Misty Reigenborn Romance Boxed Set (104 page)

Chapter 29

When they told Ali and Carson that they had finally gotten together, Ali gave them an “I told you so.” Carson clapped Nick on the back and told him to remember who was going to be the best man at his wedding.  Charlie loved his Auntie Ali and Uncle Carson and was very good with little Eli.

It was mid April.  She was sitting on the couch when he got home from work, while Charlie played in his bedroom.  She couldn’t believe it she thought.  The test had been positive.  How would he react she wondered?

He smiled when he came through the door and kissed her briefly.  “Hello beautiful.”

“Hi.  You seem to be in a good mood.”

“I might have some good news.  I need to talk to you about it.  See what you think.”

“There’s something I need to talk to you about too.”

“Okay.” He sat down on the couch next to her, kicking his shoes off.

She swallowed hard.  He looked at her, waiting patiently for her to begin.  Before she could lose her nerve, she just said it “Nick, I’m pregnant.”

He didn’t say anything, didn’t even look at her.  He got up off of the couch and immediately disappeared into the bedroom.  She was close to tears when he came back what seemed like endless minutes later, when it was probably only two or three.  He was hiding something behind his back.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?”

She wasn’t sure how she felt.  Part of her was excited and wanted to tell the whole world.  Part of her was scared to death.  They were going to have a baby.

He kneeled in front of her and took her hand.  “I was going to wait, but there’s not much point anymore I guess.” He took the ring box from behind his back and opened it.  “Will you marry me Ami?”

She kissed him so hard she almost knocked him back into the coffee table.  He slipped the ring on her finger, a wide grin on his face.  “Is that a yes?”

“Yes.”

She felt an ache that her Dad and her Grandpa wouldn’t be there, but otherwise she was thrilled.

Nick was still grinning.  He kissed her and then pulled her up from the couch.  He pulled her into his arms and then danced her around the living room.  “My baby’s having a baby.”

“We’re having a baby.”

“Yeah.  Damn.”

Charlie wandered out to the living room.  “What’s going on Mom?   Hi Nick.”

Ami patted the couch.  “Come sit down me with honey, Nick and I need to talk to you.”

Charlie said nothing, but sat between his mother and Nick on the couch.

Ami took a deep breath, and then let it out.  She didn’t want to throw so much at her son after he’d been with them such a short time but it wasn’t like she could hide it from him either. 

“Nick and I are getting married sweetie.  And you’re going to be a big brother.”

Charlie breathed a sigh of relief that she thought made him sound like a teenager.  “Oh.  Is that all?   I thought you were sending me back to live with Aunt Lisa.  Trinity’s kids are brats.”

Nick laughed and she gave him a dirty look.  “Are you okay with this Charlie?   Nick will be your stepdad.”

Charlie shrugged.  “I like Nick and I never had a real dad before.  I like babies.  Can I go play next door?”

A family with three little boys had moved in next door.  Both parents were very nice.  Neither Ami nor Nick missed Brad one bit. 

“Sure honey, but have Tina send you home at six o’clock so that we can have dinner.”

Charlie rolled his eyes.  “I can read a clock Mom.  I’ll be home at six.  Bye Mom, bye Nick.”

Charlie ran back to his room and grabbed his jacket, and then went out the door.

“So,” Ami said.  “Since we have a little time alone, how about Daddy takes Mommy to bed?”

Nick laughed.  “Hormones already?” She smacked him in the butt.  “I have to tell Carson.  I have to tell my Dad.”

“Can that not wait until the morning?  You don’t have to work tomorrow; I don’t have to work tomorrow.  We’ve got nine months to tell everyone.”

“I can wait.  But before I take my horny pregnant fiancé to bed, let me tell you my news.”

“Okay.”

“I talked to my Dad this afternoon.  Told him that I was looking to open up a shop here.  So he tells me that his shop is doing so well that he’s been looking into opening a second shop.  And he wants me to run it.”

“Really?”

“Yep.  The new shop should be ready to open in three, maybe four months.  Do you think we could be married and find a house by then?”

“I don’t know.”

His smile faded.  “I’m sorry.  Do you want to move?   How do you think Charlie will feel about it?”

“I haven’t been anywhere that really feels like home for a long time Nick. 
If it’s what you want to do, I’m fine with it, and I’m sure Charlie will be too.”

