life.”
“Cam,” she said, grabbing my arm before I could make it to the door. “It was never her intent to shut you out. She knows you’ll be a great dad. She just didn’t know how you’d react. She needed time to process her feelings about it, and figure out how to tell you, that’s all.”
“Yeah, well she’s had plenty of time. Now we’re gonna have this out, whether she’s ready or not.”
When it was just the two of us, I respected her right to space, but now that she was carrying my baby, all bets were off.
“Just go easy on her,” Eden warned. “Stress is the worst thing for mamas in their first trimester, when risk of miscarriage is the highest.”
Miscarriage.
That word stopped me in my tracks.
I’d just learned about this baby five minutes ago and was already in love.
“I’ll be cool, I promise.”
I’d flown to Nashville and rented a premium pick-up truck at the airport.
As I navigated the late-night traffic, I thought of calling or texting Rylee before showing up on her doorstep unannounced and uninvited.
But given how determined she’d been to keep me in the dark about our baby, I suspected the element of surprise might work in my favour.
I could barely breathe as I knocked softly on her door, not wanting to scare her.
A shadow passed across the peephole and I knew she was there, probably trying to decide whether to let me in.
“Rylee, please. We need to talk.”
Another minute passed before she finally conceded and the door opened slowly. “What are you doing here?”
“I think you know.”
My gaze drifted over her slowly, because damn, it had been too long.
She was wearing a thin white tank top, without a bra, and blue cropped leggings that fit her like a second skin. I was salivating.
“Come in,” she said, taking a step back to let me enter, before closing the door behind me. “Maybe you’d better tell me.”
“I know, Rylee.” I let those words sink in before I asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She sighed heavily, running a hand through her tousled waves before she said, “I was going to, I just needed a little more time. I should have known your sister couldn’t keep this to herself for long.”
Feeling compelled to get Eden off the hook, I said, “She doesn’t want you to go through this alone, and neither do I.
You’ve gone through too much alone.” I took a step closer, praying she’d allow me to provide some comfort.
“And you don’t have to do that anymore. I’m here for you, for our baby, and—”
She flashed her palm to silence me. “I appreciate that, but this is a lot, Cam. I just need some time.”
I could give her time. We had months to figure out how we would co-parent before our baby arrived.
“Take all the time you need. I just wanted you to know, whatever you need, all you have to do is ask.”
She looked up at me, her eyes brimming with tears. “You’re not mad at me?”
This girl had a million ways to break my heart.
“Sweetheart, why would I be mad at you?”
“I wasn’t supposed to get pregnant.” She started wringing her hands and pacing. “You have to know, this wasn’t intentional. I didn’t even think I was being careless. Sure, I forgot to take a few pills, but I took them the next day and I thought—”
“It’s okay.” I smiled to stop her rambling. “Ry, this baby is a blessing. I want this.”
I want you.
But I couldn’t tell her that. Maybe someday she’d be open to hearing those words from me again, but not today.
“It is a blessing,” she said, placing her hands over her flat stomach. “I mean, I never imagined getting pregnant now, but since I am, I’ve kind of fallen in love with this baby.” She bit her lip, looking uncertain. “Is that crazy?”
I grinned. “If you’re crazy, then I’m even crazier, because I fell in love with our little one the second I found out you were pregnant.”
She looked hopeful when she asked, “Really?”
I took a risk, and reached for her. When she didn’t withdraw, I kissed each of her hands before looking her in the eye. “You know how much I’ve wanted to be a dad. You’ve given me an incredible gift. Thank you.”
A tear glided down her cheek and she sniffled, half laughing, when she said, “You’re welcome.” Pinching her lips together, she said, “I’m scared though. I’m not sure how all this is going to work. I mean, my career means a lot to me, but—”
“We’ll figure out the logistics, don’t worry.”
It might mean up-ending my life, but I didn’t care. If my baby was in Nashville, I wanted to be in Nashville as much as possible. Being a part-time dad didn’t sit well with me, but I was determined to respect Rylee’s wishes and not try to steamroll her.
“I’ve been worrying a lot,” she admitted, squeezing my hands. “About how you would react. How I would handle the demands of a career and motherhood, whether I would be a good mama or—”
“You’ll be great.” I’d bet my last dime on that. “You’ll give our baby the love you never got growing up, and as long as you do that, they’ll have all they need to thrive.”
She stepped closer, wrapping her arms around my waist as she laid her head on my chest. “You have no idea how much I needed to hear that. You have this way of calming me. I have a feeling I’m going to be calling on you a lot over the next months.”
I kissed the top of her head, breathing in her scent, as I closed my eyes. “Anytime you need me, I’m here.”
She tipped her head back, looking up at me. “I’m glad I’m doing this with you.”
I smiled, fighting the urge to kiss her. “I am too, sweetheart.”
I couldn’t imagine doing it with anyone else.
Stepping out of my arms with a sigh, she said, “The elephant in the room is what happened between us, Cam.”
“We don’t have to talk about that now.”
But I did want to talk about it eventually.
I didn’t want there to be any bitterness between us by the time our baby was born.
Just love, friendship, and mutual respect.
And if she saw fit to let me back into her bed, and her life, I’d be the happiest bastard alive.
If not, I’d still be grateful for all she’d given me.
“I’ve been thinking about it a lot,” she admitted. “My friend Easton thinks I was a little unfair—”
“I really need to buy Easton a beer.” I grinned when she smiled. “That guy doesn’t even know me, but he’s got my back.”
The world knew Easton Hart, the multi-award-winning country singer, but after everything Rylee had told me about her friend, I wanted to know the man behind the persona. He sounded like someone I’d like to have on my side.
“I’ve been confiding in him,” she admitted.
“About us. My pregnancy. All of it. And he’s been through stuff too, with his wife and family, so he gives good advice.
But the best advice he gave me may have been to go easy on you, not to have unrealistic expectations of perfection because you’re only human, just like me. ”
“I appreciate that.” I didn’t expect a free pass for the mistake I’d made, but it was good to know she might be able to forgive me, for the sake of our baby.
“Listen, it’s late.” I captured her face in my hands, and looked into her eyes before kissing her forehead.
“I’m going to let you get some sleep. But I’ll be here until Sunday morning.
Maybe we could go out for lunch tomorrow, talk a little more, about how we move forward from here… with respect to the baby.”
She nodded, curling her hands around my wrists. “Yeah, I’d like that. Text me in the morning and we’ll make plans.”
“Will do.” I didn’t know how much sleep I’d get tonight, but just knowing I’d be seeing her again tomorrow made me more hopeful than I’d been in weeks.