Chapter 22
KATIE
I walk from room to room doing the last check of my empty apartment, feeling lost and accomplished at the same time.
Packing the place up all by myself—while pregnant, no less—has been a chore, but there was nobody else for me to call on.
If it wasn’t for my folks, I wouldn’t even have had the money for the movers to load everything out and bring it down to Florida.
Which was a sobering thing to realize.
After officially being fired it’d be weird to ask anybody from the clinic to come lend a hand. And even if Mary or Jenny were willing to help, just the thought of driving back out to the ranch turns my stomach.
All of which leads me to one conclusion—there’s nothing left for me here.
If Wayne was so willing to say one thing to my face, then turn around and get back together with his high school girlfriend, that tells me everything I need to know.
Whatever he pretends, he’s still the same party boy he always was.
It’s hard not to feel like a fool for thinking otherwise.
I’ve examined all my options, and at this juncture there are precious few. Without my job at the clinic, there’s no way I’ll be able to get all the practicum hours I need to get my bovine specialization. Not that I should be working with large animals right now, anyway.
Getting squished between livestock is unpleasant under normal circumstances. As an increasingly pregnant woman, it’s a nonstarter.
After a lot of pride swallowing, I reached out to my folks down in Tampa. Mom and dad have always been so supportive, I wonder why it took me so long. She practically danced at the idea of my “coming home” so she could be a hands-on grandma.
Whatever “coming home” means. I grew up here, and have only visited Florida on the holidays since they moved down there. I don’t know that area at all or have any emotional connection to it. I definitely didn’t expect to ever raise a family there.
It’s the only avenue open for me, but no matter how I try to frame it for myself, this thing smells a lot like defeat.
But hey, there are vet jobs everywhere. Maybe not as many large animal opportunities as there are in the west, but I should be able to scare up something. In the absence of a father, having my parents close by to help raise the baby relieves some of the worry.
Pulling out my phone to order a ride to the airport, I’m equal parts glad and miserable to find Wayne hasn’t messaged me.
After all the bland calls and texts, a little bit of quiet should make me feel better.
Silence has to be better than the literal sweet nothings he bombarded me with. Just more empty words.
Like he knew he was in trouble and trying to ignore it. Well, I don’t have time for those boyish games anymore.
It’s time to move on.
I hail the cab. My car should be here in twelve minutes, so I get my rolling suitcase, give the door frame a little thank-you pat, and walk out of my apartment for the last time.
I have to push back tears as the door closes behind me, never to open again.
This is awful. Genuinely. This place really felt like home.
I always knew I’d leave eventually, but hoped it’d be into a house of my own. Maybe with someone to share it with.
Instead I’m shacking up with my folks until I figure things out. Not ideal at 27. But it’ll do until I can get things back on track.
The sound of tires on pavement grabs my attention, but when I look up, my heart shrivels in my chest. It’s not my ride.
It’s Wayne.
Even through the windshield I can see his deer-in-the headlights look. Like he’s been smacked in the jaw with consequences for the first time in his whole life. Maybe he finally realized what having a kid actually means? Nah, that’s too much to expect from him.
“Hey,” he says, leaving the door open as he hops out of his car. “What’s this?” A cautious smile parts his lips as he nods at my suitcase. Pretending like everything’s fine.
His signature move.
“I’m going to Florida.”
“Oh.” His eyebrows leap up in surprise and he puts his hands on his hips, shifting his weight. “Were you going to tell me?” The fact that he seems to feel he’s entitled to the information makes me bristle, but I force a deep breath and try to let it go.
“It doesn’t make any difference if you know or not.”
“No?” His irritation peeks through, along with a great big whiff of fear. “I thought I’d be the first one to find out.”
“Wayne…” I clench my jaw to keep from losing my cool. “I get it. You don’t like losing. But the ship has already sailed.” Unable to resist, I snip out, “Maybe Vicky can help you get over it.”
He draws back as if I’ve slapped him. Which, I’ll admit, is every bit as satisfying as I’d hoped.
“I just saw her—”
“I bet,” I cut him off, officially done with this conversation.
“It’s not what you think. I was out at the bar with the guys…”
“You’re really not helping your case, Wayne.”
“Just listen.” He puts his hands in front of me like he’s trying to stop the world from spinning out of control.
It’d be sweet if I wasn’t so thoroughly over it all.
“I heard what Vicky told you when you ran into her at the ranch. It’s not true.
We’re not back together. I’d never waste my time with someone like her.
All I care about is you.” His hands fall helplessly by his sides. “Katie, I want you.”
A month ago I probably would have flung myself into his arms. But this is just a remix of a song I’ve heard before. Too little, too late.
“Honestly, Wayne? It’s not even Vicky that’s pissing me off anymore. It’s you.”
“What about me?” His voice is small, those puppy dog eyes shining nervously.
“I need someone who’s serious about me. Not just me. Someone who’s serious about this baby. And that’s not you.”
“I am serious,” he protests, emotion making his voice crack.
“Then why did you wait a week to find out what was wrong with me?” The question stops him cold.
“I tried,” he stammers. “I’ve called, I’ve texted… You never answered.”
“And that didn’t raise any red flags for you?” Looking at him sideways, I have to fight the urge to be bitter about it. “You had to hear from someone else what was wrong before you actually came over. At a bar, no less.”
“Katie…” He trails off and I shrug my shoulders, shaking my head sadly.
“I’ve been right here, Wayne. The whole time. All you had to do was knock on the door.”
“But what about your job?”
I laugh in spite of myself.
“They fired me! You’d know that too if you’d bothered to ask. I’ve been coming to the ranch because they were willing to help me keep money coming in.”
Over his shoulder, I see my ride pulling up in a black sedan. I extend the handle on my suitcase and wheel past him.
“You can’t stay,” Wayne asks, making a reach for my arm. “Just for a few days? To give me a chance?”
“Stay where? My apartment is empty. I already spent a couple hundred on a one-way plane ticket. As for my things, all of them are already on a truck to Tampa.” The revelation hits him hard and he sways in place like a kid lost at the circus.
It’s endearing in an odd sort of way, so I step closer and lay a hand on his arm as the car rolls to a stop just a few paces away.
Now that it’s officially over, there’s nothing to stop me from saying the things I haven’t had the courage to offer up before.
“I loved you, you know that?” I say. “Even before all this. I mean, I wanted you when we were younger, but as soon as things looked like they might get serious this time around, I actually let myself fall in love with you. Like, I could see our future together.”
“We still could,” he pleads, reaching down to take my hand. “We could.”
“I’m not in high school anymore, Wayne.” Leaning closer, I give his hand a squeeze so it doesn’t sound like a total insult when I say, “But you are. It’s not your fault. You’re just a boy, and what I need right now is a man.”
I punctuate that by pulling my hand away and laying it on my belly.
“Goodbye, Wayne. Give my best to your folks.”
With that I roll my bag over to the waiting car, lift it into the trunk, and climb into the back. The driver pulls away, having the good sense not to say anything.
Wayne stands in the parking lot watching us go. Much as I know I should look away, I can’t take my eyes off him until we’re around the corner and he’s out of sight. I hope I never see him again.