Chapter six #2
Tomorrow I will talk to Grady, ask for forgiveness for me and my son, and let him know that he’s going to be a father. I will stand my ground, assure him that nothing between us has to change, and then we can just both move on with our lives.
I’ve done this before, and I can do it again. Only this time, I’m not going to let my heart get involved. That’s how I got in trouble in the first place, and the last thing I need is heartache on top of everything else.
***
Just after three in the afternoon, I pull into the driveway of Grady’s house and shut my car off.
Chase is under the supervision of my mom and Gigi while I’m gone so I don’t have to worry about him getting himself in trouble again.
I haven’t told them what happened last night yet, but they know something’s up since Chase looked like a puppy dog with his tail tucked between his legs when I dropped him off, and he’s without a cell phone.
Grady steps out the front door just as I stand from the car, and god, he looks good.
Wearing a simple gray t-shirt and jeans, his light brown hair freshly cut, and his feet bare, he stares at me as I make my way to his wraparound porch and climb the five steps that lead to the front door.
His arms are straining against the sleeves of his shirt, those biceps that I remember biting into as he made me come so hard I nearly passed out.
“Hi,” I say, trying to gauge his mood and forget about our hot night that led to me being pregnant.
“Hey.” He holds the door open so I can enter the house and follows me inside.
In daylight, I can finally take in his home. The night I spent here was fully in the dark, so I couldn’t appreciate the home he’s built for himself.
The walls are a light gray and the décor features shades of blue, ranging from sky blue to navy.
A plush gray couch and matching recliner stand out in the living room, facing a massive television that takes up nearly an entire wall.
Framed articles from his baseball career hang proudly on the walls around the space.
Through an opening in the wall, I glimpse the kitchen through that separates the two rooms, and a hallway to my left leads to his bedroom—a place I remember all too well.
“Scottie?” he says, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Yeah?”
“I asked you if you’d like something to drink.”
“Oh, sorry.” I push my curls from my face. “Sure. Water would be great, thanks.”
He nods and heads for the kitchen, bringing me back a glass of ice water, gesturing for me to sit on the couch as he takes a seat in his recliner to my right.
I take a sip, set the glass on the coffee table in front of me, and then meet his eyes. “Grady, I’m so sorry. Again.”
“For which part?” His words are curt, and I know he’s referring to my leaving without a word, but I have to handle the matter with Chase first.
“About last night. Believe me, my son will be suffering the utmost punishment from me, and we will pay for all the damages, but I’m begging you, please don’t press charges.”
Leaning forward, bracing his forearms on his thighs, he stares at me. “I’m not going to press charges, Scottie.”
A sigh of relief leaves my lips. “Thank you.”
“I remember what it was like to be fourteen and wanting to fit in. But this situation is more complicated than that.”
“What do you mean?” Does he know about the baby? How could he know? I haven’t told anyone yet, not even my mom.
“Your son said that these boys are on the baseball team?” he asks.
“Yes…”
“Well, I’m one of the new coaches.”
My stomach drops. “Oh.”
“Yeah.” Leaning back in the recliner now, he begins to rock. “The new coach reached out to me back in December, right before…”
Our night together. I nod, but don’t say anything.
“I wasn’t even entertaining the idea, but then you suggested it, and I…”
“I’m glad you decided to coach, Grady,” I tell him, offering a small smile. “It’ll be good for you. And the boys. They’ll learn so much from you.”
Silence stretches between us and then he finally asks, “Why didn’t you tell me you were moving back, Scottie?”
I sigh and lean back into the couch. “Because I didn’t know I was until about three weeks ago.
” His brow furrows, but he doesn’t say anything.
“Carrington Cove Elementary was looking for a new assistant principal and my mom called me about the job. It’s not uncommon for administrators to change schools mid-year, and life down in Georgia has been taxing lately, so…
” I rub my palms on my jeans. “My son and I needed a fresh start. Then, not even a few days in…”
“He went and got himself in trouble,” he finishes for me.
“Yeah.” Sitting up again, I stare right into his eyes.
“Can Chase work off the damages, Grady? Please? I don’t want to just write you a check.
I want my son to learn something from this.
He needs to think long and hard about the consequences of his actions so he never thinks about doing something like this ever again. ”
Grady clears his throat. “Yeah, I think that could work. The yard needs some help. He can pull weeds, organize scraps, stuff like that. Maybe I can make him scrub engine parts, get some grease under his fingernails.”
I glance at his hands, remembering how they felt on me, callused from hard work. I’d never been touched possessively like that. He ran his hands over my curves like he was tracing the lines of a classic car—and I felt every ounce of appreciation of my body in his touch.
“Perfect.” Relief rushes through me. “And he’ll be working off his debt at my house as well.”
“But at practice...”
“Don’t take it easy on him there, either. Make him run, do push-ups. I don’t care if he throws up.”
The corner of his mouth tips up. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
I shrug. “Like I said, I want him to regret every second of his choice.”
His smile falls. “This means we’re going to be seeing a lot more of each other,” he says, as if the words pain him.
Staring down at my lap, I nod. “Yeah, we will.” Lifting my gaze, I see him staring at me. “But, there’s something else I need to talk to you about.”