He took her hand.  “You are my world.  I want you to be happy too.  We’ll go visit next weekend.  If you decide you hate it there, we’ll figure out something else.  We can stay here, or go somewhere else.  I don’t care.  You have made me the happiest man in the world.”

“I love you Nick.”

“Love you too baby.” And then he took her to bed.

Their visit to his hometown went well.  His Dad wasn’t thrilled to meet her at first, but he thawed quickly.  His Mom liked her from the start, and Ami didn’t mind being fussed over by her future mother-in-law.  Charlie was already calling Nick’s mom Grandma by the time they left.

Even as long as Nick had been away, she could tell that home was where he really wanted to be.  And she wanted him to be happy, so they starting planning their move.

On their second trip back, they found a house.  Between what Ami had from her Dad, what she’d saved from her “running money” and what Nick had saved to start his own shop, they were able to make a hefty down payment on the three bedroom house and buy Ami a new car.

They were married on May 22nd, the Friday of their last week in Brunton.  Ami hadn’t heard anything from Gabe, and was worried that he’d show up and try to ruin her wedding, but he didn’t.

Her Mom wasn’t able to attend, but her Grandmother was there.

It was a wonderful day.  The honeymoon was awesome.  Charlie stayed with Nick’s parents with no protest since they both spoiled him rotten.  They went to Vegas and turned the thousand dollars they’d had left from their wedding money into $2500.  They drove to California for two days, and then drove back home and moved into their new house.

Nick settled in quickly at the shop, and even when he complained about the long days, she could tell that he loved it.  He was where he wanted to be and so was she.  Charlie loved his new school and there were other kids to play with in the neighborhood.  He started calling Nick Dad before the adoption was final.

Her pregnancy was going smoothly, though she felt fat.  She wasn’t working for the first time in her adult life, so she spent a lot of time on the phone talking to Ali, Candy, and her mother.

Chapter 30

She was talking to Ali on the phone one day when there was a knock at the door.  “Someone’s at the door Ali.  I’ll call you back in a few minutes okay?”

“Sure hon.  Talk to you in a few.” She hung up the phone and called out “Just a minute.”

Since she was seven months pregnant, sometimes it took her a minute to get up off of the couch.  There was no response from the other side of the door, and she thought whoever had been there had gotten impatient and left.

When she opened the door, she almost closed it immediately after.  Gabe was standing on her doorstep.  He was wearing tight jeans and a torn t-shirt.  He looked like he hadn’t slept in two days, and shaved in two weeks, but he still carried an ‘I know I’m sexy’ persona.

She didn’t know what to say.

He didn’t look like he did either.  He stood on her doorstep and looked at her.

Finally he spoke up “Can I come in?”

She stood back from the door and let him in.  She sat in the armchair and Gabe perched on the edge of the couch.  They were both silent for several minutes.  Finally she said “Are you okay?”

“No.  The love of my life is pregnant with my child and married to another man.”

She thought she’d heard him wrong at first.  But the way he was looking at her told her that he believed it was true.  “It’s not your baby.  It couldn’t be.  I had my period after I was with you the last time.”

He didn’t say anything.  She had a feeling he still didn’t believe her.  “Where have you been Gabe?  I heard that you walked out on your family, the bar, everything.”

“None of it means anything.”

“Gabe.  Even if you don’t want to be with your wife anymore, your kids still need you.  How old is your little girl now?”

“She just turned a year.”

“And you’ve been gone for a couple months haven’t you?”

He’d skipped town soon after she and Nick had left.  “Ami, you can’t live this lie.  I love you.  I need you.  I’m going crazy without you.”

“I’m in love with Nick.  I’m having his baby.”

“I don’t care if it is his.  Come away with me.  We can go today.  Anywhere you want to go.”

She thought he looked desperate.

“I can’t do that Gabe.  I have Charlie to think about and I’m where I want to be.  I’m sorry.”

“Ami please.  I can’t live without you.”

“Gabe go back to your family.  They’re worried about you.  The whole town’s worried about you.  I can’t believe you left Eric to run the bar.  You’re lucky Leslie stepped in and took over or he would have bankrupted you.”

