“I don’t know. Somethingdefinitely happened to me.”
“What else do you remember?”
“Robbie. I remember Robbie in myroom, in my bed. He was leaning on top of me. My nightgown waspulled up to my waist and he wasn’t wearing a shirt. I keptthinking stop and no, but I don’t remember if I said it outloud.”
“So, he raped you?”
“I don’t know if you would callit rape, because I don’t think I fought him off.”
Dickson sighs loudly then asksif there is anything else Annie can remember.
“The only other thing I rememberis that after Robbie left the room, he and Denny started arguingloudly. When I heard the front door close, I could hear still hearthem arguing.”
“Do you remember what they weresaying?”
“No. I just remember thatDenny’s voice was scary. Like he was in a rage.”
Why in the hell would she tellDickson that? She never told me that before. She said Denny leftwhile Robbie was still with her. Denny even said he’d left beforethat.
Finally, I hear the detectivestand up. He tells Annie that he can have someone from VictimServices contact her.
“I don’t want to speak to anyoneabout what happened between me and Robbie that night, butthanks.”
Dickson and Annie walk towardsthe kitchen door and I quickly sprint across the living room andinto the bedroom.
After a few minutes, I hear thefront door close. I stand up and go into the living room. Annie isstanding in the middle of the floor. She looks at me and smiles. “Ibet you anything that dinner is going to be as dry as hell. It’sbeen in the oven for way too long.”
“Annie,” I say, stopping herbefore she goes back into the kitchen. “Tell me what you guystalked about.”
She tells me to help her getdinner and we’ll talk about it while we eat. I watch her indisbelief as she puts on oven mitts and takes a large dish from theoven, humming softly as she does it. How can she be so calm?There’s something really strange going on with her. It’s not likeher to lie or even bend the truth, but I have a sinking suspicionthat it’s what she was doing when she talked to the detective aboutDenny. He can be a prick, but that doesn’t make him a murderer.
Annie spoons us each a portionof her Indian dish and then hands me some bread. The last thing Ican do right now is focus on eating. My head is reeling withquestions and anxiety.
We sit on the sofa with TVtables in front of us. She starts cutting into her dinner,seemingly ravenous.
“Annie.” The tone of my voiceshocks her and she looks up at me. “Can we please talk about whatjust happened, please?”
“Nothing happened, really. Heasked me some basic questions and I answered them. It waseasy.”
Easy questions? Involving daterape and murder? Why is she hiding this from me? I want toreiterate what I heard but if she knows that I was eavesdropping,she’ll freak. “Fine, Annie. Whatever.”
“Jade, there was nothing heavythat was asked. Honestly. I would tell you, okay?”
I shrug and pick reluctantly atmy dinner, not because I’m hungry, but because I don’t know whatelse to do right now.
“Hey.” She wipes her mouth witha napkin and turns to me, smiling. “Do you want to hear the news Ihad for you today, before we were interrupted?”
“I guess so. Sure.”
“Well, I called my parents todayand I told them that I’m pregnant. At first, I thought they weregoing to freak out, but they didn’t. They were ecstatic. Then, Itold them that we are getting married right away. I invited them,but because they’ve moved back to the States, they might not beable to make in on such short notice.”
I drop the piece of bread I’mholding. “What? They’re living back in the States?”
“Oh, didn’t I tell you?”
“No, Annie.” I stare at her indisbelief. “It must have slipped your mind.”
I don’t think I’ve ever feltthis furious with her. I don’t know what I’m angrier about—that shecalled her parents with such huge news without me there to sharetheir reaction, or that she hadn’t even told me that her parentsmoved out of the country. She knows how much I care for herparents. She knows how much this news would affect me, and sheexpects me to take it like it’s good news.
I stand up with my meal barelytouched and walk into the kitchen. Annie follows me to the sink.“Jade, there’s something else.”
“What now? Is your name notreally Annie?”
She laughs. I don’t think shecan hear the anger in my tone, though I don’t hide it well. “Don’tbe silly. Can you come back to the couch with me for a sec?”
She takes my hand and leads meto the sofa. “What is it, Annie?” I say, my voice cold. “I don’tknow how many more surprises I can handle tonight.”
Annie puts her hands on mine.Her face is more serious now. “Jade, I know things have been reallycrazy lately and hard on both of us, but I’ve been thinking.” Shetakes a breath. “It doesn’t matter how I came to be pregnant. Whatmatters now is that a baby is coming.” She pauses. I stare at her,confused. She smiles at me, and her eyes are suddenly shining. “Iwant them to be born into a loving environment. With twoparents.”
I look in her sparkling blueeyes. “What are you trying to say?”
She smiles, and a tear rollsdown her cheek. “Will you adopt the baby when they’re born?”
I had honestly never consideredthis. It hadn’t occurred to me that it was something I should do.Too much has been happening. I knew there’s a baby coming, but thatwas later down the road, as far as I was concerned. The present wastaken up with Denny, with Annie, with a frigging murderinvestigation.
But, as I stare into her eyes, Iremember what matters to me the most, Annie. Her unborn child is apart of her and no matter what, I can’t change that. If I want tobe a family with Annie, adopting the baby is my only choice.
“Of course, I will,” I say,grabbing her and pulling her into me. My anger is gone.
Chapter Eleven
With the wedding fastapproaching and the baby in