“Now you want to talk? You usually just disappear without a thought,” he spits out, and the anger he’s been reining in finally comes out. I could see it in the tick of his jaw, but Grady has always been good at keeping his composure.
“That’s not fair, Grady,” I whisper.
He stands from his chair, placing his hands on his hips. “Really? You’re going to talk to me about fair?”
I launch myself from the couch so I’m standing now too, facing him. “What do you want from me?”
“I want to know why you left without saying goodbye, damn it!” His voice booms through the room.
It startles me, but I hold my ground. “Because it was just supposed to be one night.”
“You really only wanted one night with me, Scottie?”
Shaking my head, I look off to the side. “I didn’t expect to see you again, Grady. And when I did, I just…”
“You just thought, ‘Hey, I haven’t seen that guy in seventeen years, and he looks like a good lay.’”
“No. That wasn’t it.”
“Then what? Was the sex not satisfactory?”
My hands start shaking from the adrenaline running through me, but I give him a steely gaze. “You’re being an ass.”
He points a finger at me. “And you’re lying to me. There’s a reason why you ran that night, and I’m pretty damn sure I know what it is, but I’m wondering if you have the guts to tell me.”
Throwing my hands up in the air, I reply, “What do you want me to say?”
“I want you to admit that it meant something to you, and you ran because you were fucking scared!”
His words feel like a slap, the impact of reality hitting me all at once.
Because he’s right. That night did mean something, but it doesn’t matter now. Everything changed when those two pink lines appeared.
“Grady…”
He closes the distance between us, holding me by the upper arms and lowering his voice. “One night, Scottie? You honestly thought that one night was enough?”
“We shouldn’t have even had that, Grady,” I manage to squeak out.
“Why?” He drags his nose up the side of my face, his breath hot on my skin. And my entire body comes alive.
God, how can this man have this effect on me? He’s my friend, was my friend for years. And one night together completely changed how my body responds to him?
It was just sex, two consenting adults in it for a good time.
It wasn’t supposed to mean anything.
You’re so stupid for even thinking that it wouldn’t, Scottie.
“Because I’m pregnant, Grady,” I whisper, letting my admission float out in the space between us.
He freezes, his chest rising and falling so slowly in front of my eyes that I’d think he stopped breathing if I didn’t see the evidence for myself.
Taking a step back, he releases my arms and I gaze up at him, his expression unreadable. “You’re what?”
I clear my throat and declare with more assertion this time, “I’m pregnant.”
Grady barely blinks for a few beats. “Um…how?”
Blowing out a breath, I turn away from him and begin to pace the room. “Believe me, I’ve been asking myself the same question, but you know, condoms don’t always work.”
He runs a hand through his hair. “Jesus. I, uh…”
“I know this is a lot.”
“You think?” He turns to me, his brows halfway up his forehead. “When did you find out?”
“Just this week. Something was off with me. I threw up a few times, and then finally realized I missed my period.” I shake my head, palming my face. “I should have known sooner, but life was crazy with the move and new job, and...”
“Okay.” He blows out a breath, nodding slowly, absorbing this new information. “So what now?”
“I called Dr. Rivera. I have an appointment next week.” Given my age and the fact that I’m already eleven weeks along, they wanted to see me as soon as possible.
“Look, I know this is a lot to take in, and I’m sorry that the timing of all of this isn’t better, but I wanted you to know. You deserve to know.”
Grady takes a seat in his recliner again, staring off into space. “Scottie…”
“Don’t worry, Grady. I’m not asking for anything from you.” His head snaps to meet my eyes. “My focus is on Chase right now, and we can figure the other stuff out later.” The longer he looks at me like I’m a stranger, the more eager I am to leave.
Reaching for my purse, I toss it over my shoulder and head for the door. “Look, I need to go.”
“Scottie!” he calls after me.
I turn back to face him for a moment. “Take some time, Grady. We can talk again soon.” And then I open the door and race out to my car, needing some space so I can break down in private. I tear out of his yard as the first few tears begin to fall, and my hands continue to shake as I grip the wheel.
“Why are you crying, Scottie?” I say to myself, signaling to turn onto the main road so I can get back to my son and deal with my family.
Why am I crying?
Because telling Grady he was going to be a father and seeing his reaction was a lot harder than I thought. Not only did I turn his life upside down, but he looked at me like I was just a figment of his imagination.
What did you expect, Scottie? And besides, you don’t want anything more from him, right?
I guess I just figured the next time I had a child, things would be different. I would be in love. The child would be planned and prayed for.
I never imagined going through the same experience twice. And honestly, after Chase turned ten, I sort of assumed that I was only meant to have one kid.
I love my son and having him forced me to grow up and view life very differently. But nothing could have prepared me for this—for encountering a man from my past who awakened the old me, the girl who was good at having fun, disregarding consequences, and living in the moment.
Looks like I channeled her a little too well—because now I’m in a predicament that I’m unequipped to handle. I’m not sure what I want, and nothing prepared me for how Grady makes me feel.
All I know is that I refuse to let my heart get involved this time.
I can handle this on my own, and that’s the way it has to be—because Grady has the ability to destroy me, and I can’t crumble again. There’s no way I’d survive it twice.