I took off toward her car as she backed out of the space and turned toward the driveway. Shifting to drive, she hit the gas and was gone before I could say or do anything.
I couldn’t say how much time had passed as I stood there staring off into the distance in the direction AJ had driven. I just knew that when she drove off I felt like she took my heart with her. I felt lost, for more reasons than her absence alone.
It was the feeling of a strong grip on my shoulder that made me turn around. I looked up to find my father standing just behind me. He wore his jeans, boots, and a dirty shirt from a long day of work. He stared back at me with what I would explain as confusion and concern wrapped up as one. “You okay?”
Instead of answering him with words, I simply shook my head and began walking back toward the garage with one thing in mind.
“Was that AJ that left in a hurry?” I could hear Dad’s questions, yet I didn’t offer him an explanation. I rounded the side of my truck and knelt down to grab the box I’d seen there only moments ago.
Tipping it up, I found the box was empty, but the words on the outside jumped out almost as if they were neon lights in the dark night.
e.p.t. Digital Early Pregnancy Test.
I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me as I crumpled to the ground holding the empty box in my hand.
“It’ll be okay,” my father assured me as he helped me from the ground and led me toward the stairs to my apartment, but I stopped him and sat on the last step, still holding the box.
“I just need a minute.” I knew I needed a lot more than that, but for now, it was where I needed to start.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
AJ
I sat in my car outside Raven’s apartment. I’d driven straight to her only to find that her shift at the hospital had not yet ended. I lowered my seat back and curled onto my side, allowing the tears to fall.
I held my phone in my hand, staring ahead at the last message Rhett had sent.
Rhett: Was the test positive?
I closed my eyes tightly as regret hit me for even leaving him. I should have stayed. I should have talked to him and worked this out, but I was so scared of hearing things I’d feared the most. The idea of him telling me that he still loved her, and that love outweighed what he felt for me, was a nagging terror that fought against my better judgement.
“I need to know that it’s me you want,” I whispered in the darkness, my eyes still closed tightly. “And not just because you’re gonna be a daddy.” My lower lip trembled, my body shaking from the sobs that ripped through me.
My phone rang in my hands and my body jerked in surprise as I looked down to see Raven’s number across the screen. “Hello.”
“Where are you?” She was talking low, and I assumed it was because she was still at work and was not cleared to make personal phone calls.
“I’m sitting outside your place. It’s fine, really, I’ll wait.”
“You are not sitting in your car until after seven in the morning.” There was no point in arguing with Raven; I’d never win. “Maddison is on her way over so that you can follow her back to her place for the night.”
“I’ll just go back to Dad’s,” I start to tell her, and she overtook me. “You’re gonna go with Maddison, because there is something going on, otherwise you wouldn’t have driven over without calling first. I’ll be there in the morning.”
I found myself nodding in agreement.
“Everything’ll be okay,” my big sister assured me. It was what she did, what she’d always done. From the moment our mother left, she’d taken on the motherly role. She was the one person I knew, no matter what, I could rely on. She was more than my sister; she was my best friend.
“I know,” I say in return, even though I still wasn’t sure.
“I love you, AJ.” I closed my eyes tighter as I tried not to fall apart. “I love you too,” I was finally able to say after a few short calming breaths. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
We ended our call, and I knew leaving Rhett hanging was wrong, but I didn’t want his decision to be led by the fact that we’d created a life together. It was part of the reason why I didn’t tell him when he came home. Initially, I had planned to share the news over dinner, but that all changed when his sister shared what she’d thought I’d already known.
Me: We’ll talk tomorrow. I’m staying with my sister tonight, I’ll call you in the morning.
I didn’t want him to worry.
When he never responded, I tucked my phone away and waited for Maddison to show up. Headlights appeared at the end of the road and my stomach flipped, making me feel nauseated. When she pulled up at my side, her hair all piled on top of her head, she motioned for me to roll down my window.
“Just tell me this.” She arched her brow, giving off the serious vibe. “Do I need to drive to Brooklet and beat Rhett’s ass?”
I smiled for the first time since I talked to Grace. “I’m not sure yet if it's me or him that needs the ass kicking.” Instead of her asking anything more, she told me to follow her and backed out of the driveway.
***
Maddison’s apartment was more like one
