Not Another Bad Date

“Congratulations. How is he?”

“He’s still in the hospital, but he’s going to be just fine. Thank you for putting his furniture together.”

“You’re welcome.” He followed behind her as she shuffled into the living room. “Can I get you anything?” he asked. Coffee. Tea. A wheelchair?

“No.” She sat slowly on the couch. “How well do you know my sister?”

Zach paused in the act of lowering himself onto a chair. “We met at UT and then again a few months ago.” He sat and looked at the clock on the wall. “When do you expect Adele? I’m sure you need your rest, and I’d hate to keep you from it.”

Her gaze narrowed and she waved away his concern. “What are your feelings for her?”

He hadn’t felt so scrutinized since he’d thrown five interceptions against the Bears back in ’01. “Adele’s great.”

“Yes I know. What are your feelings for her?”

He hadn’t been grilled about a girl since he’d been…Well, he’d never been grilled. “Maybe I should come back later.”

The door to the garage opened, and Sherilyn settled against the cushions. “I hear her now.”

Less then a minute passed, but it felt like five. The door to the garage opened and closed and Adele called out from the kitchen. “I’m back. William was at the hospital, and the tool was wearing a toupee.”

“I’m in here.”

It had been over a week since Zach had heard Adele’s voice in person, and the sound of it rushed over his skin. He’d tried to call a few times, but he’d never reached her.

“I stopped at Starbucks and got us some tea. I think the tea will help with the…” She stopped when she saw him and her eyes widened. She wore a big bulky sweater, jeans and held two cups in her hands.

“Hey there,” he said as he stood.

“I didn’t expect you until Wednesday.”

He shrugged. “I got bored.” I missed you. If Adele’s sister hadn’t been sitting on the couch staring at him as if he were a criminal, he would have put his hands on the sides of Adele’s face and kissed her until she took his hand and led him to the bedroom. Or spa tub. Or shower. Or floor. Which brought up a dilemma. He wouldn’t mind taking Adele to his house and making love to her in his bed, but Tiffany was there.

“I’ll leave you two alone.” Sherilyn scooted to the edge of the couch, and Zach crossed the room to help her stand. “Thank you,” she said, and shuffled over to Adele. She grabbed one paper cup of tea and took a sip. “Tell him.”

“Shh.” Adele glanced at Zach, then returned her attention to her sister. “We’re not even sure.”

“Dele, don’t be stupid. We’re sure.”

She gave her sister a very hard look, then pasted a phony smile on her face. “Go to bed.”

Sherilyn glanced over her shoulder. “It was nice to meet you, Zach.”

“My pleasure.” He stared at Sherilyn’s back until she disappeared. There was something going on between the sisters, but first things first. He moved toward her and placed his hands on Adele’s cheeks. He lowered his face to hers and brushed his lips across her mouth and waited for her to open up for him. She remained stiff and unmoving, just as she had a few months ago when she’d thought they shouldn’t get involved with each other. He pulled back and looked into her eyes. “What’s going on?” He had a feeling he knew. Ever since he’d seen Adele again, she’d talked about leaving after her sister had the baby. He’d known she would leave, he just hadn’t anticipated that it would be so soon nor that the thought would leave him so cold.

“Oh…” She shrugged a shoulder, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

He slid his hands to her shoulders. “What is it?” He wouldn’t mind if she decided to move to Cedar Creek. He liked having sex on a regular basis. He liked his life with her in it.

She opened her eyes and blurted on an exhaled breath, “I have something to tell you.”

His grasp tightened, and he steeled himself against the news that she was leaving. He wondered what she would do if he asked her to stay?

“I think I might be pregnant. Maybe.”

He dropped his hands and looked into her pale face. He felt the blood drain from his head and his stomach drop. “Tell me you’re kidding.”

“I wish I was.”

The floor beneath his feet shifted, opened, and the bottom fell out of his life. “How can you be sure?”

Adele took a drink of her chai tea. The liquid warmed her throat and upset stomach. She gazed up at Zach’s brown eyes and the furrow creasing his forehead. “I took six pregnancy tests, and they all came back positive.” She loved him with every beat of her heart. She loved the way his blond hair touched his forehead and the curve of his lips when he smiled. She loved the way he made her laugh and the way he looked at her when they were alone together. But he wasn’t looking at her that way now, and she wanted so badly for him to take her into his arms and tell her everything would be okay, even if it wasn’t true. “I’m pregnant.”

Instead he stepped back as if she was suddenly radioactive. “Goddamn it.” He scrubbed his face with his hands, then pressed his fingers into his forehead. “Fuck. How in the hell did this happen?”

Adele’s heart sank, but she wasn’t surprised. She moved past him and sat on the couch. She was tired and sick, and she just wanted to go to sleep and wake up and have this all be a bad dream. “I don’t know. It wasn’t supposed to happen.”

He dropped his hands and turned to face her. “You said you had one of those IUDs.”

“I do. Or did. Or, I don’t know.” She took a sip of tea. “Your condom broke just that one time. Just once. I don’t understand. I can’t believe this is happening. I’m as shocked as you are.” She glanced over at him and her heart sank even more. He was looking at her as he had the night the condom broke. With suspicion and distrust. “Don’t say it, Zach,” she warned.

But he went right ahead and said it anyway, “I don’t think you’re as shocked as I am. Obviously you don’t have an IUD.”

She wanted to cut him some slack for shock, but she wasn’t feeling generous. She was still in shock herself, but she wasn’t blaming him. “You think I planned this?”

He folded his arms across the chest of his flannel shirt and didn’t say a thing. He didn’t have to.

“I didn’t lie about the IUD, and don’t you dare suggest I did anything to the condom. I just didn’t know you have turbo swimmers that can take out birth control.”

“You knew this was the only way that I would ever get married again.”

She set her tea on the table and stood. She loved him, and his words sliced at her heart. “Who said anything about getting married?”

“Isn’t that what this is all about?” He raised his chin and looked down at her. “I knock you up, and we get married?”

“No.”

“Let me make this really clear. I’m not asking this time.”

Her wounded heart could only take so much. “Leave.” She pointed toward the front door. She was tired and sick and not in the mood to put up with Zach’s anger. “I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow,” she said, her lips stiff with her own anger. “I’ll call you once it’s confirmed.”

He reached into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out his keys. “What time tomorrow?”

She’d called Sherilyn’s OBGYN, who’d had a cancellation and had been able to get her in. “Ten thirty. I’ll call around noon.”

“I’ll take you.”

“I can drive.”

“I said, I’ll take you.”

“Fine.” But it wouldn’t change anything. They’d find out she was pregnant, but Zach still wouldn’t love her. She’d still be alone and scared and wondering what the hell she was going to do.

On the drive to the doctor’s office the next morning, Zach was unusually quiet. The scent of him filled the Escalade, his spicy deodorant and soap mixing with the smell of leather. He wore khakis and a wool coat over a blue button-down shirt. His hair was wet as if he’d just gotten out of the shower, and he looked tired. She knew the feeling. He’d asked how she was feeling and if he could get her anything, but that was about it.