“I don’t care about the bar.  I don’t care about any of it.  I have money.  I have your truck.  We can leave anytime you say the word Ami.”

“I’m not going to leave Nick two months before I’m due to have his child.”

“Then you can leave after you have the baby.  We’ll make a baby of our own, and we’ll take Charlie with us.”

“I don’t love you.  I love Nick.  He’s always been the one I wanted.  I’m so sorry that I slept with you.  I should never have done that.  But you’ve got to move on.  Please go home to your kids.”

“I’ll never move on Ami.  You’re the only one.  You always have been.”

“Gabe.”

She didn’t know what to say to him she thought.  He wasn’t the cocky, sure of himself, women falling at his feet Gabe that she’d known.  He was broken, pathetic.  He might still be hot as hell but it made her sick to her stomach that he’d walked away from everything for her.

She was a terrible person she thought.

There was a bit of the old Gabe in his eyes when he suddenly got up off of the couch, though.  “I’ll be back.  I want a DNA test.  If that baby’s mine, I’ll make you wish you had never met Nick.”

Then he was gone.

She sat back on the couch, craving a cigarette.  She wondered if Nick had any stashed around.  He’d quit, but he still smoked one every now and again.  One cigarette wouldn’t hurt the baby.  Then she dismissed the idea.  She called Ali back.

“Hey babe,” Ali said.

“Hi.”

“You okay?  Who was at your door?”

“Gabe.”

“You are fucking kidding me.  I thought he fell off the edge of planet.  No one’s heard from him in months.”

“He thinks the baby is his.”

“What?  You weren’t with him since Christmas time.  Were you?”

Nick was the only one she’d told she’d slept with Gabe again.  “Um.  I had sex with him that day with Brad.  But I had a period after that.  The baby is Nick’s.  There’s no way she could be Gabe’s and I told him that.”

“Did you tell Nick?”

“No.  I’m not going to.”

“Ami, you’ve got to tell him.  What if that crazy fuck starts stalking you again?”

“He won’t.  I told him to go back to his family.”

“He won’t.  Leslie’s got some woman living with them.  This blonde bitch that looks like a cover girl.  Every guy in town was after her until they found out she was living with Leslie.  She’s not bothering to pretend she doesn’t like women more than men anymore.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.  I still think you should tell Nick.  If Gabe thinks the baby is his, who knows what he’ll do.  He’s fucking crazy and you know it babe.”

“I know.  It’s my fault, too.  I never should have slept with him.”

“Too late now kiddo.”

“I know.  How’s Jen?  How’s Eli?”

“They are both getting so big.  You guys are still coming down for Jen’s birthday aren’t you?”

“As long as the doctor still says it’s okay.  I feel bad about missing Riley’s first birthday.”

“He is so adorable.  Looks just like his Daddy.  I’m sure Candy and Rick understand, though.  You can’t be traveling that far two days before you’re due.”

“I know.”

“Are you excited?”

“About the baby coming?  I’m scared to death honestly.  I just get used to be Charlie’s mother again and before I know it, the baby will be here.”

Ali laughed.  “You’ll do fine.  Nick is stoked.  Carson teases him all the time.”

“Would you do me a favor and not tell Carson about Gabe?”

“I feel kind of bad about telling Carson everything before, but you and Nick were meant to be together and ya’ll needed a kick in the ass to get together.  I’ll keep my mouth shut.  I really think that for safety’s sake you should tell Nick about Gabe’s unexpected appearance, but he’s your husband.  It’s up to you girl.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.  I gotta go.  Eli’s gonna be home from school soon.”

“Okay.  I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay.  You keep me posted.  I love you and miss you Ami.”

“Love you too.  Bye Ali.”

“Bye hon.”

She tried not to worry about Gabe’s visit.  She felt guilty not telling Nick about it, but she didn’t want to worry him.  She didn’t think Gabe would show up again, but with Gabe you never knew.

She heard no more from Gabe.  The doctor cleared her for the visit to Brunton.  They had a good time at Jenesis’s first birthday.  She missed Ali.  She missed Candy.  They were able to visit with Candy, Rick and Riley.

On the way out of town, she spotted Leslie.  She and a tall gorgeous blonde woman were loading the kids into a pink SUV.  Nick didn’t see them, and she decided it was best not to mention it.  He was already stressed enough from work.