He steps up to me and his grip on my arm is tight, forceful. I try to tug away, but can’t. I take a fast breath and calm myself, as I think about the best way to handle this situation. Getting myself worked up and angering him, has never worked in my favor before.
“You want to talk, then talk,” I say.
“Not here.”
“Why not here?” I try to appear casual as I say, “It’s the perfect spot. We won’t get interrupted.”
“I just saw your sister leave. Who knows if she’ll come back and I’d prefer to go somewhere where we won’t be disturbed.”
Okay, this is not good. Not good at all.
I hold my phone, and position it in my hand, wanting to dial 911 without him privy to what I’m doing.
“Do you want to pack a bag?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I say. If I can get to my room, I can lock the door and call for help.
“I’ll be right back.” I turn to go to my room, but he’s right on my heels, his breath hot on my neck. “What happened with you and the girl you brought to the weekend gathering?”
“We’re over,” he says. “It’s only ever been you I wanted, Gemma.”
In my room, I open my closet and reach for my duffle bag, stalling for as long as I can. If Callan doesn’t hear from me, maybe he’ll come looking, sooner rather than later, because later might just be too late.
Brad sits on my bed, his eyes trained on me. “I told my parents we were getting back together. They were happy for us, Gemma.”
I just nod. “Do you want to call your parents and tell them the same?”
“I don’t think that’s necessary, do you?” I say. “It’s Sunday, they love to golf. I don’t want to bother their game.”
“Call them,” he says. “Tell them we’re together again.”
“Brad—”
“You don’t want anyone to worry about you. I mean, if your sister calls and you don’t answer, I want her to know you’re with me.”
“Okay,” I say, and lift my phone. My God, I’m clutching it so tightly, my knuckles are white. I pull up their contact and hit call. Brad steps in behind me and puts his arm around my neck in a choke hold. He’s not cutting off my air or anything, but it’s an aggressive move—a warning.
“Darling, how are you? I was just thinking of you,” Mom says when she answers but there is something off in her voice.
“Hey Mom. Sorry to catch you on the golf course.”
“We just finished. We’re actually having a bite to eat in the club house. Misty and John are with us. They told us you and Brad were back together. I was surprised by the news and that you didn’t tell us yourself.”
“Yeah, I guess we’re all surprised,” I say, and Brad tightens his hold. “It happened rather fast.”
“Hey Janice,” Brad says.
“Oh, you’re with him now,” Mom says.
“Yeah, he’s here at my place,” I say, hoping my mother can pick up on my distress and call for help.
“Not for long,” Brad says. “We’re going to go away for a few days and make up for lost time.”
“Where are you going?” Mom asks.
“It’s a surprise,” Brad says before I can answer.
“Okay,” Mom says. “You two have a nice time, and Gemma, call me when you get there.”
“I will,” I say a measure of relief going through me. If she asked me to call, chances are Brad will want me to. He won’t want anyone knowing there could be anything wrong—and there is plenty wrong, that’s for sure.
He removes his arm from around my neck. “She seemed happy by the news.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
He spins me until I’m facing him. “We’re going to be good, Gemma. You wait and see. We’ll have that family you always wanted.”
Oh, my God. I don’t dare tell him I’m pregnant with Callan’s baby.
He keeps a good firm hold of my arm as he takes me to his car and stands by the passenger side until I’m buckled in. As he circles, I think about jumping out and running, but he’s too fast and too strong and will have me in a second flat. Plus, I’m too frightened to do anything that could put the baby in jeopardy. For the time being, the only thing I can do is play along.
“Where are we going?” I ask and take in the street names as he drives.
He smiles at me. “It’s a surprise.”
“I don’t really like surprises,” I say, and take in the clenching of his jaw, the shift in his mood. It’s dark, much like the clouds overhead.
“I didn’t want to have to come and get you this way, Gemma. You left me no choice.”
“Brad,” I say. “I was home. I was going to call you.”
His head jerks my way. “Really?”
“What you said was right. Things were never going to work out between Callan and me. He was just a passing phase, you know.”
“Don’t fuck with me, Gemma. I’ll know it.”
“I’m not,” I say. “You showing up suddenly took me by surprise. I didn’t have all my thoughts sorted out. That’s all.”
“You sorted out now?” he asks.
“I am.”
He takes my hand and squeezes it, a gesture Callan has done a hundred times, but this time my heart is in my throat and it’s all I can do to fight off the panic. I gently tug my hand back, and dig into my purse, hoping to secretly make a call.
“What are you doing?”
“Chapstick,” I say, and pull out the tube. I apply it to my lips and can only hope my sister calls my mother, or Callan gets worried about me.
We drive for what feels like hours, and the sun is low on the horizon when he takes an exit and drives down a long road until numerous cabins on a lake come in to view.
“Where are we?” I ask, and wonder if I’ll even have phone service here.
“A little country getaway,” he says. “The perfect place for us to reconnect.”
Jesus,
